Black Diamond Bullet Backpack
Super tough, lightweight and compact was an accurate description, and the Bullet has stayed in Black Diamond's line in one form or another, which is the best thing you can say about a small pack.
What this size is for. Around 16 litres: a climbing approach, a summit push out of a bigger pack, a day in town, or a cragging bag. Big enough for a jacket, water, food and a guidebook, small enough that you forget it.
What makes a small pack good, which this one got right:
- A simple single compartment with one lid pocket. At this size, extra compartments cost more weight than they organise.
- Tough fabric on the base, since the way these die is being dragged over rock.
- A stripped-down harness. No frame, a thin webbing waist strap to stop it swinging, and nothing else. Under 6 or 7kg you do not need more.
- Something to attach a rope or a helmet to.
What to be realistic about: a frameless 16-litre pack is comfortable to about 6kg and unpleasant beyond it, and none of them are waterproof. A liner solves the second problem for a couple of pounds.
The category change since 2010: packable daypacks got much better, so if your use is travel rather than climbing, something that stuffs into its own pocket at half the weight may serve you better. For climbing, where the pack gets abused, the tough version is still the right call.
Part of the guide to backpacks and daypacks.