Speed Lite Pro 30

The Deuter Speed Lite Pro 30 is a light, fast hiking pack with the room of a full day pack: 30 litres at 760 g, carried on vest-style straps that put water, snacks and your phone on your chest so you never stop to dig. It is made from recycled polyamide ripstop.

Who it's for

Fast hikers and peak baggers covering long distances in a day. Deuter rate it five out of five for hiking. It is built for a Kosciuszko main range loop in a day or a fast traverse of the Lamington Border Track with 6-10 kg on board.

Capacity, and what actually fits

30 litres takes a warm layer, a shell, a first aid kit, food for a long day and a camera, with a wet compartment inside for a damp jacket. Soft flasks ride in pouches on the shoulder straps and outside the pack, the zipped shoulder strap and hip fin pockets hold a phone, GPS and bars, and mesh side and front pockets take bottles and a map. The pack measures 65 x 28 x 22 cm.

How it carries

Deuter's LiteAir back is a light skeleton frame sheet with a reinforced back panel that hugs your back so the load does not wobble at pace. Wide, perforated vest-style shoulder straps spread the weight across your chest, supple hip fins take a share onto your hips, and a lightly elasticated sternum strap with a one-handed buckle moves with your breathing. Stabiliser straps keep the top of the load close.

Fitting it

The Speed Lite Pro 30 is one size for back lengths of 44-54 cm, which Deuter match to hikers around 170-195 cm tall. Load it, tighten the hip fins, then the shoulder straps and sternum strap until the vest sits close without squeezing.

Access and organisation

It loads from the top with a drawcord and lid, with a zipped lid pocket outside. Quick-release bungees on the shoulder straps hold folded poles so you can stow them without slowing, and a side ice axe and pole loop, a helmet attachment and attachment loops take the rest.

• Top-loader with drawcord and lid
• Soft flask pouches on the shoulder straps and outside
• Zipped shoulder strap and hip fin pockets
• Mesh front and side pockets; wet compartment inside
• Quick-release pole holders on the shoulder straps
• Helmet attachment; mesh helmet holder sold separately

Weight

760 g for 30 litres with a framed back and hip fins. That is the whole point of the Speed Lite Pro: a full-size day pack that weighs about what many 20 litre packs do, so the energy goes into the hill.

Looking after it

The fabric is made without intentionally added PFAS, and the pack is bluepass and Green Button certified. Deuter back it with a 2-year warranty.