The Mountainsmith Zerk 40 is a multi-purpose backpack with vest-style shoulder straps that can be utilized for backpacking, thru-hiking, or lengthy day hikes. I hesitate to name it a fast-pack as a result of its utility extends far past that slender fashion of use.
Weighing 30 oz, the Zerk 40 has a roll-top closure, a detachable hip belt strap, and a detachable foam framesheet. Quite a few open mesh pockets on the shoulder straps and backpack exterior make it simple to retailer steadily accessed gear and meals so that you don’t should cease and open the pack to entry them. The pack comes with bear canister straps so you’ll be able to lash a canister on prime and contains quite a few exterior gear loops so you’ll be able to connect extra gear to its exterior.
Specs at a Look
- Weight: 30 oz
- Quantity: 40L
- Kind: Frameless
- Entry: Prime (roll-top)
- Gender: Unisex
- Hydration suitable: Sure, central hose port inner hold loop
- Pockets: 9 (all open, mesh, and exterior)
- Torso Vary: 16-19″
- Contains extras: Stretch bungee twine for the entrance pocket, bear canister straps
- Bear canister compatibility: BV500 and BV475 match inside vertically; BV450 and BV 425 match inside sideways; As well as, exterior straps are additionally included for a prime carry
- Supplies: 210-denier recycled nylon ripstop (UHMPE); recycled 210-denier nylon SD oxford; nylon 100-denier x Span 840-denier stretch mesh
- Max really useful load: 20-25 lbs (producer claims 30 lbs)
Backpack Body and Suspension
The Mountainsmith Zerk 40 is a frameless fixed-length backpack with huge vest-style shoulder straps and a detachable hipbelt made with webbing. Though it has a mushy foam again panel, the shortage of a load-bearing hip belt signifies that your whole pack weight will relaxation in your shoulders. Mountainsmith claims the pack can carry 30 kilos comfortably, however I feel 20-25 lbs is a extra sensible restrict that you need to shoot for.
In case you’ve by no means had a backpack with vest-style shoulder straps, they’ll take a while to get used to as a result of they supply a really completely different really feel than extra conventional backpack straps. For one, vest-style straps are inclined to lie flat in your shoulders and higher chest and don’t actually rotate across the curves of your torso the way in which that conventional backpack straps do. Relying on the pack, you might discover them too narrowly spaced or too extensively spaced, which might additionally have an effect on consolation. I occur to love the shoulder straps on the Zerk 40 as a result of I feel they favor a broad chest (dimension 46) in contrast to a number of working packs that I discover favor folks with narrower torsos. In reality, I discover many running-style vests and path working packs unusable for simply this purpose.
Whereas the Zerk’s shoulder straps aren’t closely padded, they’re additionally not gossamer skinny. They’re 3″ huge on the prime and sewn straight into the highest of pack-bag, widening to 4.5″ on the backside, with a single adjustable sliding sternum strap between them (there’s no approach so as to add a second sternum strap). The shoulder straps every have two mesh pockets on the entrance with gear loops alongside the facet so you’ll be able to safe gadgets like an inReach 2 to forestall it from getting misplaced even when it falls out of a pocket. The straps themselves are J-shaped, which can be a consideration in case you’re feminine or have a well-developed chest the place S-shaped straps could be extra snug.
The Zerk’s hipbelt is a webbing strap and never load-bearing. It’s supplied to assist maintain the pack near your hips so it doesn’t bounce round, nevertheless it may also be eliminated. The hip belt is connected to the pack with gatekeeper clips which you could pop open and take away. You’ll want a pair of pliers to compress the buckle sufficient to open the gate, which is simply too agency to do by hand.
There’s a foam pad in a pad pocket behind the Zerk’s shoulder straps, its main function is to guard your again from being poked by the pack’s contents and isn’t structural like a correct body. It’s additionally very mushy, and received’t forestall the pack bag from barrelling into your again in case you overstuff it. You may take away the pad or exchange it in case you actually need (it weighs 3.2 oz) however I’d nonetheless advocate utilizing some sort of insert as a replacement as a result of it offers the pack bag a form, making it simpler to pack.
Backpack Group and Storage
The Zerk 40 is laid out like a typical ultralight pack with a roll-top, entrance mesh pocket, and facet water bottle pockets. The roll prime can clipped to itself on prime or anchored utilizing clips alongside the facet of the pack, which is my choice as a result of it offers higher compression. The highest of the roll prime doesn’t have a stiffener of any kind, so that you wish to ensure you flip it just a few occasions to maintain it from unraveling. There’s additionally a single webbing strap that runs from the entrance mesh pocket over the roll prime to carry it in place.
