Samaya ULTRA35- Review by Ian Nicholson
The Samaya ULTRA35 is an amazing lightweight pack (850g/29 ounces/1.85 oz) that offers most of the features you’d want out of a lightweight alpine pack without a lot of extras. What sets this pack apart is how light and how durable it is relative to other similarly volumed alpine packs. How the ULTRA 35 achieves such a low weigh and provides exceptional durability is in its material with the bulk of the ULTRA35 being constructed with a 150D Dyneema Composite Fabric and a tougher 300D woven Dyneema on the bottom. After close to 50-days of use I can attest that this pack is holding up significantly better than other packs that use 100-250D ripstop Silicon impregnated nylon (the majority of more price pointed alpine packs on the market).
What also sets the ULTRA35 from other alpine packs, especially in its weight category is how sturdy its frame is. The ULTRA35 features a
removable (165g/~6 ounces) that provides a lot of support and protected our pack from cams, or other items that might otherwise poke our back. While this pack’s tiny (AKA narrow) waist belt means I wouldn’t want to carry something exceptionally heavy for its size, I think because of this frame and nicely articulated shoulder straps this pack carries whatever you can fit in it fantastically and at least as well as similarly sized alpine packs.
The other advantages of Samaya’s use of Dyneema is that this pack is functionally waterproof and durability. While it isn’t submergible like a true drybag it will keep your stuff dry walking up overgrown trails in the pour rain or while sitting on it in the snow. As far as its toughness goes I think it will last close to twice as long on average compared to more price pointed silicon im
pregnated ripstop nylon models. So while the ULTRA35 costs twice as much as many of those packs I think it will last twice as long and offer the benefits of being lighter, more weather resistant, solid features, and surprisingly comfortable given its low weight.
Overall, I found the ULTRA35 to be a fairly true to volume and comparable to other ~35L packs for its capacity. I found it perfect for a mid-to-larger sized day pack or work-able for super light overnights; though most people will have to pack light to be able to use it for an overnight. To help its user stay organized this pack features two small, zippered pockets. One is what most people would consider a “lid pocket” that is integrated into a flap of material that covers the main opening and one smaller zippered pocket on the inside of the pack which most people will use for keys, an InReach, etc. When the lid is super full it was cumbersome to search for items and close, but this was really our only “grip” with this pack and it wasn’t so bad that it was even close to a dealbreaker.
This lid closes in two ways, to accommodate how full the pack is. One, the strap clips to the edge of the pack like a traditional lid and when the pack is emptier the strap can buckle over the top of this flap. This pack also features modern ice axe holders that will accommodate any style of ice axe and its compressing straps can be removed to save weight.
Overall, I think the ULTRA35 is an awesome pack that most guides would thoroughly enjoy using. Yes, it is more expensive than a lot of alpine packs that guides have access to but you get a lot for the extra money. I think those aspects are again, being lighter weight than most similar volumed alpine packs and being roughly twice as durable as your run-of-of-the-mill 100-250D nylon pack. I also appreciate the alpine centric features and love this packs studier than average frame and the fact that the pack is functionally waterproof.
Ian Nicholson
IFMGA Mountain Guide
AMGA Instructor Team
