The Outside Vitals CS40 is an ultralight rolltop backpack made with Extremely cloth that weighs 27 oz. It has two pre-curved carbon fiber stays that act as a body with a detachable hipbelt held in place by velcro. Whereas it’s made with Extremely (Ultraweave 200), a water-proof cloth, the pack is just not waterproof and has a number of quirky options that skilled backpackers will in all probability shrink back from. Whereas the Outside Vitals CS40 Backpack continues to be utterly useful, I feel that there are a lot better backpacks accessible at an identical worth level and counsel a number of beneath.
Specs at a Look
- Worth: $368
- Gender: Unisex
- Mfg Weight: 27 oz (Medium torso, medium hipbelt)
- Examined Weight: 28.6 oz (Medium torso, giant hipbelt)
- Closed storage: 41-43L (relying on torso size)
- Complete storage: 51-53L (relying on torso size)
- Pockets: 5 together with 2 on the hip belt.
- Hydration prepared: Sure
- Load-lifters: Sure
- Max Really helpful Load: 30 lbs
- Materials: Problem UltraWeave 200, Robic nylon, Spacer mesh
- Waterproof Cloth: Sure
- Seam-Sealed: No
- Bear Canister Compatibility: BV425 and BV450 match horizontally. BV475 and BV500 solely match vertically.
Quantity
The Outside Vitals CS40 is offered in three torso lengths (S, M, L) and three hip belt sizes (S, M, L) (click on for measurement chart). The small torso-length pack has 39L of closed storage in the primary pack bag, whereas the medium and huge torso-length packs have 41L. Each pack sizes have an extra 12 liters of exterior capability:Â the 2 facet bottle pockets have 2L every, the 2 hip belt pockets have 1L every, and the entrance stretch mesh pocket can maintain as much as 6L.
The overall quantity of the pack is adequate for in a single day backpacking or thru-hiking with a light-weight or ultralight load offered you carry extremely compressible gear with as much as 3-5 days of meals.
Backpack Design
The Outside Vitals CS40 is an ordinary rolltop drybag-style backpack with a entrance mesh pocket. The pack has a detachable hydration pocket and a central hydration port between the shoulder straps. There are two facet bottle pockets, able to carrying two side-by-side SmartWater bottles, with elastic operating alongside the highest to carry bottles in place which have drain holes at their base. The hipbelt additionally has two giant zippered nylon pockets able to holding snacks or electronics.
Whereas the primary pack bag and facet pockets are made with Ultra200 (which is roughly equal in sturdiness to Dyneema DCF), the interior seams on the pack are sewn, not seam-taped. The highest of the roll prime is held closed with velcro, which many backpack producers have moved away from since it’s so dangerous to woven fleece clothes, together with Polartec Alpha pullovers and hoodies.
The rolltop buckles closed on prime, not alongside the edges like an actual drybag, a design that leaks within the rain as a result of it may be tough to tightly roll up an extension collar if it’s not stretched taut. There may be additionally a drain gap on the backside of the primary pack bag, the place you’d set the pack down on moist floor. After I inquired about it, it was defined that clients requested it…however that doesn’t essentially make it a fascinating function on a backpack that might be utilized in moist climate.
The entrance stretch mesh pocket has a good weave and is tear-resistant. The edges of the pocket are strengthened with Extremely cloth which is a pleasant sturdiness element. The pocket is well-sized to carry layers and awkward or moist gadgets like a cookpot, a light-weight pump air purifier, or a moist tarp.
Backpack Body and Suspension
The CS40 has two carbon fiber stays as a body. These are pre-curved and slot into lengthy keep pockets inside the primary pack bag that terminate internally on the surface edges of the pack’s lumbar pad. The pack’s exterior load lifters are anchored to the highest of the stays. The wearer is protected against feeling the stays by a horseshoe-shaped piece of froth that additionally types the pack’s lumbar pad, operating in entrance of the hipbelt.
