The Kakwa 55 is their premium ultralight, multi-day pack designed from the first principles of load carrying and ergonomics to provide the greatest function, comfort and usability for an ultralight pack. Developed from Dan Durston’s attention to detail and thousands of miles of backpacking experience, the Kakwa 55 has class leading quality, load carrying, materials, and pocket design while weighing under 2 lbs (900 g).

The Kakwa 55 has been updated for 2026 with redesigned hipbelt (including a lumbar pad and improved durability) that now comes in 2 sizes and with increased internal capacity - all while keeping the pack just as light through further improvements in design efficiency.

The Kakwa 55 brings genuine load carrying capability into the sub 2 lbs weight class.

Other packs this light generally sacrifice load carrying by omitting load lifters, using frame stays that lack horizontal structure, and relying on less ergonomic shoulder strap and hipbelt shapes.

The Kakwa 55 improves this tradeoff through more efficient design and advanced materials including UHMWPE fabric and hollow aluminum tubing to provide better load carrying in an ultralight pack. The hollow aluminum tubing is a more efficient use of structural weight than the solid metal bars found in competing packs and allows us to create a rigid frame with both vertical and horizontal structure at a similar weight to competing packs with only vertical frame structure.

Our frame connects directly to the hipbelt for maximum load transfer and directly to the load lifters, which are rare on packs this light yet highly functional for shifting more of the weight off your shoulders and onto the hips.

A capable structure is nothing without an ergonomic connection to your body, which is why the shoulder straps have a carefully developed S shape to contour around your upper body, while the hipbelt uses a dual strap design which cups your hips and has reverse pull 2:1 leverage for easy tightening. The result is a pack that comfortably and effectively manages loads up to 45 lbs.

Peak 42 S

Sweetwater UL 43L

Sweetwater UL 60L

Builder Backpack 40L

PowSlayer Pack

Kakwa 55-Ultra200X - Large Torso

Router

Exion 55

Exion 65

Hyperon 65

Hyperon 80

Exion 48