The GoLite Breeze pack is simple and lightweight. Large mesh pockets are handy for wet gear and water bottles. The top is a simple drawstring closure and there are no zippers
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No point in saving all that weight if your empty backpack weighs 5 or 6 pounds. You can carry the lightweight outfit in the 13.5 ounce Breeze pack ($120). It's a simple design, with no frame or hipbelt, and not a single zipper.
Sounds wimpy, you say? Well, its intentionally so. If you keep the weight of your overall load down enough by following GoLite's concept of an integrated lightweight system, your pack shouldn't need a heavy suspension system and frame anyway!
The Breeze has three external mesh pockets, otherwise it's a single compartment sack with drawstring closure — no heavy flaps and straps. Capacity is 3,100 cubic inches, with a 1,250-cubic-inch extension.
Light high-tech fabrics and careful design mean that the Breeze is strong where it needs to be, and there is no unnecessary weight. The closed cell foam pad of the Fur sleep system forms the back padding that protects you from those hard objects that migrate inexorably towards your spine.
Even if you achieve the GoLite ideal of a basic backpacking outfit that weighs in the neighborhood of 10 pounds, the extra weight of food, water, and fuel could push the load into the 20-pound range. With that kind of load, I'd want a hipbelt to take some load off my shoulders and to stabilize the pack — I'm not large or especially strong in the upper body.
Upside: Light, strong, and simple pack to carry a complete lightweight outfit.
Downside: Absence of a hipbelt/waist strap may be a disadvantage for some, especially if, with food and water, the weight creeps up into the 20-pound range. Black color makes it difficult to see the contents.
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