When Paul at BTS mentioned he’d be sending me a U1 pack as soon as it was in production, I’ll have to be honest and say that I wasn’t super excited. However, with the superb weather over the last month, the U1 has come into it’s own. It has proved itself a fantastic choice for hill days when smaller amounts of kit are required.
On arrival, I was impressed by the construction and design of the U1 but did wonder if it was a tad on the small side. ATCer, Louise Kennedy had ordered her U1 in black and from it’s arrival used it extensively in the Cuillin and raved about it’s Tardis like capacities.
Suddenly, I was interested. I’ve always preached to clients about the importance of carrying light packs. Many weeks will start with me picking up clients’ packs, shaking my heads and suggesting they compare their packs to mine. Last week was fairly typical and clients’ packs seemed to weigh between 1.5 and 2 times mine and keep in mind that I also had a rope, small rack, first aid, group shelter etc. Now I appreciated that for me it makes sense to buy light weight kit because it’s used on a daily basis (and for tax reasons) and it might not be economically viable or sensible for clients to spend a lot on rarely needed kit. But we usually manage to lighten clients’ packs by a good deal.
With the recent hot spell, the intense heat and the lack of water in the Cuillin, a lighter pack made more sense than ever. A bit of experimenting saw me amazed at the amount of gear the U1 could swallow with careful packing. One of it’s first outings was for a traverse of Clach Glas and Bla Bheinn, a classic, long mountain route with loads of scrambling and climbing and a Munro summit. Light weight waterproofs, a 25m rope, small rack and harness, 1.5 litres of water, helmet, food, a light insulated jacket all fitted inside with a bit of room to spare. I also took my camera in a chest pouch but reasoned that if the weather turned bad it could go in the pack and the rope could go on the exterior.
Such a light pack is a joy to wear, well, as much of joy as any pack in the heat. It’s very much of the light is right principal. No frills, just gets on with the job.
According to BTS;
“The BUILT TO SEND U1 pack is an ultra-minimal pack for those who have their gear really dialed in. Built for fast-and-light day missions in all environments, this pack also works well as a cragging day pack or for weekend hikes. With its additional internal pockets, it furthers its uses from the great outdoors to the urban jungle as you navigate the day-to-day missions city life throws at you. Making the U1 the ultimate everyday pack for every occasion.”
It is light weight with a small capacity so, obviously, will only suit relatively small loads. If the pack is big enough for your kit (or you can pare your kit down to fit) then the U1 is superb at it’s job. I’ve used mine for several Clach Glas traverses, an attempted one day Cuillin Ridge traverse and quite a few days guiding on Munros. It’s small design also makes it ideal for trips to the shops, the library or climbing wall.
BTS on the design;
The unique BUILT TO SEND mono-shell design makes our packs almost indestructible. The main body is made from a single piece of tough climate-neutral composite VX21 X-Pac fabric leading to an almost seamless design. The only way of breaking a BUILT TO SEND pack is to tear though one of the toughest materials on the planet. The fabric is 100% waterproof, making our packs extremely weather resistant in rain and snow.
Our contoured shoulder straps and back panel are engineered from a proprietary foam (we developed our own 10 mm thick physically cross-linked polyethylene foam) based on a type used in fighter pilot seats. The properties of this foam give it excellent load spreading capability for the shoulder straps, and make the back panel forgiving of poor packing when fully loaded. Shoulder and hip pads are low-profile, for harness compatibility during rock and ice climbing.
Our seam allowances are almost twice the industry standard, and we triple stitch structural seams using V92 bonded polyester thread, exceeding the military specification for safety-critical equipment. Load-rated webbing is bar-tacked for extreme strength.
BUILT TO SEND packs represent an extreme design-optimization point, stripped down and refined to achieve the epitome of bombproof-yet-ultralight. Our packs are hand build to exacting engineering standards with each pack individually quality checked in Great Britain before reaching the end user. Your BUILT TO SEND pack has been built without any compromise on quality. It’s the finest engineered and strongest pack on planet earth.
The design is super simple and I’m a big fan of that. No excess straps, pockets, zips or buckles. Just a simple tube with a roll top. My forte isn’t product photography, hence the screenshots from BTS’ website which illustrate the pack’s design and features. What really matters to me is the simplicity, the light weight and sheer user friendly design. I’ve only had it a few months so it’s not possible to really comment on long term durability but, given the materials used and the crossover design with the X Series, I’d expect it to be super durable and long lasting.
My initial X2 pack put in an impressive performance. It was used for almost 20 months, had 224 mountain days, covered 1449 kilometers and ascended 260,000 meters. Impressive statistics and I’m expecting similar great things from the U1.
