The Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 Backpack is a lightweight, adjustable-length backpack that weighs 2 lbs 10 oz. It’s an internal frame backpack with a floating top lid that’s made with lighter-weight fabrics and a simple adjustable frame system that doesn’t compromise on the comfort that Deuter packs are known for. The pack also has two removable compression straps that you can reconfigure and attach to an extensive array of external gear loops in order to carry bulky gear like a foam sleeping pad, tent, or sleeping bag. This new ultralight Deuter backpack is also available in a women’s model, the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 45+5 SL.
Specs at a Glance
- Capacity: 55L
- Weight: 2 lbs 10.7 oz (1211g)
- Gender: Men’s (Women’s also available)
- Frame: Internal Frame
- Access: Top
- Frame Material: Spring steel hoop
- Adjustable Torso Length: Yes
- Ventilated: No
- Hip Belt Pockets: 2
- Load Lifters: Yes
- Reservoir Compatible: Yes
- Bear canister compatibility: BV500 (vertical only inside ); BV475, BV450, BV425 (vertical and horizontal inside)
- Pockets: 4+ Main (3 external)
- Max Recommended Load: 30 lbs
Deuter backpacks have always been known for their durability, adjustability, and comfort, but until now, they’ve run significantly heavier than the packs of competing backpack brands such as Osprey and Gregory. But the Aircontact Ultra 50+5L is a significant departure with the use of lightweight fabrics and frame components while preserving the adjustability and comfort that Deuter packs have always been known for. Despite its lightweight, the Aircontact Ultra 50+5 is still loaded with enhanced features and capabilities that will appeal to any backpacker looking to swap a heavier old-school pack for a much lighter-weight one without giving up comfort or function.
Backpack Frame and Suspension
The Aircontact Ultra 50+5 is an internal frame backpack that uses a very lightweight spring steel hoop as a frame. The hoop is a thin metal rod shaped like a rectangle that’s sewn into the pack bag perimeter giving the load lifters and hip belt a firm anchor to support the load. This is a tried and true way to add stiffness and structure to a lightweight backpack while giving it some spring and flex so that it feels very responsive and lively when loaded up and worn.
The Aircontact Ultra has an adjustable torso length, which is a pretty common feature on Deuter packs, and one that really lets you dial in a custom fit. Deuter simplified the adjustment system on this pack though so it’s much lighter than their other heftier models. Lightweight carabiners are attached to the top ends of the shoulder straps and slotted into simple daisy chains sewn onto the back panel. If you slot the carabiners towards the top of the daisy chains you lengthen the torso length and if you slot them lower down you shorten it. The goal is to keep about 30% of the pack’s weight when loaded on your shoulders and the rest of the weight on the hipbelt, so that your stronger leg muscles do most of the work.
The shoulder straps on the Aircontact Ultra are lightly padded and S-shaped, which makes them comfortable for men and women. The sternum strap is very easy to adjust by moving the plastic clips at the end along more daisy chains, sewn to the front of the shoulder straps. I don’t know why some manufacturers make sternum strap adjustments so difficult, but these are dead simple to reposition.
The hipbelt is also much lighter weight on the Aircontact Ultra and Deuter’s other packs. It’s lightly padded and covered with wicking air mesh. The hipbelt has a single beefy center buckle and you tighten the hip belt by pushing the webbing straps forward, to get a tight hip wrap. There’s also a soft but significant lumber pad in back that helps prevent the hip belt from sliding down your back. It works really well without being noticeable.
The only thing I don’t like about the hipbelt are the hipbelt pockets which are both covered by a large weave mesh. While the pockets themselves are large and can hold a Smartphone and lots of snacks, that mesh is not going to last very long without getting ripped up. It’s also not rain resistant in any way. Deuter should have made them with a solid outer fabric for better durability. I like this pack enough that I’d consider cutting these pockets off and covering them with a third-party hipbelt pocket from Gossamer Gear or another small gear manufacturer.
Backpack Storage
The Aircontact Ultra is a top loader with a floating lid and the only access point is from the top through a drawstring closure. The main compartment has one internal hydration pocket with a single hydration port between the shoulder straps at the top of the pack. It also has a 6″ extension collar above the frame for overloads.
The floating lid has one huge pocket on top (with a key fob inside) and is fitted to the top of the pack so it doesn’t flop awkwardly back or to the side the way that some top lids do….as long as the main compartment is pretty well full. If it isn’t, the lid gets pretty cumbersome and will slide off to the side particularly if you fill it with heavier items. I still love floating lids because they’re great for carrying bulky gear like foam sleeping pads or multi-person tent bodies that are too large to pack inside.
The floating lid is wide enough that the ends can fit over a BV500 bear canister, their largest size, but you need to pack the main compartment full to provide support from below and keep the lid pocket fairly empty to fit over it. A BV475 canister works much better if you need to put more stuff in the lid pocket because it’s shorter in length. The BV475 canister also fits horizontally in the main compartment, as well as the BV450 and BV425, but the BV500 only fits vertically.
The Aircontact Ultra also shines when it comes to external stretch pockets. They are very deep and can hold a ton of gear or clothing. The side pockets are large enough for 2 x one liter Smartwater or 2 x 32 oz. Nalgene bottles have slanted tops to make them easier to retrieve when the pack is worn. The mesh is very fine and durable, unlike the mesh on the hip belt pockets, and won’t snag on vegetation because its openings are way too small to catch. The bottom of the pockets is solid fabric to eliminate any abrasion when you put the pack down on the ground.
There’s also a very long front stretch mesh pocket made with the same tightly woven mesh. Neither of these external mesh pockets has bottom drain holes and rely on the mesh to drain wet contents, so you’ll want to make sure to use a pack liner inside since the internal seams are bounded and not taped. But you’d do that with any backpack if you hike in a climate where it rains.
Backpack Compression and External Attachments
The Aircontact Ultra comes with two side compression straps. Out of the box, these are configured in a Z-pattern along the side of the pack, with one end attached to a buckle at the top of the pack behind the shoulder strap and the other end girth hitched to one of 8 external loops arranged around the perimeter of the front stretch mesh pocket.
The nice thing is that you can remove the side compression straps and reconfigure them as needed to attach snowshoes, a foam pad, a tent body, or really anything to the sides or front of the backpack. Each of the compression straps is 33″ long (which is huge), so you have a lot of webbing to play with. Plus you can add more third-party straps or cordage as needed. The REI Flash 55 has a similar scheme where you can remove and reconfigure the compression straps to attach gear to the outside of the pack.
Comparable framed lightweight backpacks
Recommendation
The Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 Backpack is Deuter’s first foray into ultralight backpacking and maintains the comfort and adjustability that Deuter packs are known for. Weighing 2 lbs 10 oz, it’s also a quite feature-rich backpack with an adjustable torso length, a well-fitting hipbelt, great external mesh pockets, a floating lid, and reconfigurable compression straps. If you’re looking for a lightweight backpack with a frame and a top lid pocket or floating lid, I’d encourage you to try it out. I loved using it myself and think it’s great that Deuter, which is the world’s largest backpack manufacturer, has such a competitive lightweight pack to offer hikers seeking to reduce their pack weight.
Disclosure: The author purchased this backpack.
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