Six Moon Designs Flight 30 Ultra Running Backpack Review

An incredibly secure, sway-proof, locked in fit for multi-day fastpacks and runs

The Six Moon Designs Flight 30 is a dedicated fastpacking backpack with a full-on running vest harness. It provides fastpackers an incredibly secure and comfortable fit to prevent bounce and sway. Shop now.

• Weight: 31.0 oz
• Price: $225
• Materials: 100D Robic Nylon, UltraStretch
• Frame: Aerated foam and spacer mesh back panel
• Load Capacity: 35 lbs
• Internal Volume: 27L
• External Volume : 4L
• Pros: Excellent adjustable harness offers a very secure fit. Great for running. Load lifters.
  
• Cons: Heavy for a fastpack. No rear mesh pocket is a big downside.

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Features

What sets the Six Moon Designs Flight 30 apart from the crowd is its customizable, top of the line vest harness, referred to as the Flight Vest Harness. Let’s dive in.

For starters, these are not your average shoulder straps. This is a true running vest harness with extra wide mesh carrying all the way down to prevent upward bouncing of the pack as you run. And it’s all connected by dual sternum straps for even more security.  The chest straps have six pockets in total. They can store valuables, snacks, accessories, and bottles up to 500ml in size. However if you do carry bottles up front, which we recommend, this can only fit 500 ml size ones, and soft is comfier than hard sided. One area of improvement for the flight vest would be to slightly increase the size of all of the chest strap pockets, because when they hold a full bottle, it expands and takes up all of the room in the ancillary pockets from the inside.

What’s more Flight 30 is the only pack in its class with an adjustable harness, meaning it truly is a one-size fits most. The Flight Vest Harness works in conjunction with an extra wide and comfy removable hip belt and a pair of large and nicely shaped zippered stash pockets. All said and done, it creates a magnificently secure, and locked-in fit on the wearer’s torso to prevent swaying and bouncing of gear.

We like the “low contact” aerated foam and spacer mesh back panel. It is narrow, only about five inches, which reduces sweat/heat by letting more air in from the sides. It is comfy, and blocks lumps.

The pack itself is a simple roll top closure with shock cord compression straps on the top and sides for additional storage. We have noticed that the buckle hardware is kind of small and gets a bit lost in the roll top as you close it up. Not a big deal, but adds a bit of fiddling. It also features two large side pockets for water bottles and an undercarriage pocket for quick access. All of these pockets are made with durable UltraStretch mesh.

If you don’t mind forking out an extra $100, you can also purchase this in ECOPAK fabric, which is a waterproof composite fabric made with 100% recycled materials from Challenge Outdoor. It’s also a few ounces heavier than Robic Nylon so we’ll leave that up to you.

Based on our testing and the implications in this review, one major area for improvement on this pack would be to replace the rear compression shock cord with a large external mesh pocket. It’s far, far handier and more secure than compression straps, and it can also store smaller items that would slip through the compression straps.  We just loaded one up and have a sit pad, a fleece, and an empty Ursack strapped to the outside. But  there is concern that if I were bushwhacking and the pack were to brush against branches, it could hook the shock cord and cause me to get yanked backwards. While that didn’t happen in practice, it seems plausible.

Another area for improvement is its weight. We understand that the fully built out running vest harness adds extra material and precious ounces, but something surely could have been done to get this one down from two pounds to one and a half. Just under two pounds is the extreme upper weight limit, but forgivable because of how much we like the fit on this pack.

Review Verdict

This is a perfect fastpacking backpack for those who plan run more trail miles than walk. It delivers an excellent, secure and sway-resistant, locked-in fit for a reasonable price with options to upgrade. We just wish it were a bit lighter weight and had a rear mesh pocket.

Compare to other models in our guide to the best fastpacking backpacks.