In an ideal world I’d use a pack for a few years before reviewing, after all, its those later years that really  separate the good packs from the great.  But as we all know this isn’t an ideal world, products and companies can undergo significant change over the course of only a year or two, and in the hopes of a review possessing some relevance and utility, a season of use will just have to do.  The Acrux is a particularly time sensitive review considering that the pack hasn’t been in production for over a year, and is currently wrapping up its life on discount equipment retailers.

Acrux 50 courtesy: backcountry.com

Acrux 40L - $180 from Steep and Cheap

Acrux 50L - $200 from Steep and Cheap

The Acrux series is all about simplicity; three compartments, two zippers, and a roll top are the meat and potatoes of this operation.  The two zippers are located on either side of the pack’s “lid” allowing for some easy access storage, while the roll-top combined with the heavy duty impregnated foam material makes the main compartment completely water tight.  There’s a small plug in the main compartment which facilitates the use of a hydration system, and a few bungees on the outside to allow for external storage if needed.

Anyway, enough with descriptions, now onto some real life testing.  The first test for the 40L was a two week trip to Greece.  While packing I noticed that the Acrux packs out well beyond 40 liters due to the roll top design, and even when packed beyond capacity, the comfort level remains high.  The pack has a narrow design which makes retrieving objects from the bottom nearly impossible without removing everything else, so be sure you have a plan while packing or you’ll spend a lot of time packing and unpacking for the sake of access.  Also, some packing materials don’t jive well with the impregnated foam causing significant friction when squeezing in a large object.  Using this pack throughout my travels around Greece made me realize two things, the first being that the pack isn’t for everyone, and the second being that I needed to snatch up a second one of these puppies before they became completely unavailable.

When I got home from Greece I picked up the 50L figuring it would be nice to have something a little bigger for longer trips.  I shelved the 50L for the better part of the season and continued using the 40L to haul climbing gear on weekends.  The usual setup is climbing gear and layers in the main compartment, while using the lid section for food and beverages.  Other then the occasional struggle to free a rope bag (this becomes a more prevalent issue when using a hydration system) from the bottom of the pack I can’t drum up any other complaints.

The first action the 50L saw, other then a few trips out climbing, was a two day 14 mile backpacking trip in Oregon.  The 40L is about the right size for a very lite weekend backpacking trip, so the 50L was more then adequate for a not-so-lite two day trip.  The 50L maintained the Acrux reputation and proved to be a very lite, tough, and comfortable transporter of goods.  One advantage the 50L has over the 40L in terms of backpacking is additional strap adjustments which can increase comfort, but overall its difficult to tell the difference when carrying the two bags.

The Acrux is the embodiment of everything the backpacking industry has lost site of in recent years.  Too often I’ve encounter packs that try to do too much and end up not doing anything particularly well.  Arc’teryx focused on perfecting a few key functions and created a simple, reliable, and comfortable waterproof pack that you can count on to get your necessities from point A to point B.  Everything else is up to you.

Click Here for Additional Photos: 40L