Frontpack Drawbacks

In a story last month for New York Times, I wrote about the trend of "frontpacks," which are packs with mesh pouches, zipper pockets, and compartments positioned up front on hip belts and over the chest. Companies like Salomon, Aarn Designs and syncpack claim moving weight forward on the body acts to counterbalance the heavy load on back.

To test the counterbalance theory, I recruited Kurt Wedberg, a professional guide and owner of Sierra Mountaineering International to try out five new frontpack models. Wedberg hiked the hills and mountains around his home in Bishop, Calif., carrying up to 50 pounds of weight on his wilderness-weary shoulders.

Here are Wedberg's thoughts on five frontpack models:

1. Syncpack
The syncpack mounts to any backpack via a lightweight aluminum frame. Its patent-pending frame functionality -- which moves dynamically with the wearer and is touted as transferring weight of the front-carried load to the waist belt -- was impressive, according to Wedberg. He said it gave the illusion that he was carrying a lighter load. However, the chest-mounted syncpack did block his view. "For trails it's fine, but I would not hike off trail in rough terrain with this pack." ($179, www.thesyncpack.com; available spring 2007)

2. Aarn Designs Natural Balance (pictured below)
This pack's dual front-side pouches on the shoulder straps counterbalanced weight well, Wedberg said. "The large front pockets provided enough weight to compensate for the large compartment on back." Wedberg said built-in separators in the main body of the pack were superfluous. "I cut them out with a knife to let the load distribute inside more naturally." ($315, www.aarnpacks.com)



3. Salomon Raid Revo 20 S-Lab
Easy access to gear is the aim of the upfront accouterments Salomon built on this daypack. Right- and left-hand zippered pockets on the hip belt serve as holsters for energy gel, electrolyte tabs, sunscreen or bars. Vertical mesh pouches on each shoulder strap counterbalance some weight when loaded with full water bottles. Fit on Wedberg's body was not perfect, as his torso was too long, and the pack comes only in one size. ($130, www.salomonsports.com)

4. Ultimate Direction Zoom
Like the Salomon pack, the Zoom has four front-side pockets -- two on the hip belt; two on the shoulder straps -- that provide access to gear or trail food. Very little weight compensation was noticeable with this model. Regardless, Wedberg said the pack was "very comfortable, very versatile" and perfect for day-long treks or climbing excursions. ($89.95, www.ultimatedirection.com)

5. LuxuryLite Front Pack
Wedberg tested the Front Pack with a LuxuryLite external-frame backpack as well as with his own internal-frame expedition pack. He noticed little weight transfer with the external-frame model. But used in tandem with his other pack it did the job of transferring some weight off his shoulders. Its large size obscured the trail ahead more than any model, Wedberg said. But at $35, he said this is the model to pick for casual hikers or anyone interested in trying out the frontpack concept. ($35, www.luxurylite.com)

(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eight U.S. newspapers; see http://www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold's work.)

Low-Top Lowdown

Heavy hiking boots are a thing of the past for any informed outdoors wanderer. Indeed, the clunky boots of yore -- some weighing more than 3 pounds apiece -- have been cast aside by most every footwear company now in favor of lightweight shoes and low-top hikers.

The Jannu Lo, a premium $140 shoe-boot from Lowa (www.lowaboots.com), exemplifies this trend. Essentially a scaled-down and streamlined mountain boot, the Jannu Lo is rigid and strong, with a sturdy outsole, waterproof uppers, and a handcrafted leather lining that is soft and comfy on the foot.

They're the kind of shoes made for lacing tight and hiking off into the rocky hills for miles, cradling and protecting the foot from roots and jagged stones. But the Jannu Lo's are also relatively lightweight, at about 18 ounces apiece.


Timberland's Vaporate: Everything's lightweight but the price.

A more modern spin on the shoe-boot mold comes from Timberland (www.timberland.com), which debuted its $120 Vaporate Low this year. Weighing less than the Jannu Lo, at about 15 ounces apiece, the Vaporate Lows incorporate mesh, plastic plates, rubbery membranes, and a twist-lock lacing system that eliminates the need to ever again tie a bow.

Taking its cues more from trail-running shoes than hiking boots, the Vaporate Lows have more flex than the Jannu Lo's. But they still wrap and protect the foot fine, resulting in a supportive shoe I'd trust for a day on the trail with a heavy pack.

The Vaporate Lows are not totally waterproof; running water that hits the tongue area will seep through. However, for warm weather they breathe better and might keep the foot less clammy than a shoe like the Jannu Lo.

Both shoe-boot models tested here performed fine on the trail, hiking clean and fast over the rivers and through the woods on my outings early this spring. But I thought both seemed also quite pricey. Hiking shoes from companies like Vasque and Garmont at a third less or even half the cost are common finds at the retailers I frequent.

However, if you're going to splurge, Lowa and Timberland offer features unavailable from many other companies.

Timberland's lacing system of choice for the Vaporate Low, which is made by Boa Technology, is the same type of ratcheting setup found on the likes of snowboarding boots. It's a nice system, letting you get in and out of the shoes fast, and providing a level of micro-adjustment hard to obtain with some lace-ups.

The Jannu Lo's main niceties derive from their craftsmanship, with fine leather contouring and overall classic good looks. Out of the box these shoes fit well, too, and they seem tough enough to last for years.


(Stephen Regenold writes The Gear Junkie column for eight U.S. newspapers; see http://www.THEGEARJUNKIE.com for video gear reviews, a daily blog, and an archive of Regenold's work.)