Lightening the MEC Alpinelite backpack

Although this backpack is called Alpinelite, which implies lightness, it weighs not so little - 2200g (with a volume of 85 liters). Both figures turned out to be excessive for me. The backpack is both heavy and too big. Having no alternative at hand, I decided to try to lighten this backpack:)

We remove excess

To begin with, I got rid of the rigidity system embedded in the back of the backpack. Two intricately curved aluminum plates (long plates) and a piece of thermoformed plastic weighed a total of 260 grams. Already good... but not enough.

In a fit of righteous anger, the fastenings for the ice axes were torn off the backpack. I don't need them in the summer. But the 14 grams won will be useful for more important cargo.

And then I saw a new target. Valve!!! The most important detail of a traditional backpack, familiar and comfortable. How much can be stuffed into the pockets of the valve, how much can fit into a tube stretched to the limit and held on top by a safety valve!
But I'm not going to wear a lot of junk. This means I don’t need all these miraculous properties of the valve. With a steady hand, I unfasten it from my backpack and place it on the scale. 276 grams is a real breakthrough!!!

Well, the last stage is to shorten the belts and slings. In total, we managed to cut off about 50 grams of the sling without damaging the backpack.

Results of relief

As you can see, the weight of the backpack is still far from the lightweight ideal, but the achieved result was very pleasing.

Moreover, the backpack has become more convenient. After all, before the removal of the rigidity system, it lay poorly on my back - resting too firmly on the lower back and shoulder blades. Now it has become much more ergonomic. And for rigidity, I insert a rug rolled up into a pipe inside the backpack.

Instead of the removed valve, the function of the lid is performed by a tube. I tighten it and further compress the backpack with the central tie (yellow strap in the photo).

Field test results