Most backpackers treat the hipbelt as non-negotiable. A Backpacker editor testing gear on Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail has found a pack that made them rethink that rule: the Volpi FastPack 30, a frameless, vest-style pack from a small Mexican company founded by thru-hikers.
The Ultra version weighs just one pound flat, and the surprise here is comfort. Because the vest-style straps carry the load on your shoulders rather than your hips, the pack sits high on the back — and the wide straps spread the weight well enough that it never felt like suffering on a three-day trip. That said, the editor was clear-eyed about limits: without a hipbelt, there's a ceiling on how much weight you can carry comfortably, so this is a pack for fast, light trips, not expedition hauls or desert routes where you're lugging gallons of water.
Where the FastPack 30 earns its keep is organization. Each shoulder strap has a pocket (one held a water bottle, the other a soft flask), there's a generous stretch stuff pocket on the back for layers and a rain shell, plus side pockets and solid attachment points — a simple buckle-and-strap setup for a sleeping pad on top, and dedicated loops for trekking poles.
It's not flawless. The roll-top closure makes frequent access annoying, so the tester's strategy was to pack once in the morning and keep day-use items in a separate hip pack. And as with any frameless pack, careful packing matters: they arranged gear deliberately to avoid bulging and used their sleep system to fill dead space, which kept the load sitting comfortably.
For travellers, the takeaway is straightforward. If you're planning fast-paced trail trips — three-day weekends, hut-to-hut routes, anywhere with reliable water — a hipbeltless vest pack can save serious weight without the usual misery. If you're heading somewhere dry or carrying more than a couple of days of gear, stick with a belted pack. A full review from Backpacker is still to come.
