Deuter Speed Lite Series Packs

The Demi Pack of Godly Proportions

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What do Hermes, the messenger god, and backpacks have in common? Nothing, until you strap into Deuters’ Speed Lite series packs.

The Speed Lite packs are for the fleet of foot who don’t want to be burdened down while transporting their prayers to the mountain gods. My chosen method of worship was back country skiing with my chosen vessel being the Speed Lite 20L.

At first, some of the features struck me as a little odd. A front stash pouch with a sewn top confounded me because it seemed that I couldn’t put much in with only two small side access points. Luckily, Hermes showed me the errors of my ways ( for who am I to question the gods?) by proving that the pouch was a perfect fit for my skins and downhill ski equipment. This resulted in lightening fast transitions - skins on, gloves off - and allowed for some offerings of sublime Ambrosia and downhill skiing.

One thing that made perfect sense was the weight. It weights in a smidge over a pound (1.2lbs) and is about as naked as Hermes himself. This weight, in league with the well thought out, non-hindering shoulder straps and streamline tapered design means you hardly notice the pack while you're wearing it. Completing the package is Deuters patented tensioned Delron U-frame suspension system, a small zippered pouch for keys, snacks, incense and side straps that work well to compress A-frame skis. You could even strap a sacrificed goat to the outside of the pack and you’ll look and feel like a demi-god while practicing your chosen method of worship.

Pros: Lightweight and streamlined makes this pack an awesome addition for your side/back country ski pursuits as well as paying homage to the gravity gods (i.e. climbing).

Cons: The waist belt is too small and thin to be any good other then holding up your pants. No sweat though, it's easily removable. Strapping on some ice tools is limited because there's no way to securely attach the shaft of the tool to the pack.

One Note: Since this pack is so cut, you won’t be able to put anything larger then a Deploy 3 shovel inside. Didn’t see this as a Con just the nature of doing business with this pack.

Specs: 1.2lbs Capacity 20L MSRP: $79.00

Associate Blogger Jeremy Park can be found hiding in the alpine ranges of the Pacific Northwest and occasionally ditches a day of work to return from his adventures. As a crusty contradiction, he enjoys ice and rock of all types and more importantly, lives for general tomfoolery.


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The New Deuter Pace 30

ISO: Something That Dan Likes

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Light as a feather stiff as a board. To anyone that has done team building activities, this statement might make you cringe. To the uninitiated, imagine someone standing on a wooden platform 10 feet off the deck with 6 people waiting to catch them screaming, “Keep your back stiff as a board and imagine yourself light as a feather!”

This statement also holds true for ultra lightweight backpacks. On one hand, you want your pack to be light (light as feather); on the other hand you want it to be able to carry a load without feeling like you're strapped to a backboard (stiff as a board). With this in mind, I decided to try out a new Deuter pack called the Pace 30.

When I first picked the pack up, I realized it easily met my first requirement of being light as a feather (2lbs) while still having a lot of sweet features - a vented waste belt with goo stash pouch, gear loop as well as a front panel roomy enough for a helmet - making this pack an excellent, jack of all trades.

Since the pack screamed "DO IT ALL," I decided to test it doing a couple of different activities - an approach hike and climbing. I was hoping to test it with more climbing but our “hike” turned into a full on bushwhack, “If you are curious the approach was rated a BW3+. We're talking a full on alder vaulting, black berry bush, and things that go F*** in the night experience.” Even at about 25lbs, I barely noticed the pack while doing my best Rambo impression through the brush, “Sorry for jumping on you Dan I was little caught up in the moment.” This is primarily due to the tensioned Delrin U-frame stay system that adds just enough stiffness (stiff as a board perhaps?) to keep the weight on your hips while still being super flexible.

The pack is super streamlined and compresses down easily which allowed me to stalk my prey…I mean follow my partner without getting snagged on limbs or anything else that goes bump in the night. In the end, the fabric held up better then I did. I don’t know if this was due to the bombproof Hexlite 210 fabric or the fact that my face took the brunt of the abuse. Either way, this pack held up so well that Sylvester Stallone would be impressed. This versatility and durability at $99 dollars makes this pack a must have for Spring 2010.

Pro’s: Lightweight, durable, and affordable makes this all-arounder appropriate for all your alpine endeavors from fast and light alpine climbing to back country skiing, “Yes it does carry skis!!!”

Con’s: I don’t know. The fact that it isn’t called the Jack of All 30 or the Rambo 30. Or maybe the fact that I have to give this back to the rep and won’t be able to acquire my own until Spring 2010.

Bonus: My friend Dan likes this pack. Dan never likes anything. Enough said.

