GoLite Ion Backpack - 1500cu in - 2010 BCS

You've got to love Golite! I bought this pack (1500 ci) last year from Golite.com before BC ever got their hands on them (or even heard bout em from what all the gearheads told me...tried to get it from BC). After a year of use I can tell you this guy is my GO TO pack for quick trips in and out of the back country. Not all the time do I have the need for my Golite Jam2, which is a marvelous pack, but many times when I'm just heading out for a couple nights in the woods either camping, hunting, fishing, etc. this is my pack of choice. I've carried it through briar patches that would shred most lightweight fabrics, but this lil dude doesn't have a snag anywhere on it. I am the envied party when heading out into the woods for a lil game hunting with my friends because their packs all weigh over 5 lbs empty. Mine doesn't weigh that much with a camel bak full of water. I can fit my tent, sleeping bag, bladder, change of clothes, cooking equipment, first aid kit and many other items in this cute lil thing. I travel quite often back and forth across the country to visit my physician back in Louisiana...at least 3 times a year. There is nothing worse than having to carry a bulky, heavy backpack with just a few days worth of clothes and whatnot through the Greyhound terminals. In the last year I have used this pack to take everything I could possibly need with me on my travels to see my doctor and having no more than a few lbs to drag around on a Greyhound expedition is nice, especially during long layovers when you'd rather roam about the city than wait with your God awful heavy bags at the terminal. Now, I can easily stroll around towns during stops with everything I have on my back at under 5 lbs. and get to hit the pub in Denver while waiting on that next bus to roll in 4 hours late. It's great! While it does't have a hydration sleeve or sipping tube thread-thru, it does at least have a clip on the inside to hang your bladder from. Hey, it cuts weight and works for me. I can't honestly say that it's 'waterproof', but it does shed light precipitation pretty well. I keep a Glad heavy duty trashbag stowed in it for heavy down pour emergency situations. I can't say enough bout this pack so I guess I'll leave it at this! 50 bux is a great investment for this thing for a variety of purposes! Minimalist ready!

Recently the wife & I went on a moonlight hike to a high lake. We used the GoLite Ion to carry all our gear, eliminating the need for another pack altogether. It weighs half as much as anything comparable & has 30% more volume. There are no ice axe loops or top pocket but @ ten ounces it does have a good suspension system including padded shoulder straps. Good, lightweight pack for $50 & nice color choices.

My wife and I spent 2 months in asia traveling around. We brought this pack with us as our only luggage. It held up extremely well except one of the shoulder straps started to pull away from the pack. There is a small hole on the corner of the stitching that appeared shortly into our trip. I was worried we would lose the strap but the hole has not gotten any bigger. Golite offered to fix it but said that it would probably cost more to ship then it would to get fixed nearby. Anyway, I would recommend this pack for overnights and those who travel with just the bare necessities.

I agree this is the sturdiest ultralight bag in its size range, bar none. None of that ultra-light, easily-ripped sil-stuff here, yet it's only 9 oz even so. This is my favorite bag, now that the much bigger GoLite Breeze (and slightly larger Day) are out of production (GoLite -- bring 'em back!). To slightly contradict another reviewer, this one does have a hydration port, right near the haul loop. The 2009 model is the same as the previous model, except the waterproof zipper is gone and replaced with a regular zipper and storm flap. Six of one... It's all good.