ULA Circuit

“Basic cottage UL backpacks have fewer things to break and in my experience last very well. I have an Osprey Aura. The zippers on the hip belt pockets were wrecked within a few weeks and the pockets got holes in them. The hip belt pockets aren't modular, can't be replaced. The rest of it is fine but it weighs almost 4lbs. I have many cottage made packs. Here are the fabrics they use, as far as I can tell. Whatever the **Gossamer Gear gray fabric** is: Very durable. I have a day pack I've used for about 10 years. Whatever the **Gossamer Gear mesh pocket fabric** is: Garbage. Gets stretched out and tears. The rest of the pack will outlive the pockets by many years. **Robic**: Used on a ULA pack. Very durable. Mine is dark green with white grid pattern. Been using this pack on various backpacking trips since 2009. ULA packs are super durable. **210d uhmwpe gridstop**: Used on a Pa'lante pack. Very durable. Black with a white grid pattern. The pack has done one thru-hike of the CDT, half the AZT, and the Colorado section of the CDT. **Dyneema Composite Fabric** (whatever the kind Zpacks uses): Used on my Zpacks Arc Blast. The inner layer of the fabric is super durable. The outer layer is torn and faded. Hip belt pockets have deformed from me pulling on the zippers and getting frustrated when they won't open. I've used this pack on various short trips and the Montana/Idaho section of the CDT. Overall, the durability is poor. **White Challenge Ultra 200X**: I have a fanny pack made with this and it seems really durable but I haven't had it long enough. I think this is similar fabric to those trendy HMG packs. **Ultra 100**: My Nashville Cutaway might be made of this. I think this fabric has a problem with delamination. Mine so far has held up hiking the Wyoming section of the CDT and half of the AZT with no delamination so far. **X-pack or Eco-pack**: I have fanny packs made of this and they tend to delaminate around corner areas, meaning the outer layer peels/flakes off. Not durable. Often the pockets are the thing that fails way before the main pack body fabric. **Spandex pockets**: This is basically the same as a pair of tights. Used on my Pa'lante bottom pocket. They deform and fade. Won't last as long as the main pack body fabric. On a bottom pocket, will get holes if you have to slide all the way down Gray's peak on your butt. **Regular black stretch mesh pockets** (looks like small hole stretchy mesh): They deform and tear. Won't last as long as the main pack body fabric. Was the first thing to go on my Pa'lante pack. Various pack makers use various weights. Be suspicious of any stretch mesh pockets where you can read the text on a water bottle through it. Too thin, it will tear. **Venom mesh pockets**: This doesn't look like mesh at all. It's sort of grayish, blackish, checkerboard-ish. Holds its shape, fades after a while, very durable, doesn't deform or tear. Three of my packs have this fabric for pockets and it so far lasts as l”