Review: Patagonia Critical Mass 22L - $130

The good stuff:

This pack is similar to the Osprey Flapjack in that it is flat and wide making it very stable on the move (and making it look like a shoulder bag on your back).  It has all of the six necessities and even has external side water bottle pockets!  It also has a stiff back (I think it does have a plastic frame-sheet in there) that gives it some good structure along the back when empty.

What is most to love about this pack is the suspension system.  It is ultra comfortable and can carry heavy loads with ease.  It is all about the waist belt.  This is the best waist belt of all the packs tested because it has wings and it is wide which means you can actually use it to transfer the load to your hips.  All other waist belts are there for stability alone.  I wish Patagonia could move this waist belt to all of its other packs.

Also, as a true top loader, it has the ability to "flap and go" like the Osprey Flapjack above.  That is a fundamental beauty of all true top loaders.  This pack does feel compact (after all it is the smallest of the group).  While it is a similar overall design to the Osprey Flapjack, because it is scaled down (22 L instead of 25 L), it does not suffer from the overly wide sensation that I felt with the Flapjack.

The bad stuff:

The Critical Mass has a critical flaw; one of omission, actually.  The flap that covers the main compartment has no pocket in it at all.  It seems like a waste, as it is a double layer of fabric and could easily have supported a simple pocket.  It kills me that it is a heavy flap of fabric with so little utility beyond covering the main compartment (which is a good thing, mind you).   The other issue is the same one that I mentioned with the Osprey Flapjack – it is too wide for its own good.  The pack collapses on itself and can be a pain to pack and locate items.

The organizer pocket is inside the main compartment of the pack.  Again, this is a convenience issue.  It would be nice not to have to open up the whole pack to reach for your phone.  While the side pockets are indeed deep enough to hold you phone for easy access, they do not offer the security that one would want for something like a phone.  One bounce and the phone would fly!  Also, the padded pocket with the security strap in the organizer area is clearly there for your phone. 

Just under the flap is a slash pocket into which one could ostensibly place a pair of glasses but it goes all the way to the bottom of the pack and therefore is too deep for carrying a single item like glasses.  However, because it is a slash pocket with a small zippered opening, it also cannot carry multiple small items or one large item.  (A slash pocket by nature should be shallow since you cannot easily look into it to find something).  If it were gusseted, then it could be deeper.  The only thing this pocket is good for is a map but who uses maps anymore.  Frankly, this pocket should have been redesigned to be the organizer pocket and they should have put a fleece lined slash pocket on the flap for a phone or glasses.  (Call me, Patagonia, if you need someone to design your CDPs….)

Summary:

The thing that bugged me about this pack is that is was WAY too expensive given what it offers.  At least its brother, the Blackhole, offers a better material and larger capacity.  This pack feels like it should have cost $30 less than it does.  But OHHH! That waist belt…

Grade: C