Review: ULA Burst

If you read this gear review blog you may know that I own a fair bit of Ultra Light Adventure (ULA) gear, so when I saw that they were making a hip pack I picked one up right away.  I am so psyched that I did, this is by far the best waist pack I have ever used.  It also is pretty cool that it is made right here in Utah.  I’ve tried waist packs in the past and I just never really jived with them, but I’ve been using this one almost every day since I got it.

This pack is the perfect size for day hiking or walking the dogs. Most hip packs fall in to one of two categories, ridiculously big (like wearing a courier bag on your waist) or too small to be of much use.  They make it in a number of fabrics like X-Pac and their signature Robic. I opted for the X-Pac.

This pack uses ULA’s tried and true belt from their backpacking packs which adjusts easily and keeps the pack from moving around while walking. And there is just enough padding to ensure the bag has shape and keep you comfortable without making you too hot.

The side pockets add enough shape so the bag fits with no gaps or extraneous straps and adjusters. The pockets fit an iPhone, energy bars, etc.

The main pocket has an elastic inner organizer and fits quite a bit. In this pack I have a rain coat, beanie, Olympus Pen-F camera and there is still room.

There is also a smaller pocket on the outside behind the logo and what they call a passport pocket behind the nicely padded back of the pack.

There is a bungee on the bottom that can fit everything from a puffy coat or to just a small wind breaker.

The zippers are waterproof and this particular pack is made of X-Pac which sheds water like you cannot believe.

And as you can see in the pics the side pockets can fit 16oz Nalgenes or bike bottles. But they can hold other things like hats and gloves on those cold mornings where you are constantly adding and shedding layers.

Like I said in the beginning, this pack is perfect for a few hours of hiking or just heading out with the pups. It fits great and can hold a ton. I have owned a number of MountainSmith lumbar packs over the years just hoping I could use them like a waist pack and not an over the shoulder bag, but they have always been too big and awkward, not the case with this. I like the ULA Burst so much I had to talk myself out of buying a second one in another color.

ULA Says: https://www.ula-equipment.com/product/ula-burst-hip-pack/

KEY FEATURES