Skyline 30 Fastpack

Nice pack with lots of features but does not fit a guy 5’11 185 lbs. I ordered a LG but ended up giving it to my 14 year grandson.

A good looking well thought out pack. Designed with fastpacking primarily in mind, but would serve well as a good size day hiking or ski touring pack. I particularly like the open sleeve at the bottom...very handy for a rolled up air mattress. The pack fit well, but the shoulder straps seemed short and with added layers for Fall and Winter use, became to small.

I became aware of fast packing last year and wanted to add a fast pack to my arsenal. After completing my through hike of the AT this year on 117 days I knew I would need to make fast packing a part of my regular life in order to scratch my hiking itch. I carried the Mountainsmith zero 40 for the majority of my through hike and really liked the running vest but missed the bottom pocket of my HMG Unbound 40. I also felt like 40 liters was too large for a fast pack so when I saw the Skylite I had to have it! I just had it out this past weekend for a short trip with my wife and son. The pack carried like a dream even with more weight in it than I would normally carry for a 2 day 1 night fast packing trip as I was carrying the bulk of everyone's food. I'm looking forward to getting some longer days in with this pack in the upcoming months.

I took this pack out a few days after it arrived. At first I was afraid of the sizing (see below) I wore around my house and yard for a few days to confirm it's comfort, and was pleased enough with the fit and decided to take it on a 3 night trip.

My total trail weight starting out was right at the 20lbs recommended carry weight. I do start out my hikes carrying a 'trail dinner', this time it was a footlong sandwich from Subway, so I was going to shed a lot of weight by the second day. I also carry a pound of whisky on nearly every trip. With the heavier pack, I did not feel over encumbered and the day went smooth. I did start to feel some soreness as we hit the 8 mile mark before we began our 2 mile/2k feet elevation ascent up to the Chain Lakes in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness (this section should be illegal). I feel the pack is more comfortable going uphill than downhill, so this was not really a big issue. This was the toughest day. I could have eaten my sandwich before the ascent, but what would be the fun in that!

Overall our hike spanned 28.5 miles, 6562' gained and 7595' lost, from Stevens Pass to White Pine trailhead in Washington.

Things I liked:
-I really liked the freeness of this pack. Traditional packs always kind of hurt my hips and pinch my extra insulation, so this was nice.
-The straps were comfortable, with enough padding and plenty of breathability. I liked using the hip belt because it secured the pack right at the base of my back, which gave it a bit of a lip to sit on for added comfort.
-The size was great considering my load out. Starting out I utilized all the exterior pockets to their fullest potential, by the end of the hike I had plenty of room to spare.
-Every night I thought I would wake up tore up in the shoulders because of the pack, but was surprised to feel pretty darn good with the normal soreness I would expect on any trip. The style of pack did not cause any 'new' pains, I was very happy with that.

Things I did not like:
-I do not like the vagueness in the sizing chart. I ordered a large, and received a M/L. Not sure why they send that out as a size when there is no way to order that combination. This enhanced my worry about whether the pack would fit right. I am still unsure if the pack 'fits' me to it's maximum comfort. My chest size is 41", and I still had some, not a lot, of webbing to tighten the harness if needed.
-The buckles were difficult to clip. More often than not they would half clip in, with one fork thingy sticking out. It was very apparent they were not clipped correctly, but I wonder if after repeated errors they might break.
-The chest straps were hard to loosen on the fly, there was a lot of resistance when wearing the pack and I often had to unbuckle to loosen.

Other Considerations:
-The passthrough bottom pocket was great, I carried my water filter and rain jacket in it. I did not use the zippered pocket because it was not an easy pocket to access with the pack on.
-It would be nice to have included a phone pocket in the harness. I know they had reasons why they did not include one, along the lines of it not being comfortable to have a phone there, but still I would have preferred to have the opportunity to try it out rather than having my phone in my pocket.
-This is my first pack of this style, I do small runs with a running vest with 7lbs of weight, but this was my first hike where I tried out a little bit of running. I did not run a lot, less than a mile, so my review is mainly based on hiking. When I did run, it felt nice, though it did have a good amount of bouncing. Since I do not really have anything to compare it to, I cannot say if it was an excessive amount of bouncing, very little, or just the right amount.
-The zippered pockets, and additional pockets next to the water bottle sleeves, were nearly useless. I did put small things in them, but was more frustrated when I had to remove everything from them if I filled my flasks and needed to put them back in. There was no way the flask would slide in if there was anything in the pocket. Not a big deal, and I will probably find a better use in the future besides only putting my hydration tablets in them.
-The flasks were great to drink from, but other than that they are a pain in the butt. From refilling to keeping them clean when off the pack, they will take some getting used to. For sure, bring a separate bottle or 2 for around camp if you can spare the space. I would not recommend dropping the flasks altogether, around home I put Kirkland bottles in them and they were extremely uncomfortable, and without being able to reach the side pockets without taking the pack off knocks out them being the only spots to carry water.
-Need more room? Maybe take along a fanny pack.

Final Thoughts:
I will definitely be taking this out again. This would be the most amazing day pack or for a one nighter. I really pushed it on this maiden voyage, but was ve...

I was excited about this pack!
What’s great: overall quality and materials. A lot of the design is better than other options

What didn’t work and reason I probably won’t use it again: i had hot spots in the left shoulder. I adjusted the pack lol 20x but still thought about the pack versus enjoying my run. I also didn’t like the storage design on the straps. I HAVE to have my phone accessible and it just didn’t feel secure in the snack pocket on the harness. I tried storing it underneath in zipper but I didn’t like it. The shoulder hotspot was the major detractor for me though

I unfortunately hung it in the closet and ordered the GG Kumo 36 after my first run with it. I enjoyed the Kumo’s extra padding on the shoulders and the more secure storage for phone, flasks and protein bars. For me while I know there are a lot of pros to the OV, I just enjoyed the GG Kumo better. I might give it another go but ran 17 miles with same gear inside pack and Kumo was just a better fit for me ( comfort wise)