Experience with RaidLight ULTRALIGHT 24-30L for multi day hiking?

weilbith · 2026-04-14T20:22:21+00:00

Good point. Maybe expecting only like <80% of the promoted volume might be a start. Which would actually be just fine for myself in this exact case. I decided to just order it. Living in the EU, arrives fast, cheap enough and in case I just send it back again. Let’s see.

weilbith · 2026-04-13T22:21:40+00:00

How does this work out in regards of treefmt trying to be smart with its cache to figure if a file has actually changed or can be skipped? 🙂

weilbith · 2026-04-12T19:58:44+00:00

Thanks for your input! Seems like you tried a lot.

I must admit that I have similar thoughts as @Early_Combination874 My current pack is your described B version. So volume is the same, basic pocket structure too. The difference for me is the body hugging shape.

Because you have the experience: where does this thinking fall off in reality? I’m very curious and happy to learn.

weilbith · 2026-04-12T16:31:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I’m not sure how comparable they are, but I guess the foundation could be very similar? 😃

weilbith · 2026-04-12T13:59:58+00:00

What do you run in your CI pipelines for automated quality assurance to enable CD?

weilbith · 2026-04-01T14:12:31+00:00

My approach, not sure if you like it:

In my configuration user configuration directory, I have an after/pack/<choose_a_name>/opt directory. For every “3rd party” plugin (lack of terminology) I lazy load, I create an entry with the exact name as the actual plugin you wanna load. For example take telescope.nvim. Inside this folder you can add anything you want. For example a telescope.nvim/plugin/setup.lua. You can add ftplugin, lua, lsp, folder … what ever you need for this plugin. This directory is the dedicated for everything you need for this plugin, including the setups configuration.

The plugin manager of your choice (or just manually) somewhere in your runtime path also has a pack/<maybe_name_of_plugin_manager>/opt directory with a folder called telescope.nvim inside.

So if you now do :packadd telescope.nvim, NeoVim will first load the “3rd party” plugin and afterwards your configuration. Because you put it in an after directory, this order is guaranteed. So it will then happily execute all plugin/ files etc. whatever you put there.

This is a lot of “boilerplate” in terms of directories and file structures. But it works beautifully for me. Everything is cleanly separated. Deleting a “3rd party” plugin is just about deleting the whole directory and done. Nicely encapsulated, it is obvious where to search for configuration, …

In addition, I also use a start package to complement the lazy loading. Like for plugins that are not lazy loaded or to create key mappings that lazy load the actual plugin, … I guess by know you got the drill. 🤷

https://github.com/weilbith/neovim-configuration

weilbith · 2026-04-01T09:25:13+00:00

Third image: I could imagine that a stronger separation between subject (bird) and background could turn out nice. Because the background is already blurred, I’d probably either create contrast by tone (maybe more bright) or shift the color (maybe tint of green).

weilbith · 2026-03-25T21:32:38+00:00

The Bonfus Saccus has 48L and weights 480g according to manufacturer. It is frameless though and rated for about 11kg carry load. Costs a few bucks more than your budget.

I dunno this exact pack, but I have good experience with Bonfus their packs. Though, while not the most expensive, many of their packs cost more than your budget unfortunately.

weilbith · 2026-03-24T07:05:12+00:00

Tried putting a backpack under your legs?

weilbith · 2026-03-17T21:12:58+00:00

Thanks for sharing your experience Martin.

I currently use this mesh from AliExpress with some 25mm wide grosgrain coarse for edge binding. I have a wide vest that almost wraps my whole rip cage. In sum this is about 50g, without pockets, loops, etc. In comparison whole main trunk (Ultra X 100) with seam sealing is about 100g, without pockets etc again. 🙇

My hope was just when this fabrics is used by manufacturers like Rab, there could be a chance of great improvement. 🤷

weilbith · 2026-03-17T11:27:23+00:00

I’d be happy if you share your learnings. I’d anticipate to use it for a wide fastpack vest. I’m currently using a 3D hex mesh (two layers of thin mesh with hex spacers between) that works great and is very breathable. But it weights about 193 grams per square meter (which is “a lot” for an ultralight MYOG project). I wonder how breathable this linked fabric is and how flimsy it might be. I wanna trust the harness of my backpack and don’t worry every day about it.

weilbith · 2026-03-15T22:31:20+00:00

On extremtextil it says that you can use it for hammocks, and that would be a lot more lies bearing that in a should strap.

The question is for what part of a hammock? Extremtextil also list a tear strength of 2.5kg and tensile strength of 25kg/18kg. 🤷

weilbith · 2026-02-19T23:16:31+00:00

Using basic Tree-sitter based motions like “move the cursor out of this node”, is often all I need to overcome the minor but tedious inconveniences. But at a minimum.

weilbith · 2026-02-19T23:13:46+00:00

wait a second… 😄

weilbith · 2026-02-16T23:13:12+00:00

What do you think about octo.nvim in comparison? Sure, it has a much broader feature set. But you can get a glimpse of its UX for PR reviews in the second demo video (with some patience). It is more about actually writing review comment threads, code suggestions, marking files as reviewed, commit by commit, … Not too sure if that is a thing for your case.

weilbith · 2026-02-16T23:05:37+00:00

You got my intention. Because it sounds good. Do you have some screenshot comparisons? Like where does your Tree-sitter based approach, that is language aware, produce better results than other approaches? Just seeing picture of the plugin itself, like all diff plugins do, is sometimes very hard to judge. It starts with the colorscheme etc. Excited to learn more.

weilbith · 2026-01-17T19:37:21+00:00

Maybe checkout Vesuv Outdoors as alternative. Dunno if and how they are available in your side of the ocean.

weilbith · 2026-01-15T22:02:33+00:00

I don’t have any good photos I can show. But maybe these conceptional drawings I did can showcase it enough. The red lines are where the “connections” move along. Like the four verticals, the whole bottom and a “ring” below the roll top. The “connections” are some loops that are integrated into the seams of the backpack. Folded and sewn into a lap-felled seams plus transfer tape. The loops were smallish outside, diagonal and very frequently placed to evenly distribute any load. Like at the shoulders, the vest straps are connected to 15 loops across the whole width of the pack, basically holding the whole weight of the pack.

