Durston Kakwa 40 review
This is actually how it looks AFTER a 3000 km thru-hike. Not bad, ey?
On my first thru-hike I had an internal frame Deuter Act-Lite 45+10. It was an old bag pack, but I loved it. It would have not survived another thru, so I decided to try a frameless bag pack and my main reasons were that:
1. It would weigh less. Deuter weighed 1.5 kg. This one - only 750g.
and
2. Most of them did not have a cap, but instead were roll-tops, which I thought would be better. And it is.
I chose Durston, because the man has got a good reputation on trail. I trust a person who’s hiked long trails himself – he knows what a thru-hiker needs, so I took the bag onto the Te Araroa trail and here’s what I think.
Before you buy:
- the web page is pretty clear on sizing and how to measure your back to get the right size. I actually happened to be between S and M, so I e-mailed them and got a response right-away, a helpful, human response, not a pre-written text, which I instantly liked.
- I went with the S and the fit was good (I’m 163cm, thinnish waist).
What I like:
- Material. After a thru-hike, you can see small wear and tear in the corners on the bottom where the U-frame hits the bottom, but not a single actual tear or a hole. And man, TA had a lot of brambles! It’s ridiculously sturdy.
As you can see from the picture below, it’s barely even noticeable.
- The zip on the side. It’s not obvious, good for holding documents and money.
- Slanted side pocket. I like that one of them is not slanted – to keep more water, and the other one – easily accessible without having to take the bag pack off.
- Mesh – super sturdy. No holes. Decent stretch. Not ideal, but decent.
- The little loops at the front, on the sides of mesh. I attached carabiners to them and some were used to hold the TA marker, others – my pee cloth.
- Belt pockets – big and two. That’s all I need to say.
- The fact that to tighten the belt you pull the straps towards each other instead of away from yourself. My Deuter had the same system and it is the best system. Ask anyone. I don’t know why would anyone make a bag where you have to pull away from yourself.
What could be better:
- maybe, just maybe it needs to be emphasized slightly better on the web page (for people like me) that it is not waterproof. The material itself is, but seams still let water through. Needless to say, thinking it was waterproof, I did not do my usual “trash bag in the bag pack” routine and ended up with most of my stuff soaking wet the first time it rained. Learned a lesson. I’ve actually met a couple of people with the same fate on trail.
- The volume of the bag depends on your size, which is a bit of a shame, because based on my back measurements, I’m size S, but I’d like to pack more than a bare minimum (here’s my lighterpack list: https://lighterpack.com/r/w57ll7 ). 3 Day food carry was okay, 5 day carry was a stretch, 7 days meant that my roll top did not roll anymore and I walked with it open praying for good weather, only the trash bag protecting the stuff inside.
- The rope at the front. I couldn’t figure it out. If it was longer, you could potentially use it as a clothes-hanging line. It’s not stretchy, so it’s too awkward to hold bottles in place (it’s not easy to take them out if they are lodged behind the rope).
- The front strap pockets and the loops above them – I think it’s a size specific problem, but basically, because my back is short (and therefore shorter straps), when I pulled my straps tight, the pockets were really up high. The loops above them – even higher, so my garmin was dangling almost on top of my shoulders. Could be slightly lower. If I tried to put a bottle of water into one of those pockets, it would not be comfortable at all. I used it to keep my phone, sanitiser and sun cream instead, which was fine. You can see what I mean on the pic below.
- The back gap. It’s not this bag pack’s fault. All bags that don’t have an internal (or external) frame will mean that you back is touching the bag to a smaller or bigger extent. This one actually had it slightly better with the U-shaped frame (there was a tiny gap). I wanted to try it out and I did, and I like the gap. Not having it meant that the bag often pressed on my sports bra hook, that in turn, rubbed against my back and eventually created a decent-sized scratch.
These upper strap adjustments actually helped to create "the gap" a bit. It's also a really good feature to have to help with weight distribution between the shoulders and the waist.
Conclusion:
It’s an excellent lightweight and super sturdy bag pack option for hikes where your food carry does not exceed 5 days (size S).
I still do miss my back gap of an internal frame bag pack, but it’s a personal preference and not something that would ruin my trip.
I would enjoy having more space for comfort and a longer food carry.