Written by: Shannon Head (@restlesscrusade)
Looking for an amazing multi day pack, this is it! This Deuter AirContact Lite 60 +10 SL women’s pack is the most comfortable pack I have ever had on my back. This pack just accompanied me on my quest to summit Aconcagua. We made it to the summit comfortably, with no pressure points, no sweaty back, and with the external pockets easily accessable it made for less stops. Even when having it completely packed full up, the comfort was amazing, like I was barely carrying anything on my back.
We did two gear carries from Plaza de Mulas (Basecamp) to Camp Canada (Camp 1) and this pack definitely saved the day for me. I was completely exhausted from the previous hiking acclimatization days and dreading these two gear carry days. Pretty sure that if I didn’t have this pack I wouldn’t have been able to do it. The back is so well padded with extra support down low, making carrying large loads a breeze. It is highly adjustable, fitting many different torso lengths. I am 5’ 3” and 130 lbs for fit to size ratio.
While I did use this pack to its full capacity, I also used it on summit day with the bare minimals in it. Only 2L of water, some snacks, rain jacket, sunscreen, and it still performed amazingly. Even with minimal weight in it, it still was snug fitting and didn’t move around on my back. It didn’t feel big and bulky either. It has a lightweight, aluminum x-frame that moves with you and transfers the load away from the shoulders onto your hips. It also has ergonomic lumbar pads that distribute the weight evenly preventing uneven load balance.
A great feature is that it has nice big water bottle pockets to fit two 1-L bottles. Also, the front pouch is easily accessible to store your rain jacket and a few snacks to be able to grab quick. I did find that it sits pretty high; pros of that are that I was able to unzip the top pouch and grab a snack on the go. I also found that even sitting quite high it did not at all impede my neck/head space at all, like some other packs do. This hike required hiking poles for the majority of it, but when they weren’t needed the trekking pole loops were perfect to store them on the outer part of the bag.
This pack weighs in at 1900 grams (4.2 lbs), making it the lightest pack I have owned to date. Weight plays a huge part when you are hiking at high elevations, so I was quite happy to be packing this along. I can’t say enough great things about this Deuter AirContact pack. It made the trip most enjoyable knowing I didn’t have to struggle with pack fit or a sweaty back.
One of the big perks about this pack is that it has an open cell AirContact foam, which dissipates moisture and heat keeping your back cooler then most packs. When we left at -10 it hugged my back and kept me warm from the blowing wind, but once the sun came out and we took layers off it also kept my back cool from the beautiful sun shining down on us. We do a lot of backcountry hiking in the summer and I cannot wait to give it a try in the +20 heat along with it loaded up to 40+ lbs plus probably a Trail Magik carrier attached to its front when we take the kids along. My old pack is being retired and the Deuter AirContact Lite is my new go-to!
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