Additional Information
- Story
- A lightweight and beautifully stable backpack made out of Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite with a quadzip system for swift tri-directional access. For added stability we now offer an attachable Molly Sternum Strap and Ultrahigh Flat Packs for elegantly adding interior organization.
- Fabric
A nonwoven composite of Dyneema brand ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), the world’s strongest fiber. The Dyneema fiber is bonded and encased in BoPET by Cubic Tech in Mesa Arizona, using their proprietary nonwoven process. The resulting material is sometimes called “Cuben” or CTF3, which we then have laminated to a light polyester outer face for additional abrasion resistance to produce Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite. The result is a composite fabric that is waterproof, super light and relatively strong, with a remarkable structure and dark angular texture that deepens as it ages.
It is important to note that while Dyneema may be the world's strongest fiber, this process is NOT about making the world's strongest fabric. Instead it is about making a lighter and more dimensionally stable fabric to create bags that are easier to carry. While the bags will hold up to wear and are more durable than most other bags in their weight class, they are not particularly more durable than your average heavy nylon bag.- Details
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- Ultrahigh Quadzip
- Made from Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite (made in Mesa, Arizona)
- Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene encapsulated in BoPET with a polyester outer face
- Total weight of 534 grams
- 437 gram weight without the Armordon frame sheet
- 22 liter total capacity
- #8 YKK Uretek zipper with quadzip four pull setup
- #5 YKK Uretek front pocket zipper
- 1.2mm Ultrasuede zipper pull
- Removable Armordon self-reinforcing polypropylene frame sheet
- Cast Aluminum Duraflex ladderlocks
- Two four-way tweave stretch external pockets calibrated for access when worn
- One zippered external pocket with a Dyneema cord key loop
- Internal flat stretch separator pocket
- Hand wash/scrub when needed
- Made in Connecticut, USA
- Ultrahigh Quadzip
- Sizing
- Please refer to the table below for measurements.
Measurements in inchesSize Width across backplate 12 Height 21 Volume 22 Liters - Colors
-
Black
↗ Lightweight and Beautifully Stable
A bag so lightweight it almost wears like air when empty. Fill it up, start moving though and the real joy becomes subtly apparent as it becomes clear just how stable it is. Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite was designed to have almost zero stretch, even on the bias. This means it is far harder for objects to shift around while the bag is in motion. With traditional bags the body must subconsciously adjust to the constant micro-shifts of a bag's contents. With the Ultrahigh these micro-stresses disappear creating a more balanced bag that allows for a beautiful peace of movement.
↗ Quadzip Tri-Directional Access
The best innovations are always dead obvious in hindsight. The Quadzip is stolen straight from our friends at Boreas, we knew it was the future of zippers the moment they showed it to us. It's dead simple too, take a standard "O open" backpack zipper and add extra "Y open" pulls on either end of the zipper chain. Four zipper pulls in total and three ways to get into the bag for superior ease and access.
↗ Bottom up, swing access (from either side)
What is the fastest way to get into a backpack when you are wearing it? Almost everyone does the one shoulder swing, but very few bags are optimized to make it dead easy. The Quadzip setup includes two bottom up zipper pulls, one on either side. No matter which way you swing there is always an easily accessible pull that opens into the main compartment. Because this zipper closes to the exact same place there is no need to hunt for it, the motion can become subconscious, swing off one shoulder and open with a swiftness.
↗ Top Down, Face Off, Full Access
The top half of the Quadzip functions just like a standard "O" open bag zip, but that doesn't stop us from getting deep into the details. The face off, full access shape is designed to make it super easy to get inside. In standard vertical backpack orientation it opens pretty wide, but when it's laid horizontal nearly the entire face of the bag can be opened. This allows for close to full visual access to the contents, but at the same time keeps the bag's contents relatively stable.
↗ Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite Fabric
Built around a core of Ultrahigh Molecular Weight Polyethylene aka UHMWPE aka Dyneema, the world's strongest fiber, Ultrahigh Dyneema Composite is our absolute favorite bag fabric. A direct descendent of a fabric that revolutionized racing sails, the key is in how lightweight and dimensionally stable it is. The fabric is constructed at Dyneema's facility in Mesa, Arizona using a highly proprietary process in which nonwoven strands of Dyneema fibers are embedded into BoPET and then bonded to a polyester face. The result is a fabric that is lightweight yet strong and with a remarkable dimensional stability to create functionally better bags. More than that the fabric also takes on a dark angular texture that deepens with age like a space age version of leather.
↗ Two External Tweave Stretch Pockets + Center Zip Pocket
Sometimes you need stretch too. Both sides of the bag feature easy access four-way stretch pockets using a Tweave fabric woven in Massachusetts. In the lower center is a simple zip pocket with a Dyneema key loop hidden inside.
↗ Internal Flat Stretch Separator Pocket with Armordon Frame Sheet
Inside the bag is a large flat separator pocket flush against the back. Handy for laptops, tablets, notebooks and more. While the pocket is deep it ends several inches above the bottom of the bag. The separator pocket also holds a frame sheet made of Armordon self-reinforcing polypropylene. Woven and fused in Scotland this material has an incredible weight to rigidity ratio, and helps distribute the weight of the bag's contents across the back.
↗ Molly Rack Flap
At the top of the separator pocket is a flap that holds the frame sheet in place. It is finished with a single row of MOLLE system spaced webbing, allowing most MOLLE compatible objects to attach into the bag. Pictured here with two sizes of our Ultrahigh Flat Packs attached using Molly Hooks.
↗Ultrasuede Zip pulls
A Quadzip system isn't complete without a tactilely pleasing zipper pull. We love the heavier 1.2mm grades of Japanese made Ultrasuede because it combines a lush soft handfeel with an industrial grade toughness. All in matte black of course.
↗ Cast Aluminum Ladder Locks
Honestly these are only here because we're material fetishists and can't help ourselves. They weigh and function almost identically to a plastic ladder lock, but they feel way better in the hand, look nicer and even sound subtly better when struck.
↗ Low profile shoulder straps
The less people notice shoulder straps the better. These are straightforwardly curved for a dialed in fit and filled with an American made spacer mesh for streamlined weight distribution. Each strap is finished with a short row of MOLLE spaced webbing that allows third party MOLLE compatible sternum straps to be added on. In between the straps at the top is a simple flat handle for easy grabbing.
↗ Soft on Clothing
Sometimes the best features are total surprises. We never engineered this pack to be gentle on clothing, it's just a nice side effect of building a pack out of better materials. The Dyneema content allows us to use a softer and smoother face fabric than traditional bags, and we've carefully avoided using velcro or any exposed meshes. The net result is a bag that is less likely to cause pilling or excessively wear on nice clothes, and that means it can be worn wider and farther, which is the whole point of a bag anyway!
↗ Water Resistant Uretek zippers
This bag is not particularly designed to be waterproof, but there is no reason to let water in if you don't have to. These American Made YKK Uretek zippers are covered in a beautifully matte polyurethane and are reasonably water resistant. However for any extended use in the rain we recommend investing in a rain cover.
↗ The Quadzip upgraded
For added stability we now offer an attachable Molly Sternum Strap and Ultrahigh Flat Packs for elegantly adding interior organization.
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June 2016
The
Ultrahigh Set
Photos: Emiliano
Granado and Joseph
Kramm
Garments Featured: Ultrahigh
Quadzip, Ultrahigh
Rolltop, Rolltop
Dopp, Ultrahigh
Flat Pack, Key
Piece