The Zerk 40 is designed with a number of exterior pocket storage so you’ve got all the things it’s essential to get by means of the day inside simple attain with out having to cease to search out one thing in your pack’s primary compartment. Whereas this packing philosophy isn’t that completely different from every other light-weight or cottage-made thru-hiking backpacks, the situation of the Zerk’s exterior pockets and the diploma of the group they supply units them other than the hipbelt pockets on extra standard backpacks. The whole lot you may probably want from snacks, gel packs, water bottles, bug dope, sunscreen, maps, a Smartphone, and many others will be saved inside simple attain within the shoulder strap pockets or the Zerk’s enhanced facet water bottle pockets.
The Zerk’s facet pockets can maintain water bottles, however what makes them distinctive is an extra stretch mesh pocket on the surface, which I liken to “hamster cheeks. These are good for storing additional snacks, fruit, and even trash wrappers so that you don’t should cease and open your pack to entry/stow them. I a lot desire these “hamster cheek” pockets to the mesh pockets that many ultralight backpack makers have began placing on the bottom of their backpacks. The latter is senseless from a sturdiness perspective for the reason that highest abrasion on a pack happens on the underside once you put it on the bottom.
Whereas I’ve at all times most popular packs that allow you to add your individual accent pockets to daisy chains on the shoulder straps, I’ve grown to love the Zerk’s pocket structure. I can securely retailer snacks, my Garmin inReach2, sun shades, a digicam, and Smartphone on the shoulder straps, and extra meals and fruit within the hamster cheek pockets. The contents keep put too, which is useful on the path, once I carry the pack round city, and for touring. A lot to my shock, the Zerk 40 has turn out to be a favourite because of this.
The remainder of the Zerk 40 is pretty standard. The pack is hydration suitable with a middle hose port between the shoulder straps, hose keeper loops on each shoulder pads, and a hook inside to hold your bladder however no separate hydration pocket.
The entrance mesh pocket is massive and ideally suited for carrying moist or free objects akin to rain gear, a water filter, or an ultralight tent, however can also be made with the identical light-weight mesh as used on the facet water bottle pockets. It’s surrounded by crimson gear loops so you’ll be able to run an exterior elastic twine over it or connect extra gadgets to the outside of the pack.
Compression and Exterior Attachment Factors
The Zerk 40 has facet compression straps that you just’ll wish to use to carry the load inside as near your middle of gravity as potential, significantly in case you’re carrying a heavy meals load. The straps are configured in a zig-zag form and slightly awkward to tighten, however don’t intervene with reaching or changing the water bottles within the facet pockets.
There’s a webbing strap that loops over the roll-top to offer top-down compression, which may also be used to safe a foam pad to the highest of the pack, in addition to an ice ax loop, though a shaft holder isn’t supplied. In case you want one, simply roll your individual with an elastic twine and a twine lock.
The Zerk additionally comes with straps for securing a bear canister to the highest of the pack. The bear canister straps are two webbing straps that connect to 4 gear loops on prime of the pack bag. Whereas you may make them actually tight and even crisscross them, the canister tends to slip laterally by means of them and dangle precariously off the facet of the pack. I’d keep away from utilizing them. If it’s essential to carry a canister, you’ll be able to retailer it vertically within the Zerk’s primary compartment and simply pack round it. The pack has an extended extension collar that extends up previous the shoulders and offers additional cupboard space.
Comparable Vest-Type Climbing Packs
Suggestion
The Mountain Zerk 40 is a multi-purpose backpack with a vest-style shoulder harness and non-load bearing hip belt. Whereas it’s massive sufficient for light-weight backpacking, it may be utilized in so many various methods from peakbagging to commuting or journey with out breaking stride. Weighing 30 oz (minus non-obligatory cords and webbing straps) the Zerk is a surprisingly snug backpack supplied you don’t overload it to attempt to carry greater than 20-25 kilos. Granted, the expertise of carrying a backpack and not using a load-bearing hip belt or a inflexible body takes some getting used to, however the Zerk’s shoulder strap and facet pockets present a stage of group and entry that’s unavailable on many different packs.
Disclosure: The creator bought this backpack.
