While you admire the thru hiking crowd, you’re not in need of a 75+ Liter pack. But at the same time you know that you can’t go on strapping your sleeping bag, pad, cook pot, and tent poles onto the outside of your daypack. Not only is the Asymmetric 52+8 from Vaude a happy medium between the two extremes, this pack offers a worthy amount of gear space for one, two, or three nights of backcountry bliss.
On Performance and Design…
From the moment the Vaude Asymmetric 52+8 arrived, we instantly fell for the aesthetics of this streamlined black pack with pops of bright orange. But just as mother always says, never judge a book by its cover. So we packed up and headed out into California’s Desolation Wilderness. It was out there on the trail where our adventures readily confirmed what we had already assumed; the 52+8 has everything light and fast trekkers or weekend warriors will want for convenience on the trail.
Comfortably supporting up to 35-pound loads, this Asymmetic 52+8 has a capacity of 52 to 60 litres in the main compartment with top and front opening as a well as a base compartment with external zipped opening. The lid is a floating design with an external pocket, and you get a useful front zipped pocket for easy access to trail maps, rain ponchos or your beloved PB&J.
In addition to a built in hydration sleeve, the pack also has two mesh side pockets for water bottles, a zippered pocket at the waist-belt for your energy gel and lip balm. All told, there’s plenty of storage options so you can stash your gear appropriately and spend time taking in the view rather than constantly shuffling everything around.
Vaude’s newly developed suspension system with an integrated frame provided efficient load distribution and impressive stability. It also offers closer body contact back for a stable, body-hugging fit for less stress on the body when cruising over rugged technical terrain and scrambling through a boulder field to catch that epic view.
Notes from the Field….
As much as we enjoy this pack, there were a few issues worthy of note. The light and airy suspension system places cushy mesh everywhere your body touches, but because of the close body fit of the pack, it doesn’t provide high levels of breathability, particularly on adventures during the dog days of summer.
Additionally, our team felt that this pack lacks the padding in the hipbelt and back system to carry heavy loads comfortably. In other words, this is not the pack for big extended trips into the backcountry. But when used for loads around the 30 lb range, and if carefully packed, the Asymmetric 52+5 is a solid option for technical touring on multi-day hikes and short getaways of a few nights. For the mountain ladies out there, the women’s version of this pack is the Asymmetric 48+8.
Bottom Line…
Not too big. Not too small. The Asymmetric 52+8 is just right for technical touring or fast & light getaways to your secret backcountry spot.
*Gumption Gear Review received the items featured in this review from Liberty Mountain at no cost and receives no monetary compensation for this or any related review. The items featured were provided solely in return for our honest views and opinions.