 This Product
Six Moon Designs Swift V | |||||
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| Awards |  |  |  | | |
| Price | $275 List $275.00 at Amazon | $275 List | $315 List | $369 List $369.00 at Hyperlite Mountain Gear | $70 List $39.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This ultralight pack shines for carrying large loads, especially when comfort is paramount | One of our favorites that scores highly in all metrics, is comfortable and versatile, and has just enough features for a reasonable cost | As an all-around great pack, it can carry large and light loads with ease, has plenty of external storage options, and is super comfortable | An excellent lightweight pack with a multitude of external storage space options to complement its main pack compartment | This pack tries hard to deliver on its promise of a inexpensive ultralight backpack, but falls short of the mark |
| Rating Categories | Six Moon Designs Sw... | Gossamer Gear Goril... | Gossamer Gear Marip... | Hyperlite Mountain... | Homiee 50L with Rai... |
| Comfort (40%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (25%) | |||||
| Weight-to-Volume Ratio (20%) | |||||
| Adjustability (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Six Moon Designs Sw... | Gossamer Gear Goril... | Gossamer Gear Marip... | Hyperlite Mountain... | Homiee 50L with Rai... |
| Measured weight | 38.0 oz | 31.1 oz | 32.6 oz | 34.6 oz | 31.7 oz |
| Weight per liter (full pack) | 0.76 0z/L | 0.62 oz/L | 0.54 oz/L | 0.87 oz/L | 0.63 oz/L |
| Advertised volume | 50 L | 50 L | 60 L | 40 L | 50 L |
| Stripped weight | 27.8 oz | 17.2 oz | 18.0 oz | 26.0 oz | 29.8 oz |
| Measured volume (main compartment) | 55 L | 39 L | 42 L | 35 L | 32 L |
| Organization compartments | Main compartment, stretchy side pockets, stretchy center pocket, dual hip belt pockets, running vest pockets, internal water resevoir pocket | Lid, side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment | Lid, side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, main compartment | Side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, bottom stash pocket, main compartment | Non-removable lid, mesh side pockets, center pocket, dual zippered pockets on hip belt, sleeping bag compartment |
| Hydration compatible? | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Single side pocket 700ml Smartwater capacity | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Single hip belt pocket capacity | 8 Clif Bars | 5 Clif Bars | 5 Clif Bars | 6 Clif Bars | 3 Clif Bars |
| Able to strip off frame and hip belt? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Whistle on sternum strap? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BearVault BV500 compatibility | Good | Ok | Good | Ok | No |
| Sizes available | Torso: Adjustable, 4 lengths Hip Belt: S, M, L Shoulder Straps: Vest, Classic Shoulder, S-Curve Shoulder |
Torso: S, M, L Hip Belt: S/M curved (M/L curved and S, M, and L straight sold separately) |
Torso: S, M, L Hip Belt: S/M curved (M/L curved and S, M, and L straight sold separately) |
Torso: S, M, L, Tall Hip Belt: M (S & L sold separately) |
Torso: One size |
| Frame type | Delrin hoop stay frame | SitLight foam pad / removable stay | SitLight foam pad / removable stay | 1 removable aluminum stay, embedded, non-removable foam pad | None |
| Fabric | Main body: 100D Robic nylon, Pockets: Ultra Stretch |
100D & 70D Robic nylon | 100D & 200D Robic nylon | 150D DCH fabric, Dyneema Stretch Mesh, Hardline with Dyneema | 420D lattice nylon & 420D plain nylon |
There's no point in being able to carry a lot of stuff if it causes back aches and shoulder pain. Fortunately, comfort rules to roost with the Swift V. Designers achieved great airflow by raising the center line on the back where the shoulder straps and hip belt attach. You can even trip the pack down for shorter trips or those where you have to carry less gear. It may take a few nights on the trail to learn how to optimally use all the features of this pack, but we think it's time well spent when it's spent out of doors.
