tldr; DCF framed pack. Light, carries well, pricey. UL hauler.
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Best praise vs top criticism for Zpacks Arc Haul 62
“Naturehike is a legitimate outdoor and lightweight gear company based in China. Too frequently people assume that because something is made in China it must be less quality, as if there isn't a massive outdoors and climbing in China. Or as if the largest country in the world doesn't have the capacity to make quality outdoor gear. [not trying to accuse you of this OP!]. I have a chair, large duffle dry bag, and a CloudUp3, tent. I have no complaints about any of the gear. The cloud up 3 has weathered multiple downpours without any leaks, and the dry bag has been through multiple canoe trips with no leaks or issues. Naturehike, 3FUL, and Aricxi are three really good and innovative outdoor brands you can find on AliExpress. 3FUL is about to launch a really quality looking backpack: the Tianshan backpack. It's hard to come by lightweight backpacks with good back ventilation. It has a similar frame to the Zpacks Arc Haul, but I imagine it will weigh about 12oz more and cost $250 to $300 less. Anyways, there is definitely a learning curve to AliExpress. Thoroughly read the descriptions, read the reviews, look for reviews on reddit/youtube/etc. and you'll be fine. There is a ton of quality affordable UL gear there.”
“I think you were on the money with saying it wouldn’t be a worthwhile exercise to try a pack that doesn’t fit. If it dosnt fit it will be uncomfortable and you will have a hard time getting a grasp if it will work for you. If your baseweight is already that low with a three pound backpack i think you are definitely in the range a frameless could work; but there are also super light framed backpacks that i like more, like zpacks arc haul.”
536 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 2/24/2026