What Is Deuter Aircontact Ultra Backpacks Series?

It is best to discuss the Deuter Aircontact Ultra backpacks series by comparing it with some other Aircontact series, so here are a few thoughts along this line.

What is Deuter Aircontact Ultra?

They have launched this mini-series simultaneously with their Aircontact Core and Aircontact X series. As of the moment of writing this text, there is quite a mess regarding the volumes of packs in this series. Not all Deuter stores will show you all the sizes, so it may be unclear how many packs are in the group.

So in some stores you will only find Aircontact Ultra 45+5 SL and Aircontact Ultra 50+5 packs. These are gender-specific packs, so the first is for women and the second for men.

But note that on Amazon, there is yet another Deuter Aircontact Ultra 35+5 SL pack available. The same is on Deuter US store. So most likely there are three packs in total on the market.

The meaning of the number +5 in the official name I have described in detail in a separate text. 

The Aircontact Ultra pack is designed to stay close to your body. So there are no ventilation features, the back panel is completely flat.

The picture below shows how it looks. It is covered with what they call the Air Spacer mesh which is supposed to provide comfort, cushioning and a bit of ventilation. But do not expect lots of ventilation here.

Are Deuter Aircontact Ultra packs ultralight or just lightweight?

One can discuss this in a few different ways.

First, in absolute sense, the Aircontact Ultra 50+5 weighs 1.27 kg. Is this heavy? Let’s compare this with the following well-known packs:

• Big Agnes Prospector 50L Pack for Men weighs 3 lb 1 oz (1.39 kg).
• Gregory Focal 48 Pack for Men L version (52 liters) weighs 2.76 lb (1.25 kg).
• Osprey Exos 58 Pack for Men weighs 2 lb 13 oz (1.28 kg).

These packs I describe as very light, but there are indeed much lighter options on the market. So you see that the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 is definitely in the same group.

Second, it is best to check its volume to weight ratio. So for the Aircontact Ultra 50+5 this means 43.3 liters/kg. Again, is this good or not?

The first two packs above give 36 liters/kg and 41.6 liters/kg, respectively. For the Osprey Exos you have 45 liters/kg. So here again, the Deuter Aircontact Ultra packs stand great.

Deuter itself describes these packs as lightweight, but then it is unclear what the meaning of Ultra in the name should be. Ultra-comfy? Well, they are good but there is nothing ultra in them regarding comfort.

How about features?

Regarding features, Deuter Aircontact Ultra packs are far inferior to the other two Aircontact series mentioned above. If you follow the links given above you will realize this easily.

I would say the same holds also when you compare them with the three packs from Osprey, Gregory, and Big Agnes mentioned above.

Here are a few things that you should know about the Deuter Aircontact Ultra packs. If they are important or not, this is up to you.

• There is only one top access point. But the same holds for the Osprey Exos 58.
• The torso length is with some adjustability, but the design of this feature is not really user-friendly. The picture below shows what you have.

  

• There are 6 external pockets, not bad really.
• The lid is floating type to accommodate for its expandable collar.
• The straps are what they describe as a modular design. This basically means they are removable and you can use them as you wish.
• There are no separate bottom straps.
• There is no rain cover included. The same is with the Aircontact Core, but you have a rain cover with Aircontact X packs.
• The weight capacity is 12-15 kg, so this is lower than in the Aircontact Core and Aircontact X packs.
• These are bluesign approved and PFC-free packs.

Please see more in this video:

How Does Deuter Aircontact Ultra compares with Deuter Aircontact Lite?

So in case you did not know, Deuter also has the Aircontact Lite series that has been around for years already.

These are packs with far more features that include a bottom compartment as well and a full torso length adjustability. The back panel design is completely different, with lots of padding and with a central ventilation chimney.

But they are heavier. For example Aircontact Lite 50+10 pack weighs 1.64 kg, so the volume to weight ratio here is 36.6 liters/kg, and this pack can be described as lightweight but not very light.

Conclusion

In summary, the Deuter Aircontact Ultra Backpacks are reliable and well-built, as you would expect from this brand. This is a bit minimalist design when you compare it with some other packs from their Aircontact group.

But they still have enough features for the trail, and I would describe them as very light, you have seen some numbers above.

These Deuter Aircontact Ultra packs are available at Deuter and on Amazon together with many other packs from the Aircontact group.

Thank you for reading. For more texts of this type please check under the category FAQs here in the site. In particular, check my text about criteria for choosing a backpack for hiking.

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