Deuter ACT Lite 40+10 Rucksack

GEAR & EQUIPMENT

Deuter ACT Lite 40+10 Rucksack

Friday 17 March 2017

This morning I sold my Deuter ACT Lite 40+10 rucksack on OutdoorGearExchange and having pulled it out of the cupboard to package it ready for posting I felt compelled to write few words about it.

This is not a review as such, why would anyone write, or read for that matter, a review for a product that you can no longer buy. At least, not the same version.

I have owned this rucksack for almost ten years and last used it on a wild camp on Dartmoor back in 2015. Ironically that is where I first used the rucksack, on a wild camp on Dartmoor in 2009.

Back then, rucksacks where simpler, I had been using a Berghaus Freeflow Rucksack which I had purchased second hand. It was made of a heavy and durable fabric and was just big enough to stow my camping gear on overnight trips.

However, fully loaded, the buckle on the shoulder strap would slip. I bought some new buckles off of eBay and modified the strap which stopped the slipping on the shoulder straps but then the load lifters started to slip so I started to look for a replacement and found the Deuter ACT Lite 40+10 to be an almost like for like equivalent of the Berghaus Freeflow but without the Freeflow back system which, if I am honest, I have never really found very convenient.

The padded back system on the Deuter was, for me at least, much better and more comfortable especially when carrying heavier loads but what I found particularly good about the Deuter back system was the fact that it was fully height adjustable and could be altered in seconds.

The Deuter also had a separate base compartment which I prefer in a multi-day rucksack but it also offered the best of both worlds by providing a zippered divider so that you could have a single compartment if you preferred.

The Deuter also had large side mesh pockets and quick release compressions straps which I also like. I could easily store two bottles in each mesh pocket if I chose not to use the internal hydration compartment with a bladder.

More importantly, the Deuter was able to accommodate everything I needed for an overnight camp ‘inside’ the pack. Two man tent, mat, sleeping bag, stove, waterproofs, hat, gloves, an insulation layer, food etc all fitted easily inside and could carried comfortably.

All in all, it is a great bag.

However, if I were to be looking for a new rucksack now would I still pick the ACT Lite 40+10? Even a more modern version?

Probably not. There are features that I look for in a rucksack now that, back then, were not that important to me. A pouch for example. I would much rather have a pouch than an elastic cord nowadays and I also like pockets on the hip belt to keep my pocket camera. The Deuter doesn’t have much in the way hip pockets at all with a single small pocket being the only option which, at the time, I didn’t care about.

After almost 10 years of use, well, 8 as I have not used it for two years, it shows little sign of wear and has no damage which must say something about its durability if nothing else.

It has served me well but as I have not used it for two years it is clearly no longer needed and I am pleased to see it heading off to start a new life and to have a few extra quid added to the kit fund at the same time.

Deuter Rucksack on a wildcamp on Dartmoor

David Welch – View Profile

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