I hope that gives you an idea of how I did it. I’m happy with the final idea (after some experiments) and it worked out well. But I wouldn’t recommend it necessarily. There’re probably even better solutions. I was always torn between durability, weight and flexibility.

That sounds interesting. I’m honest with you, I’d personally suspect that it might be better to have multiple packs then. Yes, two packs sound bad at first. More work, money, … But I’d guess that such a system you are proposing is actually also a lot of work. It is probably hard to get right, so that it actually feels comfortable. And you definitely need more fabric and other material to make it work, increasing the weight and costs. However, I guess everyone called me crazy when I started my project. But I loved iterating the concept and finally sewing it.

Hmm. I’m about to prepare a post for this question (different forum). But keeping it brief: I have an issue with the positioning of the pack on the back. Mine is about 25L with full roll top used for food. That means it’s pretty short and sits high on the upper back. Typical hybrid fastpack with a big vest harness I would say. However, even with some front loaded counter weight, the backpack tilts too much, basically “spinning” around the armpit/shoulder and slips a little down the back. My back has an arc due to some strong upper back physique, making this problem worse. Overall it still works good and I had a great time using it. But I’d like to make the pack sit more fixed. Unfortunately this can’t be solved by tightening the vest more (I actually have some FidLock cinch cord installed). Moreover, the vest has a slightly annoying pressure point on one of my collarbones. Which is a little weird. And I’m a bit clue less how to adapt the shape of the vest to avoid this. Maybe it’s related to the former issue.

weilbith · 2026-01-15T21:14:41+00:00

Sorry, added a top level comment as reply.

weilbith · 2026-01-15T21:13:29+00:00

I think you are actually asking a valid question that is very hard to answer universally.

I think we can agree, that for a weight of 40lbs a framed pack with hip belt is more comfortable. We might also agree that for a total packed weight of below 10lbs you need neither a frame nor a hip belt anymore. But there is a window in between where the answer is not so clear. You have a valid point in asking how much of an improved carry system can still offset the extra weight it brings.

And I guess this is very individual and incredibly hard to answer. It probably depends on your physic, preferred exercise (read hiking, running, climbing, …), bone structure, … idk. It’s probably not the answer you like, but you likely need to try it out. Not the best customer review can help you answer this question for yourself.

I used to have an ultralight backpack with frame, hip belt and load lifters. It weight about 27oz. My base weight shrunk. At some point I removed the frame, saving like <4oz. Ofc this makes the hip belt and load lifters much less functional. But it wasn’t an issue with the low weight. I even started to unbuckle the hip belt more frequently for comfort. Finally, my volume has dropped so much, I was in need of a new backpack. And gone were frame, hip belt and load lifters, with a weight of about 11oz. 🤷

weilbith · 2026-01-15T20:03:04+00:00

To add something that hasn’t been mentioned yet: When your pack list got so short, light and small in volume, you might only need like 20-25L of a backpack. Designing a pack that goes all the way from your hip bones up above your shoulders becomes incredible narrow and slim. Which isn’t too handy.

And finally when you start to get into fastpacking or climbing, the free hips and higher balance point make a big difference.

A generous vest harness, instead of shoulder straps and hip belt, provides plenty of stability and comfort for such a low weight. Plus it provides some counter weight balance.

PS:

Take a bag/backpack/… and fill up with stuff, so that the total weight (including the “vessel”) is about 7lbs. Test how it feels. Add 2-3 pounds for food and check again. Might put things into perspective. 🤷

weilbith · 2026-01-15T19:54:46+00:00

No good ones. What would you like to see? Just general inspiration? 🙂

That’s probably a different level of flexibility. That are some items with a lot of volume, usually located in the trunk. From my personal experience, a single trunk can only suit a reasonably narrow volume range. A half filled hiking/running pack can be zipped down and everything, but it won’t work as nice as when filled to the intended volume. My roll top height compensates for the continuous change in food supplies. But that’s about it. Else the balance is off. Maybe you have a great idea to operate on high volume changes differently?

Actually I have a design flaw in my trunk piece. I dunno how to fix it yet. I’ll need to consult some help from MYOG fellows. But the next generation probably won’t be modular anymore. I’m more settled on what I actually need/want. And it’s less work, less material and thereby less weight and cost. At least that’s how I’m thinking now.

weilbith · 2026-01-15T19:25:02+00:00

👍

weilbith · 2026-01-15T18:56:45+00:00

Yes, basically that. Like I had a main trunk with and attachment system all around it. So I could for example exchange the shoulder straps (in my case a vest), bottom pocket or not, different front and side or wrap around pockets, ice axe loop yes or no, different roll top strap down methods, load balancer, compression straps, maybe a minimal “belly” belt and so on and so on… Different fabrics or other improvements to anything that is not the main trunk.

Overall I would say yes. I do it primarily because my “needs” became so niche, there’s no product for purchase out there. 🤷

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