Check out the links below for reviews of BTS’ X0, X2 and X3 because a lot of the materials, design and technology are similar;
https://allthingscuillin.co.uk/built-to-sends-x-packs
https://allthingscuillin.co.uk/built-to-send-x2-review
My reasons for liking the U1 are pretty much identical to my choosing the X range of BTS packs.
A). Comfort.
No internal stays, frame, no moulded plastic, like the X range, the U1 is super simple with high quality foam which just seems to work and with minimal fore thought and a little careful packing makes for a very comfortable carry.
One proviso; on walk ins when the pack is at it’s heaviest, I did occasionally miss the padded waist belt of the X2 but as soon as you are climbing and your harness is worn, rope put to use and ditto the rack then the webbing belt is appreciated as it doesn’t interfere with climbing or access to harness gear loops.
B). Simplicity of Design
Personal preference means, for me, less is more and I always opt for the simplest design. Less weight. Less bulk. Less to go wrong. Less to break. Less to snag on things. In this context, the U1 out performs it’s big brothers in the X range.
The U1 has no optional side straps, minimal attachment points and I prefer the more straight forward conventional roll top. This just rolls over then is secured by a buckle at each end rather than slightly more complex X fold system on the X range. In fact, I’d love it if future X range models had this simplicity both of the fold system and less attachment points down the sides. The X fold system is clever and probably reduces wear and tear on the fabric so perhaps ensuring longer durability but I prefer the U1’s system.
The U1 is just a tube of tough fabric with the afore mentioned roll top. If you like lots of pockets and compartments then the BTS packs aren’t for you. Inside there is just a slide in pocket which could be used for a guide book or water bladder etc and a small zipped pocket useful for car keys and other valuables.
If you thought the X series were seriously minimalistic then you’re in for a shock with the U1. No optional side straps with multiple attachment points, just some elasticated cord on the rear suitable to carry crampons, stuff a jacket in etc, and minimalistic ice axe attachments. To my mind this simplicity and corresponding light weight is a big bonus.
C. Ease of use.You’ll either love or loathe the roll top, BTS packs being a bit of a Marmite experience. I’m a huge fan of roll top. Quick and easy to open/close it means I’m more likely to shed/add layers, get kit out than in a more conventional design which might entail undoing buckles, lifting a lid back and undoing a draw cord to access your gear.
D. Durability.These packs seem bombproof but only time will tell. Given their design heritage and material crossover from the X range then these will be amongst the toughest packs on the planet.
E. Weight . The U1 weighs in at 620 grams compared to the XO that weighs 830g (960 with alpine accessories pack attached). The X2 weighsin at 950g (1085g with accessories pack). Thus a notable saving and a big help not just when climbing and scrambling but also in the recent hot spell we have experienced.
F. Weatherproof.The fabric isn’t just bombproof but also waterproof. This is a real added bonus and the pack sheds snow and rain. It isn’t guaranteed waterproof since the seams aren’t sealed. Apparently, this is due to the risk of heat used to add seam seals would damage the properties of the fabric (but, I suspect, it may also be down to cost and the amount of faff it would involve).
G. Overload Capacity. With the roll top design, it is easy to overfill the pack and a long strap/buckle can be used to secure the contents. This works really well especially in climbing/scrambling scenarios when for the walk in the pack may have to be overloaded to take rope, helmet etc but once climbing the pack will be much less full and can be cinched down so it doesn’t get in the way
The Downsides
A. Cost. At £179 it ain't cheap but I'm a great believer in paying for something that does the job well and will last. Buy cheap, buy twice, as the saying goes.
B. Colour .The white pack looks distinctive, a bit of a design statement but does begin to show the dirt. The only other choice is a stealth black which certainly conceals the dirt but does look a bit boring and really doesn’t show up in photos.
When Paul asked me which colour I wanted, it was a bit of a tough call. My head said go for the sensible black but my heart said go for the distinctive white. In the end I rationalised things by saying to myself that BTS wanted photos of the pack being used and the black just didn’t cut it.
Be warned, the white packs do get grubby with time and use. Ideally, I’d like BTS to make a colourful non black/white option, perhaps red or orange which would look great in photos and probably appeal to more people.
C. Not waterproof. Whilst the fabric is waterproof, the seams/stitching have not been sealed so some water ingress is possible.
For light weight missions where not much kit is required then the U1 is a definite winner. When it arrived, my thoughts weren’t entirely positive but now it has been used a lot, I’m totally won over. The amount I've used it since it's arrival reflects on how much I like the U1.
https://www.builttosend.com/product-page/u1-daypack-white
In the future I’d love to see BTS combine the best attributes of the U1 with their X range. Thus, a large capacity pack (X2 sized) but built to the U1 design with it’s different roll top and perhaps just a couple of attachment points on each side rather than the rather numerous as at present. Obviously, it would be brightly coloured and nice if it had the simple webbing waist belt of the U1 but with removable hip pads for heavy loads.
