Under Review: Katabatic Gear Helios 55 Backpack
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2016 12:27 pm
Under Review: Katabatic Gear Helios 55 Backpack
I've been working on reducing my pack for the last few years and I've finally gotten to the point that using a UL pack for overnight trips makes sense. When researching backpacks, I had some criteria in mind, based on what I thought my max weight would be, as well as the volume gear I would want to carry:
- Weight: A pack that weighs around 3 lbs.
-Capacity: ~4000+ CI of volume, bear canister compatible, and the ability to carry up to 40 lbs if needed.
-Multi-use: A backpacking pack that can be compressed enough (or is light enough) to be used for dayhikes (or is modular with something that be used as a summit pack), as well as winter hiking trips where more gear is needed.
One of the few packs that met all of the criteria I set was the Katabatic Gear Helios 55.
After a few weeks of use, I am impressed with the pack overall.
I've posted more details of the pack (photos and info) on my blog(click here for the review), but here are a few photos:
Baden-Powell Hike
Register Ridge Snowshoe
Bighorn Peak Snow Climb
San Jacinto Snowshoe
Backpack Gear Test (carried about 40 lbs of gear)
I've been working on reducing my pack for the last few years and I've finally gotten to the point that using a UL pack for overnight trips makes sense. When researching backpacks, I had some criteria in mind, based on what I thought my max weight would be, as well as the volume gear I would want to carry:
- Weight: A pack that weighs around 3 lbs.
-Capacity: ~4000+ CI of volume, bear canister compatible, and the ability to carry up to 40 lbs if needed.
-Multi-use: A backpacking pack that can be compressed enough (or is light enough) to be used for dayhikes (or is modular with something that be used as a summit pack), as well as winter hiking trips where more gear is needed.
One of the few packs that met all of the criteria I set was the Katabatic Gear Helios 55.
After a few weeks of use, I am impressed with the pack overall.
I've posted more details of the pack (photos and info) on my blog(click here for the review), but here are a few photos:
Baden-Powell Hike
Register Ridge Snowshoe
Bighorn Peak Snow Climb
San Jacinto Snowshoe
Backpack Gear Test (carried about 40 lbs of gear)