Description
One of the most common things people talk about with Barney’s packs is how they’ve stayed relatively the same for almost four decades now. But what most customers don’t know is what goes on behind the scenes here at Barney’s. We are constantly entertaining changes, upgrades and, in this case, experimenting with lighter weight fabrics. In the mid 2000s, we had our first small batch of cuben fiber bags made, which at the time only Hyperlite Mountain Gear and McHale were using this very type of fabric. Sail cloths boasted specs that just simply couldn’t be ignored and in just a few short years they launched a dual-laminated fabric that had various deniers of Cordura laminated on top of the cuben fiber to add durability.
Our process for product testing doesn’t include launching it to the mass public first and then backpeddling if there are issues. We sent out a number of bags with various guides and outfitters across the state to see just how durable this fabric was, and ultimately if the juice was worth the squeeze. Unfortunately although very innovative, delamination was a huge issue and ultimately Cuben Fiber didn’t hold up to the standard that we needed it to. The prototype phase stopped as we continued the search.
Fast forward a few years and we once again came across a fabric that had all the signs of a potential winner. 400D Diamond Rip Stop Cordura with Dyneema reinforcement. To be fair, we actually saw great results out of this fabric during the preliminary testing phases and it held up quite well in two seasons of testing. We launched that fabric in our bags for retail sale in 2013. Unfortunately, we started to see bags coming back with minor but significant wear and tear after just a few seasons and completely scrapped that fabric in 2016. We could not afford to jeopardize our reputation of durability that we’ve built over the last 40 years of building pack frames.
In 2021, we came across a fabric that a good customer and reputable guide was using and decided to give it a shot. Once again pulling from the sail cloth world, this fabric was turning some heads in the pack building world and we wanted to see how it would hold up with our end users. Starting with two prototypes we sent them out into the mountains of Alaska with a select few guides to see just how innovative this fabric was and ultimately if it could live up to the hype. Just like with every other prototype and field test, there were definitely areas where we wanted to pay a little more attention to. We reinforced some key areas of concern with our standard 500D Cordura to ensure the longevity would still hold true, while using the sail cloth fabric in all the other areas. The end result, and our newest addition to the Barney’s pack lineup is the Hunter UL! Lightweight, durable, and a total game-changer for the end user that is wanting light weight, but also a pack they can depend on under extremely heavy loads. Team the Hunter UL up with a Frontier Gear of Alaska Bob Frame and you’ve got one of the strongest and most dependable packs on the market coming in at a weight competitive with less robust systems.
