Field Mag may receive a minor commission from purchases made via affiliate links.
Technical outerwear juggernaut Arc'teryx is taking the Alpha SV route with its latest alpine pack design—think lighter, faster, stronger. Released today 8 May 2025, the Arc'teryx Alpha SL 30L Backpack is basically a refreshed version of the company's Alpha FL, a well loved design originally released in 2018 that has more recently begun to be outclassed by lighter releases from smaller, independent labels.
Both packs are built to carry everything you need for high-alpine missions (meaning climbing, mountaineering, class 3 scrambling, etc) but the newer backpack offers a few extra organizational features. More importantly, the 316 gram Alpha SL is half the weight of it's 648 gram predecessor, making it a much better option for anyone who worships at the church of ultralight adventuring.
“Our athletes have logged 1,000 hours testing the Alpha SL," said Chris Hodgetts, Arc'teryx Design Director, "it is the lightest technical alpine pack the team has ever made. And it is built to last.”
The catalyst for the weight savings here is, thankfully, not abuse of Ozempic, but rather the use of a fabric that didn't even exist when the pack's initial iteration was released over a decade ago: ALUULA Graflyte. Most ultralight fabrics—officially "ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene" (UHMWPE)—are made with laminate construction wherein a weave of UHMWPE fabric (like ever-popular Dyneema) is layered between polyester (plastic) film backing to hold everything together and make it waterproof.
ALUULA Graflyte on the other hand is constructed through a proprietary process that involves fusing the film with the UHMWPE at a molecular level, no additional layering required. The creates a fabric that is recyclable, feels the same on both sides, is resistant to unraveling when cut or damaged, and is weldable. Oh, and it's extremely light.
The ALUULA fabric has found strong footing in the ultralight hiking world dominated by cottage brands born from experimentation and customization. Dan Durston has used it to great effect in his company's hiking and backpacking packs. And Pal'ante also employed a 210D Venom gridstop version in it's 570 gram Alpine pack, which released around the same time as its more backcountry-focused Snow Pack, for example.
That is to say, the aging Alpha FL 30 has been updated at the right time with the right stuff.
This context makes it all the more impressive that the Arc’teryx Alpha SL weighs only 428 grams (316 grams if you remove the waist belt and compression straps) despite retaining all the features that made it's predecessor so well loved. Like the Alpha Fl, the Alpha SL includes a rigid back panel, padded shoulder straps, and integrated lash pockets. The SL also features two dog-bone attachments to securely hold ice tools, and an embedded RECCO reflector to aid in search and rescue situations. All this combines to produce a bag that's far more versatile than previous alpine packs by Arc'teryx.
The improvements do, however, come at a cost. The Alpha SL 30L Pack is currently priced at $400, compared to $280 for the Alpha FL 30 and $240 for the Palante Alpine Pack.
Published 05-08-2025
