My go to smaller pack for the past 10 years has been a customized Zimmerbuilt Quickstep (1700 ci) made out of DCF. This has served me well for day hikes, peak bagging and even some longer fastpacks, like the Wonderland Trail (93 miles over 3 days, with good weather kit). The DCF material has held up well despite a fair amount of bushwhacking through tight brush, trees and scraping on rock. However, when Durston introduced the larger capacity Wapta (32L in size L), which would expand my uses to larger load outs, I pulled the trigger on its first release.

*Durston Wapta in the Pyrenees (sans hip belt)*

The Durston website provides all the technical details, both in writing and in the video, so readers should check the site out for the particulars. With the exception of a long term review, which is impossible as of this post because the pack has been out for less than a year, I have used the pack in enough varied conditions to render an opinion.

*Difficult 'schwacking: I got beat up but the Wapta emerged unscathed*

TRAVEL • I took the Wapta on a month long journey to the east coast, to Spain, then France. This entailed packing for multiple uses, including airplane and train travel where the pack could fit under the seat in front of me. I did of course also have a carry on roll aboard, along with the Wapta. • BIKING • I used the pack on 3 of my 7 biking days across the Pyrenees, primarily to use my shoulder mounted camera, but also to stash some items instead of cramming them into the rear pockets of a cycling jersey. The Wapta also did duty for one of my excursions where I biked to a distant trailhead, then hiked back. • HIKING • Immediately following my cross Pyrenees bike trip, the pack was on my back for 6 days hiking Section 1 of the GR10. I also did the Wonderland Trail twice as a YoYo, with each excursion lasting 3 days. • PEAK BAGGING • So far this year I’ve only done a few outings, but they were brutal on the pack.

*Durston Wapta top strap handles bulky items*

PARTICULARS • SIZE: I ordered the Wapta in size L, which is 32L. The hip belt size M fit my frame perfectly (32 waist). This larger capacity than my usual smaller packs gave me a lot of flexibility. The pack was not too large to use as a minimal day pack…on the Pyrenees bike trip I removed the hip belt and barely put anything in the pack body, so it cinched down nicely and did not interfere with cycling, the exception of course being the sweat factor from being on one’s back whilst tackling big climbs in the heat of July. For day hikes there was plenty of space; same for peak bagging. I tested the pack to its volume limits on Mt. Rainier’s Northern Loop Trail in October, where the temperatures (and weather) required more gear. I had one overnight so packed a NeoAir XTherm pad, an OR Helium Bivy, and a Nunatak 15 degree bag. Add in two days of food requiring an Ursack (staying in a cross country zone) and additional warm clothing, and I was just able to get 2 twists on the roll top closure when everything was in the pack. This was more than my 3 day Wonderland hikes despite carrying 6 pounds of food, as my kit then was considerably less bulky • FEATURES • This is the first pack I’ve owned where I could actually get the water bottles out of the side pockets without having to take the pack off. Nice. The top strap came in handy when I packed a bulky Blizzard Survival Tube for my CCW Wonderland trip as my shelter and sleep system; it was always secure and didn’t cant to one side or the other. I like the solid fabric front pocket, and I didn’t worry about items sliding out the top when I was bent over ‘schwacking because the elastic is tight and robust. The standard side straps were used when I had to fold and secure my poles whilst peak bagging, and I could also clip a large nalgene in when I knew my posture would not always be upright. Although I occasionally stowed a hat and/or gloves in the bottom pocket, I actually didn’t use this much. However, I am thankful that the material is solid and not mesh, as of course this is where the pack makes contact with the ground every time you take it off. Finally, the side pockets were where I stowed my inReach, spare battery pouch, Nuun tablets, ibuprofen and fold up toothbrush, and there was room for more. Of note, on another pack I own the side pockets actually interfered or made contact with my arms during locomotion..not a problem with the Wapta. The shoulder pockets I use for my phone and headlamp. • COMFORT • This is the most comfortable pack I have ever used. Granted, I never exceeded probably 15 pounds, even fully loaded with food and liquid. But even at its heaviest, I hardly noticed it on my back and never had to stop to relieve the shoulders or stretch. I go long periods without stopping, upwards of 3 hours, and even then it will only be for 5 minutes or so. This is the ultimate measure of a pack for me…do I need to take it off? Not this pack. Also, I trot the downhills, and the bounce is minimal. Despite no internal frame, it feels like the hip belt actually takes some measure of weight off the shoulders.• DURABILITY • So far I am a big fan of the Aluula Graflyte. I’ve been out in some mucky weather, where I placed the pack on wet, muddy, pineneedly crud. Any crud cleans up easily, and it’s also the first pack I’ve owned that didn’t retain at least some stains. But the ultimate test was one bushwhack that lasted nearly 5 hours, through chest high grabby bushes and tightly spaced trees with dead poky branch stubs. My arms had numerous blood spots and bruises from being stabbed or scraped (I’m old with thin skin), my legs got trashed, and the pack would catch on said branches, or the roll top buckle would catch to the point of breaking branches. Even the skinny side straps got snagged but emerged intact. On another peak I had to crawl upwards through high alpine trees to reach the summit block, sometimes scraping against rock and snagging branches at the same time with a fair amount of my body weight adding to the mix. So far, once the pack was cleaned after an excursion, the material looks the same as when I unpacked it on arrival. This stuff is tough. Lastly I’ll add that it did fairly well in continuous rain or mist over multiple days, and although I can’t say the contents were bone dry, there was no standing water in the pack and things were only slightly damp (the pack is seam sealed).

*Durston Wapta at max volume on peak bagging trip*

*Wapta dual air mesh strips invite pine needles if 'schwacking*

ANNOYANCES: There’s not much to say here, but no pack is perfect. The buckle design is such that, vice what I usually see, the cinch is on the interior and one merely presses the sides to release. When I was doing contortions during bushwhacking, the belt released a number of times when it was pressured in a bent position. When buckling, it is hard to do it by feel. I usually have to see the two ends of the buckle to easily engage it (including the sternum strap). To wit, when I was going through airport security in France, I had to unbuckle the pack for an inspector because she couldn’t figure out how to release it. • The roll top closure is generally fine, but reference what I wrote about bushwhacking…in close quarters in tightly packed trees, it’s a loop on top of the pack that will surely invite unwanted branches into its midst, pulling you backwards or stopping you in your tracks as you have to reverse to untangle. • The dual air mesh strips on the back certainly add to the comfort factor of the Wapta, but I recently spent over 30 minutes with a tweezer trying to expunge pine needles embedded in the tiny holes (reference the 5 hour bushwhack above), and I didn’t get it all.

*Durston Wapta not at max capacity for 3 day Wonderland Trail trip (107 miles)*

CONCLUSION: Aside from the few minor annoyances mentioned above, everything about this pack is a winning combo, making it the most useful and comfortable all around pack in my closet. The design, the sturdiness of materials, and even the looks are top notch. Kudos to Durston for offering such a well thought out tool to the hiking/biking/traveling/peak bagging/fast packing community. Durston Iceline Poles: You may notice them in a few shots; I used these all season on every trip (including the GR10, they packed in the roll aboard), but had to put them aside when one of the tips inadvertently broke off without me noticing; with continued use I actually wore down some of the carbon lower pole section. I contacted Durston about this and surmised that I would need a replacement lower section…the response was prompt and I received notice that they would ship out a lower section when the new Iceline batch was in stock (December), free of charge. Add that to the accolades list for Durston; excellent customer service for their excellent products, albeit with the waits that are common with “cottage” or smaller companies. Disclaimer: I paid full price for these products and have no affiliation with Durston