The Outdoor Vitals ShadowLight Carbon 60 is a moderately priced ($290) ultralight backpack designed for multi-day backpacking and thru-hiking. Weighing 31.5 oz, it’s a rolltop backpack made of Robic nylon with six external open pockets for gear storage and an unusual vertical front zipper so you can access gear in the pack without unrolling the top. While the pack carries loads quite comfortably, it’s difficult to compress its volume or attach bulky gear to the outside, limiting its utility in colder weather or for multi-sport adventures. The durability of the front zipper and its lack of waterproofing are also points of concern. If you can work around those issues, the pack is not a bad value and quite capable, though I’d recommend using it in a drier climate.

Shadowlight Carbon 60 Specs

• Weight: 31.5 oz
• Volume: 60L
• Gender: Unisex
• Frame: Two carbon fiber stays and integrated die-cut foam back padding
• Pockets: 6 on main pack, 2 on the hip belt, 1 option hydration sleeve inside
• Load Lifters: Yes
• Hydration Ready: Yes, center port
• Material: 100D Robic Nylon w/ 200D Spectra Ripstop; 210D Robic Nylon w/ 400D Spectra Ripstop
• Hydrostatic head: 1500 mm
• Bear canister compatibility: BV450 fits horizontally (BV475 fits horizontally but is nearly impossible to get out). BV500 and Wave Grubcan only fit vertically.
• Size tested: Regular torso, Large hipbelt.
• For complete spaces, visit Outdoor Vitals

The Shadowlight Carbon 60 has a new frame including sewn in foam padding.

The Shadowlight Carbon 60 is an updated version of the original Shadowlight 60 Ultralight backpack ($200), which is still available. The biggest difference between the packs is the frame system. The original Shadowlight had a single aluminum frame stay with an external foam sit pad for padding like the ones used on Gossamer Gear’s backpacks.  The new Shadowlight Carbon 60 frame features two carbon-fiber frame stays and a sewn-in die-cut foam back panel. Aside from a few other minor updates, the two packs are essentially identical.

Backpack Storage and Organization

The Outdoor Vitals ShadowLight is a 60L rolltop backpack with six external pockets and two large hip-belt pockets. The rolltop clips to itself to close, but cannot be anchored to the sides of the pack, limiting any top compression. I found that the rolltop tends to unravel at the ends, which is problematic if it rains (similar packs suffer from this problem). A short Y-strap loops over the rolltop to keep it secure, but it’s too short to secure a folding foam pad like a NEMO Switchback, a Therm-a-Rest Zlite, or a bear canister on top of the pack.

The rolltop clips to itself and is held down with a Y-strap.

Lower side-pockets

There are four open pockets on the sides of the backpack, including two lower water bottle pockets and two higher pockets further up the sides. The water bottle pockets are sized to hold a single Nalgene bottle or two Smartwater bottles, and they have drain holes at the bottom. The tops of the pockets are weakly tensioned with elastic, but not enough to keep bottles from popping out if you take a tumble. The upper/lower dual pocket configuration makes it awkward to carry a tall skinny bottle with a water filter attached to the top – a common practice with many hikers.

The Carbon 60 has an upper pocket and a lower pocket on both sides of the pack.

Upper side-pockets

The two upper side pockets are large enough to store a stove system or other small items, such as toiletries, a water filter, and a squeeze reservoir. While having lots of external pockets like this is great if you like easy access to many items, I have trouble filling them all. (There was a time when I carried more gear externally, though.) They also interfere with adding side compression on the upper half of the pack. To their credit, Outdoor Vitals has added two grosgrain loops above each upper pocket so you could string a cord between them to secure bulky gear to the side of the pack if necessary.

Front mesh pockets

The front of the Carbon 60 features two tightly woven tubular stretch-mesh pockets, reminiscent of the cylindrical pockets on the classic Jensen backpack now made by Rivendell Mountain Works. While they are large enough to hold trekking poles or a spare layer if you stuff them hard, there’s no way to tension them closed on top, and they rely on gravity to keep contents in place. I’d far prefer one large mesh front pocket, which is what most UL-style packs have, because you don’t have to unpack the whole thing to get to gear at the bottom. 