The Swift V employs some very clever design features to help keep your body happy after a long day on the trail, especially with larger loads in tow. First and foremost is the pack's yoke-style shoulder strap system, which connects to the pack body more towards the center than on the sides – the hip belt does the same. This configuration improves airflow across your back while the shoulder straps and hip belt still hug close to your body. The center of the back is the only place you'll find foam padding, doubled up at the lumbar region.
A uniquely designed hip belt – with two individual adjustment straps – really allows you to dial in the fit from below, while load lifters assist by pulling the top of the pack closer to your shoulders if desired. We opted for the running vest-style harness because the wider shoulder straps better distribute weight to help alleviate the strain on your shoulders. On a test hike, our rambunctious main tester descended at a running pace with 40 pounds of gear on his back to make it on time for a chess date at a coffee shop back in town.
The Swift V is a joy to use! The internal frame helps the pack stand straight up when you set it on the ground, which makes loading it up an easy chore. The rear-center pocket is as deep as they come, giving you exceptional confidence that nothing will fall out, no matter how rocky the trail gets.
We loved all of the up-front pockets to store snacks, electronics, and other close-at-hand items so that we don't have to stop to take off our pack. The side pockets and dual hip belt pockets are all easily accessible with one hand, too.
The Swift V is highly adjustable, but we feel one drawback to that benefit is that you'll need to dial in the fit before you hit the trail – you'll also likely need to readjust as the load changes. So many adjustment points also mean there are quite a few straps that can get in the way. As you discover all of the cool features the Swift V has to offer, just expect a small learning curve to get the most out of this pack.
Coming in at an impressive 38 ounces, this is a lightweight pack for its size. Although Six Moon Designs advertises it as a 50-liter, we measured the internal volume of the Swift V at an astounding 55 liters — one of the most voluminous parks in our entire lineup. That translates to 0.76 ounces per liter, which ranks well among all of the packs we tested.
After you add the volume of all the external pockets, you're looking at a total capacity of over 60 liters – and that's before you even need to start thinking about lashing items to the outside of your pack! The deep outside center and cinch-able side pockets are made with UltraStretch, a 4-way stretch mesh woven with Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), which is highly cut- and abrasion-resistant. Even the hip belt pockets hold more than their fair share.
The Swift V isn't the lightest pack in our lineup. We also added a few ounces by opting for the vest-style harness on the pack we tested. Opt for one of the other two shoulder harness options if the weight of the pack is a concern. Alternatively, Six Moon Designs also makes an even lighter weight, albeit more expensive pack. If you were to strip the Swift V down to its most minimal configuration, the weight plummets to 27.3 ounces.
A plethora of features on the Swift V not only allows you to dial in the fit, but you can customize the pack to better carry a variety of loads based on your trip length. Starting with the Six Moon Designs product page, you can choose from three shoulder strap styles and hip belt sizes. The pack itself has a unique system to adjust torso length – although it requires a tool to set it up, on-the-trail adjustments can be made easily enough. To round out all of this customization, adjustable shoulder straps, twin sternum straps, load lifters, and a beefy hip belt help you cinch everything as close to your body as you would like. Strong (and very bright!) side cinches on the pack help prevent the load itself from jostling.
The ability to modify the Swift V on the fly allows you to use the internal and external capacity to best suit your needs at the moment. You can easily adjust the pack to carry many days' worth of food between planned resupplies. Or you can safely stow bulky items – like 2-person Dyneema tents, bear canisters, and cold temperature-rated sleeping bags – internally to keep your kit clean. For shorter trips, you can roll down the roll-top extension collar to make the pack smaller and opt to remove the hip belt, internal frame hoop, and bladder pocket to shave a few grams.
We rarely have buyer's remorse about choosing a comfortable pack, and all of the capacity of the Swift V certainly comes in handy when we want to stay out on the trail for just a little longer. People coming to this review from conventional backpacking should pay particular attention to the Swift V. It provides the perfect bridge to help you cross over to an ultralight pack with the ability to hold much of your current backpacking gear.