Specs: 2lbs Capacity 30L MSRP: $99.00



Associate Blogger Jeremy Park can be found hiding in the alpine ranges of the Pacific Northwest and occasionally ditches a day of work to return from his adventures. As a crusty contradiction, he enjoys ice and rock of all types and more importantly, lives for general tomfoolery.


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The Deuter Guide 45+ Alpine Pack

SWM ISO: My Amazonian Goddess

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I see backpacks as a necessary evil to outdoor endeavors. They never fit right, are too heavy, don’t have the right bells and whistles, are uncomfortable and the list goes on. Personally I would love to have a Star Trek Transporter magically teleport my gear to the prearranged bivy/campsite anytime I hike or climb. Seeing as the chances of this actually happening (I’ll hold out and hope that I’ll eventually marry some Amazonian goddess that will schluf my gear anytime I want) are zero to nil, I am on a continuous search for the “do everything” bag. This bag would be comfortable, light weight, durable, and have just the right frills – basically, I want the perfect satchel for my gear. As you can see, there’s a reason I haven’t found my Amazonian goddess. However, I’ll settle for the current contender for my “do everything” bag - the Guide 45+ from Deuter. This all around alpine pack is made from a 1000d nylon Duratex and 420d Microlite fabric making this beefcake, well, super beefy. Both of the fabrics are PU coated, making this bag effectively waterproof (minus the occasional river dunking or typhoon conditions since the seams aren’t taped). My first impressions of the bag out of the packaging are mixed. On one hand, the bag is super durable (beefy fabric, beefy zippers, beefy…beefy) and seems to have all the right bells and whistles ( A-frame ski holders, ice tool holders, NO trekking pole holders, NO pull cord to lunch Patriot missiles, etc.), there are add-ons that seem unnecessary. This includes the side-access zippers and bottom compartment access zippers - I’d have one, but not both. As for the bottom compartment separator - I’d probably cut this out. All of these features are nice but add a lot of unnecessary zipper weight. Another feature I would like to see would be some sort of haul system using maybe a 3-point haul system for more vertical travel.

First impressions aside, I started packing the bag. Although listed as a 45L bag, I think it’s a little conservative (think far right wing conservative). I packed all my climbing gear, a rope, a bivy set up, food, stove and still had enough room for a bottle of wine. Compare that to my current 45+10L alpine pack which barely has enough room for the essentials much less enough room for a small flask of whiskey.

The Guide is also the most comfortable alpine pack I’ve ever used. Most light weight packs, the shoulder and waist straps are so trimmed down that they feel like a boa constrictor working on squeezing out your innards; leading to sore muscles and massage therapist bills. The Guide was a champ even on a 2 mile 2500ft approach.

There are plenty other things to like about the pack. Like a high priced stripper I once knew, this pack strips down to nothing but the bare necessities, the simple bear necessities. You can easily, “easily” being the operative word here, remove or put back together the pack stays, hip belt, and foam sheet - which doubles as an emergency bivy pad. On other alpine packs, I’ve found that removing these things can be easy but putting them back in can be a huge pain in the ass (I still haven’t fully gotten my Grivel Alpine Pack stay back in and I’ve had it for almost two years!!!!).Even stripped down and sans hip belt, the Guide was super comfortable. Although the “stripped down system” isn’t perfect and you can’t remove the top lid, it is by far the best system I’ve seen on a alpine pack. All in all, it's a nice alpine pack.

Pros: Über durable (no worries about punching through the pack materials with your crampons), Strips down easily, SUPER comfortable to carry, Reasonably priced at $169 (It was the cheapest pack out of all the comparable packs)


Cons: This is the heaviest pack (4lbs 4oz.) out of all the comparable alpine packs I looked at (I looked at Black Diamond, Osprey, Cilogear, and Grivel). This could easily be fixed by losing the bottom compartment opening and the internal separation flap. Neither of these changes would take away from the carrying comfort.

Bonus: Printed directions underneath the top lid on how to facilitate a rescue that doesn't involve you running around naked.

Conclusions: Amazonian goddess this pack is not (no one’s perfect) but if comfort and durability at a stellar price point is what you're seeking, then get this pack for all your alpine endeavors. Specs:


Volume: 2750-3350 cubic inches
Torso: 16.5-20 inches inches
Weight: 4 lbs. 4 oz. (3lbs. 10oz. min. weight)
Dimensions (HxWxD): 29 x 13.5 x 9.5 inches



Guest Blogger Jeremy Park can be found hiding in the alpine ranges of the Pacific Northwest and occasionally ditches a day of work to return from his adventures. As a crusty contradiction, he enjoys ice and rock of all types and more importantly, lives for general tomfoolery.










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