A front zipper provides access to the main compartment

Front zipper

There’s a long vertical two-way zipper between the two front mesh pockets that provides access to the backpack’s interior, so you don’t have to undo the rolltop to get stuff out. While it is handy, you can inadvertently put a lot of pressure on the zipper by overstuffing the backpack, causing it to fail, which would be fairly catastrophic on this pack. Zippers are often the weakest point in any piece of outdoor gear and will eventually fail if they’re not pampered, cleaned, and lubricated. To mitigate this, Outdoor Vitals includes a second slider on the zipper in case one fails. Regardless, the zipper is not waterproof, and it leaks if water runs down the front of the backpack between the two mesh pockets. While switching to a waterproof zipper would help, it would have been better to position the zipper horizontally across the top of the mesh pockets or to omit this feature altogether.

There aren’t good anchor points on the shoulder straps to hang accessory pockets.

Backpack Suspension

In addition to the new carbon fiber stays and die-cut foam back panel, which I touched on above, the Carbon 60 comes with load lifters that are sewn into the top of the frame-stay for optimal effectiveness. On the previous version of the pack, you could adjust the angle of the load lifter straps by lowering their attachment point, but that feature has been removed on the updated version. It was admittedly a very advanced backpack feature that few people could have comprehended, so it’s probably just as well they removed it.

The previous version of the pack also had daisy chains sewn to the front of the shoulder straps, which are useful for attaching accessory pockets. Unfortunately, those have also been removed on the Carbon 60. The shoulder straps are S-shaped, so they’ll be more comfortable for women, and the sternum strap is easy to adjust.

The hipbelt has pull forward straps so its easy to adjust

The hipbelt is quite comfortable and provides a good hip wrap, even on my squarish man hips. It’s also available in multiple sizes so you can get a large hip belt with a medium torso pack, which is the configuration I tested for this review. It also has pull-forward tensioners, so it’s very easy to adjust and get a secure fit. The hip belt comes with two large zippered and solid-faced pockets that can hold a Smartphone with ease, as well as snacks and other trail ephemera.

External Attachments and Compression

The ShadowLight 60 is pretty weak in terms of external attachment points and compression. I like to attach bulky gear like fishing rods, wet tents, foam pads, and snowshoes on the exterior of my backpack, even if it means rigging up extra cordage to hold it in place. Unfortunately, you can’t do that very easily with the ShadowLight Carbon 60.

The one string-based compression straps isn’t very effective for load compression or bulky gear attachment.

Sizing

The ShadowLight 60 is available in three torso lengths and hip belt sizes that you can mix and match to fit your dimensions when you purchase the pack. While Outdoor Vitals lists torso and hip belt lengths, they recommend using a height and inseam length calculator on their website to determine which size to order. I think that’s a bit strange, but it is what it is.

Comparable Ultralight Pack with Frames

The Final Verdict

The Outdoor Vitals ShadowLight Carbon 60 is a well-priced, lightweight option for multi-day backpacking and thru-hiking that performs well in carrying comfort and basic organization. Its updated carbon-fiber frame stays and sewn-in die-cut foam back panel improve support over the previous model, and the multiple external pockets and large hip-belt pockets make frequently used items easily accessible. The vertical front zipper provides convenient access to the main compartment, but raises durability and waterproofing concerns that warrant caution.

Limited top compression, weak external attachment points, a non-waterproof zipper, and pocket tension that won’t reliably hold tall bottles all reduce the pack’s versatility for cold-weather layering, wet conditions, and multi-sport use where bulky items must be lashed on the outside. If you typically hike in drier climates, avoid carrying heavy external loads, and treat the front zipper carefully, the ShadowLight Carbon 60 offers solid value at its price point. For those who need robust external attachment, maximum weather protection, or heavier-duty zippers, a different model may better suit those requirements.

Disclosure: Outdoor Vitals donated a pack for review.

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