Jul 10
22
GoLite Men’s Pursuit Pack
Golite Mens Pursuit Backpack
By Karenna Awtry
Warm, cold, wet or dry — sometimes you just have to get out and get moving. If you’re the kind of hiker who wants to enjoy the outdoors year-round, you need an all-season hiking backpack like the GoLite Men’s Pursuit pack.
Backpackers Magazine gave the Pursuit its Best All-Purpose Pack award in the publication’s 2009 Gear Guide. It also won acclaim from Outdoor Enthusiast magazine, which called the Pursuit “a well thought-out winter day pack that will suit everyone from walker to ski mountaineer.”
Clearly, GoLite’s Men’s Pursuit lives up to expectations as far as the experts are concerned.
The Pursuit — smallest of GoLite’s trio of full-suspension backpacking, trekking, and mountaineering packs — features an internal frame sheet that can accommodate loads of around 35 lbs. as well as a 3-liter internal hydration bladder (not included). Side hydration openings (left and right) add to the Pursuit’s on-the-go reputation. Take it out for lightweight backpacking, alpine adventures or your favorite powder pursuits.
The versatility of this backpack really stands out when it comes time to pack your winter sports gear. Stash skins, a probe, shovel or handle in the front pocket. Reconfigure the side compression straps into front tie-ons for your snowboard, skis or snowshoes. You can also tote your skis diagonally if you like. The top pocket is removable and watertight, a nice feature when you want to take your electronics along for the ride.
GoLite is known for its no-frills style. But that’s not to say it lags behind the pack when it comes to comfort and durability. The men’s Pursuit backpack offers a molded hipbelt, moisture-controlling meshes on the backpack and shoulder harness and a contoured, customizable frame that assures you’ll get the fit that you desire.
It’s easy to cut pack volume using the compression straps (when you’re not lashing on gear with this multi-purpose addition). Carry extra 1L water bottles in the side stretch pockets while keeping your trekking poles right at your sides as well. Other features include a whistle on the sternum strap, dual ice axe loops and handle straps.
Adjust the load with ease using the top compression straps and load lifters. With the amount of movement you’re likely to be doing in your GoLite Men’s Pursuit backpack, you’ll really appreciate the continuous comfort allowed by this feature.
The men’s Pursuit backpack keeps things light (under 3 lbs.), which is a boon for the all-weather hiker or skier who wants to pack the essentials but doesn’t want to be slowed down. Users have said this backpack is “bombproof,” despite the fact that it’s ultralight. Features that garner the Pursuit especially rave reviews included its serious watertight design. Zippers are welded, seams are taped and combined with the water-resistant fabric, you’re sure to keep the rain out and your stowed gear nice and dry.
As advertised, GoLite provides you with the perfect fit in the men’s Pursuit backpack thanks to intelligent adjustability that’s rarely matched. GoLite also offers plenty of options to customize this backpack without the need to buy lots of extraneous straps or connectors. It’s hard to beat a lightweight pack and gives you just enough flexibility and doesn’t try to beef up its reputation with bells and whistles that can go to waste.
Comments about the men’s Pursuit are mostly positive, especially among the cold-weather adventurers. Users do note, however, that despite its all-season design, a lack of mesh padding can lead to some rather sticky situations in the hot climates. Though a bottom access panel would be nice, reviewers are willing to accept the weight that is saved by leaving out this feature.
A nice thing that was noted among users might come as a surprise. GoLite has designed the men’s Pursuit for lightweight hiking, but when this is your go-to pack and you take a chance and exceed the 35-lb. recommended weight limit by oh, say, 20 lbs., it still performs like a champ. You’ll experience no signs of stress on the pack’s fabric or seams and comfort that can carry through even this kind of punishment.
Go check it out now and get more than you bargained for with the GoLite Men’s Pursuit Backpack.
