Gear: Berghaus 64Zero daypack

The Berghaus 64Zero rucksack is a light 30L capacity daypack weighing in at 690 grams. It has one main compartment plus 7 mesh pockets, 2 on each side, one on the back and a small pocket on each hip strap. It’s made (in China) out of nylon fabric and includes a hydration pocket.

I chose this pack because I wanted something light and simple that would fit all the gear I’d need to carry each day on the coast to coast walk. I’ve recently being trying to reduce the amount of weight I carry both when walking and when travelling, hence the requirement for minimum weight. I also didn’t want to spend too much on something that when not being used on the c2c walk was going to be scrunched up in my suitcase.

This pack fit these requirements well. It’s light at around 690 grams, does not have any internal frame thus allowing it to be compressed for packing, and is quite cheap. Capacity wise, there’s enough space for a jacket/fleece, lightweight gore-tex jacket and over-trousers, hat and gloves plus water and lunch, which is ample for most daywalks outside of winter. Personally, I would have liked a zipped pocket on top or on the back (the only pockets with zips are the two on each hip strap), but the trade off here would be extra weight.

Construction wise, it survived both the c2c and my extended overseas trip unscathed. We didn’t get much rain, but when it did rain, it started to leak fairly quickly, the material didn’t strike me as particularly water resistant and the slit in the top for the hydration tube to go through seems like it would let in water pretty easily. I had my gear in an internal waterproof bag, so this wasn’t a problem – but I’d certainly recommend a waterproof bag or external waterproof cover.

The pack has a mesh back which is supposed to encourage ventilation, but I didn’t really find it any different to my old Berghaus daypack without this feature – my back still got damp. There’s a round badge sewn into the back with slightly rough edges that will rub and cause your shirt to pill where the badge presses against it.

Despite the few niggles noted, I would recommend this pack. It’s light, has a useful amount of capacity and is well constructed. I’m finding that lightweight walking is much more fun and I’m happy to put up with a few compromises for less weight.

UPDATE 25/11/2012:

I’m still using this pack, and it has proven to be an excellent buy. In addition to the c2c I’ve used it on daywalks in the UK, Switzerland and Australia as well as on the Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp treks in Nepal. Alas, it appears that it is no longer available – the link below goes to Berghaus’ current range of daypacks.

(Link to manufacturer’s current range of daypacks)

2 thoughts on “Gear: Berghaus 64Zero daypack”

  1. excellent review of an excellent and underrated bag. Sadly Berghaus have now pulled these in favour of another pack, but they can still be found. I bought a KIMM32 from karrimor, and found it heavy and overspecced, whereas this looked excellent value and superb volume for weight with perfectly thought out features. The whole bladder phenomenon has got out of hand with dedicated pockets and tube apertures. Just shove it in the pack and feed the hose out under the lid—not rocket science, is it?
    Other sites have shown users getting out and about with a weekends’ worth of kit, but then again, 30litres is the size, its up to you how you fill it. The mesh pockets are quite brilliant, though, if not very accessible on the move.
    There is a whole cult of lightweight backpacks, with its own array of star names, and this little gem very rarely gets a mention, against the US giants like Osprey, Golite, Gregory and UK’s OMM. Possibly it was seen as a cycling/fell running pack, coming out just before the big rush to ultralite.

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