u/velocd

This pack opened for pre-orders a couple months ago, I think? I remember seeing users on here saying they they should get theirs soon, but I haven't seen any reviews or initial impressions yet.

Any hints out there if the Wapta has any minor or major changes for 2027?

I’m investigating a thru-hiking/FKT vest-style pack that’s between 20L and 30L, for very ultralight baseweights.

Requirements:

• Carries at least 5L of water comfortably, in addition to say 5lbs baseweight and 5lbs of food
• Shoulder straps undersides have no dense seams or unnecessary bulky fabric, and are ideally as flat and seamless as possible. My left shoulder has chronic issues from years of mountain biking and accidents, and any straps that have dense spots that dig into my shoulders will make my runs miserable. Vest style.
• Durable enough for thru-hiking.
• It should sit high and not touch or bounce off the glutes. A lot of thru-hike packs-turned-vests seem to fail this and sit low so you’re running but the pack is just bouncing off your butt. Sometimes sizing down fixes this, but can create other fit issues.
• No hip belt, unless it’s removable.

Fastpacks I have tried:

• Durston Wapta 30L. This is not a vest style pack. At greater weights and volume it’s not great for running, but I was able to fastpack most of my PCT YoYo with it very comfortably. Other than it not being a vest-style, my main concern with the pack is its durability; not so much the fabric, but little things like the buckles breaking, or shoelace-like cords seem to fray or break quickly (especially the cinch ones on the side pockets). Some of these are non-replaceable due to how they’re sewed on. I find the shoulder pocket mesh also has mediocre durability and gets holes, or my phone case edges eventually eat away at the corners. While this pack has padded shoulder straps, the undersides are basically seamless and very comfortable for my shoulders even while running.
• UltrAspire Alutrist 28L. This is a vest-style pack that runs very well, but I don’t trust its durability after the load lifters ripped right off the shoulder strap fabric (and took a piece of that fabric with it), resulting in the pack becoming painfully uncomfortable at higher weights (around 15lbs). It also has very dense seams underneath the shoulder straps that eat and gnaw into my shoulders and cause a lot of painful discomfort or chaffing over long runs. I also greatly dislike the slick nylon webbings as opposed to polyester; once wet, they retain a lot of water, and they fold upon themselves easily and get stuck inside buckles. That happened to me multiple times during rain and snow, to great annoyance. The rear pocket is infuriating to use due to that rigid triangular entry thing. While the stretchy mesh pocket can hold a lot of gear, the rigid entry makes it damn near impossible to fill the space, especially the more your pack is full. Likewise with the rear zippered pocket; it’s basically useless if your pack is full as you can’t fit anything inside. I like the idea, but it should have been a pocket that added external space not internal. Lastly, the main fabric is overbuilt in my opinion, and while it may be very water resistant, when raining the pack insides will get wet due to seams not being taped or sealed. There's also no drainage holes at the bottom inside, so any water will pool and drain slowly from the seams, adding weight during downpours I think.

Packs I am aware of:

• Rab Veil XP 30L - I have heard good things about this pack, on Reddit and YouTube. I don’t need it to be waterproof but it’s nice to have (as long as it isn’t compromising ventilation of my back). I’ve learned water finds a way in regardless of a manufacturer’s waterproof claim, especially after miles of wear and tear, and having been burned before, I always put my stuff in a liner now.
• UltrAspire Traverse 20L - This hit my radar after seeing so many Cocodona 250 runners wearing it. It can run a ton of water comfortably. My main concerns are similar to the UltrAspire Altruist that failed on me – durability of the fabric and pack, and the bulkiness of it as it has a more structured fit and not a more “clothing-like” fit as many Rab/Salomon/etc. packs have. The bulkiness means the under shoulder straps may have dense seams that will continue to irritate my shoulders on long runs.
• S/LAB ADVENTURE 20 - Currently most of my day runs are in an Adv Skin 6L or Adv Skin 12L, so this pack has my attention simply because I greatly enjoy the Adv Skin for its comfort, and I’m envisioning this as an Adv Skin 20. My main concerns are will it be comfortable carrying 5L of water plus gear, and its durability. I find the Adv Skin 6 and 12 durability to be very poor, with holes appearing in the mesh fabric after a single 100 mile race. I’m not sure it would handle the rigors of thru-hiking.
• The Cutaway 30L - I owned the first generation of this pack, but sold it since I didn’t find it comfortable at heavier weights. I was just starting to get into thru-hiking and I wasn’t running with my packs. Now that I prefer mostly running as much as I can on a thru-hike and focusing on sub-10 baseweights, I’m reconsidering the Cutaway, and I’m assuming they’ve made a lot of changes to its design over the years.

Thanks if you can help!