The Successful Search for Angie’s Ultralight Backpack

Looking for the perfect blend of durability and minimalism in your hiking daypack? The Wy’east Ultralight Backpack might be the rucksack you need for your next adventure. In this review, Scott explains why this ultralight rucksack is a game-changer for travelers and hikers alike.

If you’ve been reading this website, you likely know that we’ve traveled extensively over the last thirty years or so, both because of my Air Force career and for pleasure. Well, for about 25 of those years, Angie has had the same daypack, a 30-liter rucksack from a European company called McKinley. I can’t remember where exactly in Germany or France we bought it but I do know it was in the mid-1990s. You can see me carrying it in this picture. 

It’s done great on three continents over those years, but the miles have finally caught up with it, so I started looking for a replacement.

The search for a new backpack

Since she’s had the pack for so long, Angie knew what she wanted in a replacement. A rucksack with a zipper pocket in the top lid, a good suspension system, a drawstring closure on the main compartment, and a couple of sizable outside pockets. One new criteria was to choose a very water-resistant or waterproof material for the entire bag. While it’s never ruined a trip, we have had some pretty wet things in the old backpack after a soaking rain.

Armed with these requirements, I started my search by looking at McKinley backpacks. Nothing there. I then moved on to the internet at large and didn’t find much that met the criteria there either. It seems major manufacturer daypack trends have moved away from that style over the last 25 years. Then it occurred to me that we live in one of the meccas of outdoor gear manufacturing, surely there must be someone making rucksacks in the Portland area.

Well, I looked at no less than 6 companies in the Portland metro area and found a ton of great packs made from everything from leather to recycled Dyneema® sails. But only one rucksack, the Wy’east Ultralight Backpack from Six Moon Designs, a company known for its ultra-light packs and camping gear. It checked all the criteria I had and came in 210 denier Robic™ nylon or X-Pac VX21 so I could choose the degree of water resistance. It was also super light, had big side, top, and front pockets, and great reviews on the Six Moon Designs website. So I bookmarked it and gave myself some time to think about it.

The following week, Angie and I happened to go to a travel industry meeting here in Portland and who did we meet but the VP of Sales and Marketing for Six Moon Designs, Whitney La Ruffa! I was pretty enthusiastic to talk to Whitney since I was so excited about the Wy’East Daypack. It turns out Whitney designed the pack to be a modern version of the classic rucksack. We had a great conversation about packs, long-distance hiking, and our businesses. At the end, he asked if we wanted to come by their facility to take a look at the pack in person and perhaps get one to review. I couldn’t say “yes, please” fast enough.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and we’re walking into the Six Moon Designs’ office in Beaverton. It’s an appointment-only showroom, which makes sense considering this is the same place they create and prototype new designs. Whitney was great, talking through with Angie what she was looking for and helping her choose the version of the Wy’East Daypack that best met her requirements.

Angie’s new rucksack

She ended up choosing the X-Pac VX21 version in Coyote Brown. She liked the high abrasion resistance and waterproofness of the fabric. It’s also about half the weight of her old bag for the same capacity. The top pocket, side pockets, and mesh on the front of the pack add a good bit of easy access storage. The ice axe loop and daisy chains give good flexibility to attach hiking poles or other accessories. All in all, this pack is an excellent replacement for Angie’s tried and true rucksack.

Using the Wy’East Daypack

Of course, the important part of this review is how the pack did in the real world. To check it out, we took it along on a two-week camping trip through Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado. It did really well! Angie was able to load it up with her typical 15-ish pound load of camera, lenses, tripod, water, and assorted trail gear super easy. Then when we took it on a long sunset-watching hike across the top of a huge plateau in Canyonlands National Park, it carried the load without a hitch. She said she didn’t feel any back and neck strain. That’s a big change from her old pack. I believe the quote at the end of the hike was “What a great pack!”

Bottomline for the Six Moon Design Wy’East daypack – Highly Recommended

This is a useful, comfortable, and durable daypack. We highly recommend our readers looking for a rucksack-style EDC, hiking, or biking daypack to check out the Wy’East Ultralight Backpack. I know Angie’s happy we did.