Offering a lot of versatility of a multitude of adventures, the Deuter ACT Trail Pro 38
SL Pack is going to be perfect for anything from day hikes, day trips to multi day backpacking
trips for ounce counting backpackers.
There is a lot of different features here and we will take a look at all of the different
features and what makes this pack so special.
The first thing to talk about with any back pack is the suspension system and how it carries
the load.
So I am going to turn the pack around, talk about the harness, the back panel.
Here you have got Deuter’s Aircontact Trail back system.
So if I peel back the shoulder harness here you can see that this area right in the middle
is really ventilated.
This is the air contact system.
It allows the middle of your back to have a lot of breathability so you don’t develop
hot spots.
It is going to keep the heat down.
It is going to help you not sweat as much.
So this is, you know, definitely really important.
But on either side of that ventilation you have really nice padding.
And the padding is supportive, it is cushiony, but it also has a lot of breathability.
So that also helps with perspiration.
And you do have a rigid, but very lightweight and also flexible back system, you know, behind
the scenes here.
So that is going to transfer the weight really well to your hips.
It is a sup-ported Delrin frame.
So, you know, they keep they weight down with that, but it offers a lot of support.
So you can’t really see that there, but it is back here behind this back panel.
Your shoulder harness, very nicely formed shoulder straps here.
I do want to point out that the SL in the naming of this pack stands for slim line and
any Deuter pack that has SL in the naming is referring to a more of a women’s specific
pack.
So here what they have done is the torso length in general is a little bit shorter.
It is going to accommodate torsos from 15 inches up to 19 inches.
You don’t have actual adjustability with the torso length, but you do have adjustability
with these load lifter straps.
So if you need the torso to be a little bit longer or a little bit shorter, you have adjustability
there.
But with this light weight of a pack, you don’t necessarily need all of that dialed
in fit.
Again, with the SL you have got shorter length in the actual shoulder straps here.
You have got a little bit smaller buckles and the actual distance between the shoulder
harness here, the two different straps in the shoulders are a little bit more narrow.
Going down to the hip belt you have a little bit more shaping in the hip belt.
So this is just going to accommodate women’s frames a lot better.
I have found these packs to be very comfortable and just with all of the padding here, you
have got really nice padding and really nice ventilation in these straps as well.
On the straps you have an adjustable sternum strap, really easy to adjust.
It has a little bit of flex to it, which is nice as you are hiking and as you are breathing.
Down at the hip belt, it is a lightweight hip belt, but it provides padding in the places
where you need it the most.
So it has got a little bit more padding up here, a lot of ventilation through that hip
belt.
And it is definitely a more substantial hip belt than I have seen on packs in this size,
38 liter pack.
We would normally have a smaller, maybe not as supportive hip belt, but this is going
to support a lot of weight.
It is going to carry the load really comfortably.
And the way that they have designed these traps on the hip belt, it is really easy to
cinch down, really easy to make adjustments.
While we are back here, we might as well mention there is a pocket on either side of the hip
belt.
This is a stretchy pocket.
So it store small items that you want to get your hands on quickly.
And the top lid of this pack also has an accessible pocket right there.
You know, shallow pocket, but easy to get your hands on your light weight gear.
If I turn the pack around we can see all the other features.
I will mention that it is hydration compatible.
So you can route the hose out of the middle of the back here.
On both sides of the pack you have got a... you have a stretchy pocket here where I just
have a water bottle.
On the other side there is a nice pocket here.
You can store a water bottle in that side or any item that is a little bit smaller that
you want to get your hands on.
So it is really nice, easy access pocket there.
When you are not using it, it is really stream lined and out of the way, but it is nice to
store some extra gear there.
Here in the front you have a pretty shallow pocket.
I call this a map pocket.
So I just have a little map in there.
The pocket is about that big.
So small items, shallow items in that pocket.
And this strap right here is really convenient for compressing the size of the pack.
I mentioned this is a great pack for multiple different uses.
So if you are just going out for a day trip and you don’t have this packed out completely,
you can really use this strap to cinch down the pack and cinch down the load so it doesn’t
look like a big pack.
But I have got it packed out pretty well now and you can really get a lot of use and a
lot of volume out of this pack.
So lots of great uses.
It is also compression straps here on the bottom and here on the top.
If I open this lid, there is a pocket underneath of this lid, so a nice little hidden pocket
there.
And it is a top loading pack.
So really nice open pocket there.
Can get hands on your gear really easily.
And then this is where the hydration sleeve is as well.
So easy access to that hydration sleeve.
Here on the front you have a really nice stash pocket.
And right now I just have an extra layer in there, but you can see there is a lot of space
for gear.
I can see this being a great space for a helmet or a harness or something like that where
you want to get your hands on it quickly.
It is really easy to stash away.
And this pocket is stretchy, so, again, a lot of volume right there.
But if you are not using this pocket you can cinch that down.
Stand out feature here I really like about Deuter packs is you have a really big U shaped
zipper and access from the bottom is really easy.
So you can just open that up and expose the gear that is in the bottom and the top, on
the sides of your pack.
So you can really get your hands on gear all throughout the pack.
It eliminates the need to have like a lower sleeping bag compartment.
And this is also great for travel.
So it opens up like a piece of luggage.
And then you can cinch those buckles down, really easy access there.
And then down on the bottom of the pack there is an integrated rain cover.
So that adds a lot of value to this pack.
There are plenty of attachment points to lash gear on the outside of the pack and the strap
here in the front is extra long.
You can really open this up.
And because this lid is adjust-able here, that would be a great spot to either drape
a rope or put a sleeping pad and cinch that down.
Great strap right there.
And then moving to the bottom there is tool loops down here.
There is places where you can attach trekking poles.
So right here you have got a nice trekking pole loop.
There is also a tool loop and some loops on the other side.
So definitely multi use.
You can put a lot of different types of gear onto and inside of this pack.
With all the different features of this pack, you can use it in many different ways.
It will be the perfect companion for your next adventure.
It is the Deuter ACT Trail Pro 38 SL Pack.