Close to Zero ‘DEAN 55’ Backpack Evaluate

By day 3 or 4 on the trail, my once-organized backpack starts falling into disarray. Snack wrappers populate the pockets, dirty clothes stuff the dead space, and small items or unused layers get sucked into the void at the bottom near the sleeping bag.

Organization becomes less of a priority in my pack the closer I get to the end of a trip. I call it entropy. But it might just be my bad habit.

So, it’s nice when a backpack actually helps me stay organized. I’ve used stuff sacks for a long time with some success. But when I first unzipped the Near Zero DEAN 55 front panel and saw the pack’s interior, I was immediately struck by the design.

It was laid out like a packing map, with mesh dividers and labeled compartments for the tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, food, and more. The organization was already done for me.

Over several months of testing, I brought THE DEAN 55 with me on overnight trips and even a few day hikes to see not only how well it performed as a backpacking pack, but also whether its clever (and patent-pending) organization system could actually help keep me better organized.

In short: THE DEAN ($300) is a cost-effective, lightweight 55L adjustable torso pack. The compartmentalized organization system is unique and can be very helpful for packing and remembering essential items. This would be a great starter backpack for someone just getting into the sport. Dyed-in-the-wool backpackers might have some personal gripes with the compartmentalized layout. But this pack offers a creative new way to visualize packing and organize your backpacking gear.

If you’re shopping, compare THE DEAN to those on GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Backpacking Backpacks.

Near Zero THE DEAN 55 L Backpack Review

THE DEAN earns its name from Dean Jensen, the father of Near Zero’s founder, Scott Jensen. According to the brand’s history, Scott started Near Zero in 2019, shortly after his father’s passing, to make that experience accessible and affordable for more people.

The brand seems to be keeping with its mission. It makes tents, sleeping bags, pads and pillows, camp kitchen gear, headlamps, fire supplies, and more at lower price points than much of the mainstream competition.

As Near Zero’s flagship product, THE DEAN comes as a 55L adjustable version (which I tested), a 55L fixed-size pack, and a 20L “Little Dean.”

Layout: Instructions Included

THE DEAN’s key selling point is its internal layout, where its design really shines. The main compartment is labeled and comes with mesh separators that attach to the pack’s interior and designate sections for the tent, sleeping bag, H2O, first aid, and more.

Some backpacks will have one or two different compartments within the main one. But no other backpack I’ve come across has utilized such a distinctive compartmentalized layout.

There are several benefits to this. First, you never have to play a game of mental Tetris to fit all the necessities into your bag. There is a labeled place for everything you need.

That also serves as a packing list. You’re not likely to forget your sleeping bag when you’re staring at a big empty rectangle in your pack that says “Sleeping Bag.” For forgetful packers or beginner backpackers, this is a clever design feature.

My favorite part about this pack’s design, though, is its access. I can’t stand packs that don’t offer some form of side or back access. If the only way in and out is through the top, I unpack and repack repeatedly until I start to lose my sanity.

THE DEAN’s front opens up like a suitcase, with a big water-resistant U-shaped zipper. It made accessing my gear and supplies painless and easy and kept things mostly organized.

THE DEAN also sports my personal favorite style of backpack brain. Instead of sitting on top of the pack, like a wobbly strapped-on afterthought, this brain is integrated into the pack. You can store stuff in the top, but it isn’t flopping around and requires no clipping or unclipping to access the pack’s insides.

Materials, Weight, and Durability

The pack’s main body is made from ripstop nylon with a water-resistant coating. When I walked through a light sprinkle, water beaded off of the pack instead of soaking into it. It also has silicone-coated water-resistant zippers for the main compartments. However, it isn’t a waterproof pack on its own. That’s why it comes with an included rain cover.

THE DEAN’s nylon is a lightweight material that allows the pack to weigh 3 pounds and 12.8 ounces. It’s acceptably light, though not the lightest pack on the market. Compared to GearJunkie’s Best Backpacking Backpacks, it is on the heavier end of the spectrum, with only four out of the 15 packs weighing more.

Still, if you packed THE DEAN with the bare minimum and only used ultralight gear, you could potentially keep your base weight under 10 pounds, which would technically be considered an ultralight setup.

Durability-wise, THE DEAN seems to hold up. It could use some double stitching in some key areas of stress, but thus far, I haven’t blown out any seams. You can get them to stretch if you really stuff THE DEAN full of gear — but the same could be said for any backpack.

Performance

I took THE DEAN on several day hikes (yes, it was overkill), an overnight backcountry ski trip to a 10th Mountain Division hut, a summertime overnight near Grizzly Creek, and a 3-day backpacking trip in the Flat Top mountains.

What jumped out to me the most as I used this pack was its comfort. The hip belts were notably less constrictive around my waist than other packs I frequently use. They hug more than they squeeze.

