Reviews & Ratings for Exped Lightning 60 Backpack — 12 reviews — Page 1

Amazing bag! Have already brought this bag on 3x day long hiking trips and I'm really impressed with the weight and how comfortable it is. I typically use my Military Alice Ruck sack or Mystery Ranch bag, but pulled the trigger on this bag as it went on sell. This bag is worth every penny and more. Now I can pack more essential items with the reduced bag weight.

I require a 16” torso frame and while that is offered by this pack the length of the stay ends up restricting head movement. I was unable to look upwards without hitting my head on the stay! Also, the suspension is loud and creaky. All that said, the pack was extremely comfortable and rose very well. Disappointed that it didn’t work out.

I used this pack for an 4 days hike, loading around 35lbs. It still comfortable.
I like the thick hip belt, which is super comfortable, the aluminium stay is very stiff and can transfer the load to the hipbelt well.

You need to accept the minimal design with a heavy load capacity. For me it is ok, but the only thing I do not like is the shoulder harness. The part with padding is too short, so it is bit tight and not comfortable when carry over than 30lbs. If Exped make the shoulderharness as the same as Thunder50, it will much better.

Very light weight for a pack with adjustable torso length and frame.

just a comment - don't know if it's the resolution on my laptop but the straps on the black model appear to have a pinkish hue to them. In real life they're straight grey (exact same as those that show for the lichen green / sea blue models). Anyone else seeing that or just me? :) Anyway no surprises upon receipt. Shipped quickly and correctly. Got 20% off coupon which made deal even better. Only thing holding me back from scoring higher is that I haven't taken on trail yet. I traded my Gregory Z65 for this Exped 60 Lightning. Thus far I've noted a big difference with how much better the Exped is transferring weight off my shoulders to hips - so far it's a much more comfortable pack than the Z65. Looking forward to next season.

All was as expected, very fast service

Recently I had the opportunity to test the Lightning 60 in mountainous terrain hauling 35 lbs or so. Compared to the lightning 45 which I normally use and love, I found the 60 to be slightly less comfortable (needed the 60 for a larger bear can). Both packs utilize the same T-Rex suspension, so theoretically they should carry the same—more time spent dialing in the fit on the 60 is definitely in order since the 45 has been a dream to carry.

As far as the functionality of the pack is concerned—this is not the pack for someone who likes pockets. The minimalist design is essentially a large bag with two water bottle sized elasticated pockets on the side, zig zagging compression straps that allow you to lash various gear to, and a really beefy hip belt with a couple small zippered pockets for snacks on the trail. Imo what sets the pack apart from other lightweight packs is the brilliant suspension system. I personally love the minimalist design but I know it's not for everyone. My hiking buddy was rather irritated trying to figure out how the compression straps worked.

My only real criticism of the pack has to do with accessing water from the side pockets. I'm a bottle user and I find it very uncomfortable to reach back and access the water bottle pockets. I don't like using bladders so I'll have to figure out a clever solution because I find it to be problematic on both the 45 and 60 Lightning packs. Still, even with this one annoying shortcoming, I'm very satisfied with b...
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I bought several Exped Lighting 60's for an upcoming week long backpacking trip. Once they arrived I loaded one up with 25 lbs of base weight, and an additional 12 lbs to represent provisions and had everyone in the family try it out. The torso adjustment is a snap. Load lifters can be adjusted on the shoulder strap and there are alternate attachment points on the pack. The hip belt was comfortable and carried most of the weight. I was able to easily adjust the pack to fit a smaller skinny teenager frame, or my taller mildly robust 6'1 frame. Once adjusted we all felt we were going to do great with this light weight, simple, smartly engineered and sharp looking pack.

I ordered this pack along with Granite Gear Nimbus Trace, and Mountain Hardware Shaka 55 in an attempt to lighten my current pack of choice the Osprey Aether 70. The Aether was a great pack but way to big, too heavy, and too many straps for my needs. From the 4 packs I ended up keeping the Lightning 60 and a Granite Gear Nimbus Trace. The way I thought of it was that the Granite Gear Nimbus Trace

This pack is light and easily adjustable. I have tried many packs before deciding on this one. The shoulder straps are narrow, but very comfortable. Many packs have shoulder straps that rub my neck, not these straps that are set far apart and in a perfect place.

The waist belt carries all the weight of the pack. The padding on the waist belt is outstanding.

The pack allows for excellent airf