The shoulder straps are S-shaped which makes them extra snug for ladies’s breasts and males with well-developed chests. The again facet of the straps is roofed with wicking spacer mesh whereas the padding has cut-outs to cut back weight and let the straps circulate extra comfortably over your collarbones and shoulders. The sternum strap runs up and down alongside webbing straps and is subsequently simple to regulate.
Nevertheless, there aren’t any hosekeeper straps on the surface of the CS40 shoulder straps which is a curious omission on a hydration-ready pack that means your hose goes to flop round until you discover a method to lash it down. Equally, there aren’t any good anchor factors for hanging exterior sleeves or pockets on the shoulder straps, save for the load lifters, which might intervene with their operate.
If you wish to decorate your pack’s shoulder straps with pockets or bottle sleeves, search for backpacks which have daisy chains sewn to the entrance of the shoulder straps, just like the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest 40 or the Zpacks Arc Haul 40. At a minimal, you want some horizontal attachment factors, like a hose keeper strap that you could dangle a pocket from. The CS40 doesn’t have any of those.
The hipbelt is sort of extensive with an easy-to-close central entrance buckle. The wings are connected to 2 webbing straps which have a push-forward tightening mechanism, offering the power to pressure the highest and backside halves of the hip belt individually. That is good for folks with completely different hip geometries, together with women and men. The hipbelt is backed and padded with wicking spacer mesh and has two zippered pockets.
The hipbelt pockets are fairly giant and good for storing snacks or valuables. They’re sewn to the hipbelt and never detachable. Each pockets have a key clip inside to safe valuables.
Backpack Compression and Attachment Factors
The CS40 has two facet compression cords whose important operate is to safe lengthy gadgets to the facet of the pack. The cords connect in three locations alongside the edges of the pack with a single line loc on the prime. This makes it tough to safe a bigger object below the cords, like a snowshoe or sleeping pad however is sufficient for securing skinny gadgets like a water bottle with a sawyer squeeze filter on prime.
I’ve discovered cord-based compression to be far inferior to webbing straps if what you’re after is to truly compress the primary compartment of a backpack to drag it nearer to your again. Whereas saving grams by changing webbing straps with cord-based compression is trendy, it’s silly from a useful standpoint and performs poorly in freezing climate or if that you must lash bigger gadgets to the facet of a pack.
The CS40 comes with a single webbing strap that runs over the rolltop closure and can be utilized to lash gear to the highest of the pack. A Y-strap can be a lot better, notably for carrying bigger gadgets like a bear canister on prime of the pack or snowshoes.
There are two small webbing loops on the base of the entrance mesh pocket and alongside the underside of the pack beneath the hipbelt the place you possibly can string up some wire and cordlocks to carry a sleeping pad or tent physique below the pack in a pinch. However these gadgets are a lot simpler to hold on the edges or prime of a pack, that I doubt most individuals will use them.
Comparable 40L Backpacks
Evaluation
The Outside Vitals CS40 is an ultralight backpack that weighs 27 ozand is made utilizing a extremely sturdy, waterproof cloth known as Extremely. However whereas the material the pack is made with is waterproof, the backpack isn’t, not by an extended shot. That’s not an entire showstopper, however it goes to point out that the fabric a pack is made with is commonly much less vital than its design, options, and performance.
The CS40 can be a a lot better backpack if its seams had been taped to be waterproof, there wasn’t a gap on the underside of the pack to permit water to circulate in, and you possibly can safe the rolltop utilizing buckles alongside the edges as a substitute of simply on prime the place they’ll unfurl and admit water. Including daisy chains or hose keeper loops to the shoulder straps would make it doable to decorate the pack with exterior pockets, whereas the usage of extra sturdy compression straps or a prime Y-strap would make it simpler to lash cumbersome objects to the pack. Hopefully, a few of these options might be added in future revisions to the backpack, however till then, I’d encourage you to search for these options on the opposite Extremely or Dyneema DCF backpacks listed above which might be comparable in value to the Outside Important CS40 Backpack reviewed right here.