The shoulder straps and mesh back panel were comfortable too. Supposedly, they breathe, allowing perspiration to wick and evaporate instead of building up. But I tend to sweat a lot (more than a regular person, my partner assures me). So, on warmer hikes, I’d soak through both straps and the mesh panel after just a few miles. They dried quickly, though.

THE DEAN 55 L adjustable pack allows the wearer to change the torso size between three options. A simple metal hook latches onto loops set at intervals behind the shoulder blades. According to the brand, it accommodates toro sizes from 14 to 22 inches. I am a 5’11” male, and THE DEAN felt comfortable on me set to its largest torso size.

The straps on the hip belt pull forward — I’m a big fan of packs with this design feature. It just feels more natural to adjust the tightness around your waist by pulling forward instead of backward.

Elastic cords on the pack’s front panel made a great place to store my rain jacket, fleece layers, solar panels, or any garbage bags I was packing out. THE DEAN is also compatible with hydration bladders, but I never used this feature, as I prefer water bottles, and there are two perfectly good bottle pockets on the sides of this pack.

THE DEAN moved pretty naturally with my body. The strap system allowed me to adjust the fit so that the pack hugged and rested its weight squarely on my hips.

Unlike some packs, I didn’t find myself fiddling with readjustments that often. Once the fit was dialed, THE DEAN felt every bit as ergonomic — even more so — as some backpacking backpacks made by much bigger brands with much bigger price tags.

Pair With ‘Ready-2-Go’ Bundle

THE DEAN also accommodates one other nifty feature. Near Zero offers a gear bundle option that’s pretty unique among other pack offerings. Clearly, with its labeled and compartmentalized design, THE DEAN targets more beginner backpackers than high-level, technical ones.

For someone just getting into the sport, knowing what supplies and gear you’ll need before going out and buying all of it can be intimidating. The Ready-2-Go backpack bundle offers a shortcut that could prove handy for some.

The bundle includes 25 items: a two-person tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, inflatable pillow, rain poncho, hydration bladder, first-aid kit, titanium trowel, stove, kettle, isobutane stove and fuel canister, titanium mug and spork, firestarting kit, hygiene kit, compass, stool, water bottle, 50 feet of paracord, knife, bug spray, headlamp, sunscreen, and even an erasable checklist.

The brand claims that if you bought everything included in the bundle separately from comparable brands, it would cost around $2,130. Near Zero offers its bundle for $1,134.

That might be less than what it would cost to buy everything new and separately, but it’s still a pretty high price point for a beginner to enter this sport. It also means that you will only have Near Zero gear and won’t have the opportunity to customize your backpacking setup with the tent, sleep system, and other gear from other brands you might prefer.

For some, building their own backpacking kit is half the fun.

Still, if you’re determined to start backpacking and prefer to do all your shopping in one place, Near Zero makes that possible. The Ready-2-Go Bundle would also be a great (if expensive) gift for the hopeful backpacker in your life.

Room for Improvement

There are also some drawbacks to using a labeled and compartmentalized organization system like THE DEAN’s. Namely, if you don’t get the bundle and decide to use another brand’s tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and other larger pieces of kit, they might not fit into the predefined compartments perfectly.

The compartment system attaches to the insides of the pack via clips. However, they can’t be reconfigured in too many different ways to accommodate different-sized gear. And once you move the compartment dividers around, many of the labels become less useful or irrelevant, anyway.

They also kind of get in the way of my favorite and most effective packing method: brute force stuffing. You can cram the compartments full, but you could cram the backpack fuller without them.

I could see some people taking the training wheels off altogether and using the pack without the internal divider, which would still work great but would also kind of defeat the design’s purpose.

Also, some single-stitched thread came loose in a few places. It didn’t cause any structural issues, but I’m going to keep an eye on it as I use this pack more.

The Final Word: Near Zero THE DEAN 55

As a backpacking pack, Near Zero busted out of the gate with THE DEAN 55 L. Not only did the brand design a light (enough) weight, comfortable, durable, and high-quality backpacking pack, but it also designed one that can help people stay organized, remember the essentials, and learn how to pack systematically for a backpacking trip.

I can’t recommend this pack enough if you are a beginner or forgetful backpacker.

The Ready-2-Go Bundle is also a possible selling point for newcomers who want to commit to the sport. If you want to start backpacking but have no idea where to start, what kind of gear to get, or what you need to get started, this option takes all the guesswork out.

It’s an investment, to be sure. But Near Zero does warranty its backpacks and gear for a full year if anything goes wrong.

I don’t think this pack will disrupt the world of ultralight backpacking. And I have a hunch that more experienced backpackers might be resistant to some of the organizational features. But I don’t know if I’ve ever encountered a better entry-level backpacking pack. The interior design is clever and unique. The materials are all high-quality. And the pack itself is light and very comfortable to hike with.