Zpacks
Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60
The Arc Haul Ultra 60 is Zpacks' engineering statement: a 21.8-ounce pack whose carbon arc frame tensions a mesh panel off your back — the only true ventilation in the sub-1.5-lb class. Backpacker magazine named it the best ultralight pack of 2026.
Price and availability on Zpacks’s site may differ.
Specifications
What do these specs mean? →Sizes Available
| Capacity | Price | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 40 L | $399 | — |
| 50 L | $399 | — |
| 60 Lthis pack | $399 | 1.36 lbs |
| 70 L | $399 | — |
Features
Pros
- ✓The lightest framed, ventilated 60L pack money can buy — nothing else combines 21.8 oz with a real airflow gap.
- ✓Backpacker magazine's best ultralight pack of 2026, adding mainstream validation to years of thru-hiker use.
- ✓The tensioned arc genuinely works: sweat reports drop dramatically versus foam-back cottage rivals.
- ✓Ultra 100X fabric is waterproof and far more abrasion-resistant than the old DCF packs.
- ✓The user-adjustable frame height effectively customizes torso length — rare in the cottage world.
- ✓Carries 35-40 lbs shockingly well for its weight, per repeated long-trail reviews.
- ✓Modular add-on ecosystem (belt pouches, shoulder pockets, lumbar pads) lets owners spec it like a custom pack.
- ✓Zpacks' repair department keeps long-trail packs alive mid-hike with fast turnarounds.
Cons
- ✗Early Ultra-fabric generations had documented delamination reports; Zpacks revised the laminate, but the history follows the brand in owner discussions.
- ✗$399 plus the add-ons most people want pushes real cost toward $475.
- ✗The arc frame takes fiddling to tension right, and a mis-set arc pokes the lumbar.
- ✗The 2-year warranty is thin next to ULA's and Osprey's lifetime coverage.
- ✗The curved frame reduces usable volume and makes tall canisters ride oddly.
- ✗No hydration sleeve — bottle-only hydration is assumed.
- ✗Mesh and edge trim wear faster than the body fabric; brush country is not its habitat.
- ✗The whole design rewards careful owners and punishes casual abuse — it's precision gear, not a rental mule.
Common Questions
Compare the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 60
Related backpacks
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Sharing the same 60 L Ultra 100X pack as the unisex model, the women's Arc Haul Ultra has a Small/Women's strap set, 2.5 in wide and a couple of inches shorter, and a V-style padded hipbelt. Base weight is 21.1 oz and the price matches the unisex pack at $399.
Weight
1.32 lbs
Capacity
60 L
Frame
Internal Frame
Also in 40 L / 50 L / 70 L
Zpacks
Zpacks Arc Zip Ultra 62
The Arc Zip is the Arc Haul with front zip access, so the pack opens like a suitcase instead of only from the top. It keeps the tensioned carbon arc that lifts the pack off the back -- Zpacks' distinguishing feature -- at 24.7 oz for 62 L.
Weight
1.54 lbs
Capacity
62 L
Frame
Internal Frame
Zpacks
Zpacks Arc Pro 60
Zpacks' first new framed line since the Arc Haul Ultra, the Arc Pro launched in August and September 2026 and is sold beside it. The 60 L weighs 22.2 oz on the curved Arc Frame, with Ultra 100X on the back and bottom and lighter Ultra TenX on the front. All three sizes cost $449, or $499 with vest straps.
Weight
1.4 lbs
Capacity
60 L
Frame
Internal Frame
Also in 50 L / 70 L
Released in July 2025, the women's Arc Zip Ultra 62 is the zippered-front Arc Zip with Zpacks' women's straps and hipbelt. It keeps the 62 L volume, 24.7 oz base weight and 40 lb rating of the unisex version.
Weight
1.5 lbs
Capacity
62 L
Frame
Internal Frame
Zpacks
Zpacks Nero Pro 40
The Nero Pro is the upgraded Nero: 12.5 oz for the 40 L against the Classic's 10.9 oz, for $20 to $40 more depending on size. The extra weight buys a more robust build in the same frameless, waterproof format across the same 30 to 50 L range.
Weight
0.78 lbs
Capacity
40 L
Frame
Frameless
Also in 30 L / 50 L
Zpacks
Zpacks Nero Classic 40
The Nero is Zpacks' frameless pack and at 10.9 oz for the 40 L (9.9 oz for the 30 L) one of the lightest hiking packs on this site. Ultra 100X with taped seams makes it genuinely waterproof at a weight where most packs are barely water-resistant.
Weight
0.68 lbs
Capacity
40 L
Frame
Frameless
Also in 30 L / 50 L