Video Review: Burton Lumen 30L - $100

Video review:

The good:

The pack has a ton going for it.  The TPU laminate used throughout is tough and ultra water resistant.  There is one waterproof zipper on the front slash pocket.  All others are reverse coil zippers of various, appropriate sizes.  The zipper pulls are tough and easy to grab (with gloves or mittens) especially the ice axe looking pulls for the main compartment which are the best in the class (also seen in the Burton Prism). In general, the pack is well made with quality stitching and thoughtful use of hardware and materials throughout.  I love its clean, simple look.


There are no compression straps laying across any zippers and the straps you see on the front are more about attaching a skateboard than load compression.  (I still don't see how these straps would carry something so heavy on the front of the pack without serious cantilevering issues.)  The zippers are easy to open and close in all cases - even the covered sunglasses compartment.

The suspension system and back are well matched for this size pack, offering enough stiffness and support when fully loaded.  I particularly like the shoulder straps which are simple, stiff, and padded just enough.  They work well with a back that offers a lot of relief and circulation with well-placed grooving and a high density foam egg crate padding in all areas that contact your back.  I like how the pack tapers to the bottom making the pack feel nimble and trim on your back.  It's a 30 liter pack that feels like a 25 liter pack.  Kudos to Burton for this athletic, functional design.

The pack has many pockets on its outside to allow for quick access to gear as small as your sun glasses to as large as a Nalgene.  The side pockets are unusually long which allows for great packing flexibility.  The front slash pocket, with its waterproof zipper, seems ideal for a set of binoculars, boarding passes, or a small point and shoot.  You could put your cell phone in here, but the pocket is large and a phone would swim around in this pocket.

The main compartment is easy to access due to the bucket loading design that opens away for the user (when wearing it on one's front).  This is just like the Mountainsmith Colfax - my favorite main compartment opening until the Lumen came along.  On the underside of this "lid" is a large zipped mesh pocket that could hold a ton of small things.  Seems like a good place for cords and power bricks.  The divided organizer panel is just below this mesh pocket and is covered by a loose kangaroo pouch.  This open pouch would be useful in a case where you might be in a rush and want to just toss an item into this area instead of locating its specific slot.  The divided organizer has a fleece lined slot for your cell phone as well as three slots for pens.

The laptop slot is padded (just enough) and can easily hold a 15 inch laptop.  Most importantly, one can access this slot via a zipper on the outside of the pack (it runs vertically down the edge of the back panel).  I think this is brilliant as it provides the functionality of having in a separate laptop compartment with the weight savings and simplicity of having a laptop slot inside of the main compartment.  Additionally, there is a padded tablet pocket piggy backing on the laptop slot that is fleece lined on one side to protect your iPad screen.

The bad:

I do wish they had put more thought into beefing up the waist strap.  A set of wings and a wider belt would have increased comfort and stability.  I would have paid $30 more for something like this.  Darn it.

While I do love having the side zipper access to the laptop compartment, the zipper is about 1 inch too short,31 forcing me to slow down and maneuver my MacBook in.  That extra inch would have allowed me to perform this action without looking.  As it is, you definitely need to look and aim to get the computer into place.

The divided organization panel has two issue.  1) It is inside the main compartment.  I feel like these panels need to be in the most accessible part of the pack given that you are often going into this area to grab your phone, a pen, or your wallet.  It would have been preferable to have placed this panel on the outside front where the current slash pocket resides.  2)  It is small and limited.  Just a cell phone and three pens.  I would like to be able to place a portable hard drive, battery backup, or pack of gum in its own slot here, too.

It shocks me that a pack built for activity like this Lumen is not hydration bladder compatible.  It lacks a port for a hose and, more critically, it lacks a hook to hold the bladder up in the pack.  Had it been built with two large mesh side pockets for Nalgenes, I might have had an easier time looking past this issue.  With its current design, this is a hydration unfriendly pack.

I also wish that Burton had added a small buckle to hold your laptop into its slot.  I fear that if I rested this pack upright on a desktop or chair, the pack could tip over with the lid open and release my laptop on the cold, hard floor.

Lastly, many packs choose yellow or orange lining on the inside to ease finding your stuff in the bottom of the pack.  Burton choose a grey interior lining that absorbs light.  Bummer.

Summary:

This is really a great pack overall.  Frankly, it is the best one I have reviewed so far.  It has a lot of pockets and yet has a simple, unadorned, and easy to use design.  It is still not perfect, but it is really close.  If I was forced to stop looking right now, this would be my pack of choice.  However, I am still looking...

Grade: A-

Photos:

Burton Lumen 30L pack.  Front straps for skateboard.

Excellent suspension system (though the waist belt is thin).

Superb hardware throughout. 

Note the adjustable straps on top of the shoulder straps.  They lift the weight off the shoulders.  Rare on this class of pack.

Top pocket on "hood" for sunglasses.

Front slash pocket large enough for wallet and more.  Waterproof zipper!

Side zippered pocket - maybe for a water bottle.  Good volume, but I prefer the accessibility and flexibility of side mesh pockets.

Looking into the main compartment.  Organizer on left and laptop/tablet pouches on right.

Divided organizer on the front, inside wall of the pack.  I like the pouch, but the divided organizer is a bit limited in terms of slots.

The bucket style lid showing the large mesh pocket on the underside.

Tablet pouch.

Laptop pouch.

Outside zipper providing side access to the laptop compartment.  Essentially acts like a separate compartment for the laptop.

The egg-crate padding for maximizing circulation.