Superior Wilderness Designs Movement 40L Backpack Review

“The Durston Gear Kakwa 40 is an extremely clean pack (aesthetically). As such…the only two attachment points are two grosgrain webbing loops at the bottom of the front pocket”

A small clarification here:  The 2022 Kakwa had 4 attachment points, not 2 (there were loops at all 4 corners of the front pocket). The 2023 version adds 4 more (8 total) so there are 6 around the front pocket plus 2 more below the hipbelt so items can also be strapped to the bottom.

But yes your point stands that the Movement has a lot more loops (26) for customization. It looks very nice.

Being in the $7 club, I know not of the words written.  Was there discussion of hip belt construction as part of the ergonomics to the efficiency of the pack?  Does a pack ride better when the hip belt is sewn on as wings that may allow forces to be spread out with the body fabric vs removable belts that may focus those forces in a specific area.  Was cost of each pack parlayed into the equation as a bang-for-the-buck point of view.  Just asking.  Thanks. ~R

Hey Murali,

The contour of the pack isn’t meant to hold the pack off of your back like a trampoline style back panel, but it’s made to conform close to your back. If you are feeling pressure in any specific spot such as your lumbar it is likely due to the fact that the back panel isn’t lined up correctly on your back. The likely culprit being that the shoulder straps are being worn too loose which is allowing the pack to rest too low on your back.

The current hip belts are about 5.5″ tall for the lumbar section and about 4.5″ tall for the wing portion of the hip belt.

SWD Backpacks,

Thanks for your comments – don’t want to hijack this thread. Folks who have your packs love their packs!

I am including a picture of me wearing 4 different packs – MLD Prophet 48L (21.5 inch torso), Zpacks Nero 38L (23 inch torso), OB 55L (OrangeBrown – australian company – 22.5 torso), SWD frameless 35 plus 10 external (21.5 torso).

Couple of observations. 1) volume of SWD is smaller and pack is narrower – same contents fills up SWD with just couple of folds compared to MLD 48L, Zpacks 38L 2) Because SWD pack is pretty full, I find that if I wear my pack higher, it is very tight on the shoulder area. So, I have to wear it slightly lower. In the pictures, you can see the shoulder straps being the lowest of the 4. I didn’t like the sit pad – don’t use it. Maybe if the pack was a little wider – depth wise, then maybe I would have been able to wear it higher. I wanted a 21.5 torso as I really liked that length from MLD Prophet.

I am not sure if you have any other comments about my wearing position. Thanks!

Great write up! I wasn’t aware of this pack, and I seem to be the intended target. Were you happy with the volume you selected? I’m trying to decide between the 35L and 40L. I use a Gossamer Gear G4-20 for most of my trips.

+1 – select the bigger volume, SWD is on the smaller side compared to similarly volumed packs.

I received the Movement 40 in size medium. My first impression is that I’m very optimistic about how it will perform on trail for several reasons. I mostly stopped using a Mariposa for the frameless G420 because my typical load didn’t feel much different between packs. The Movement with the frame is clearly more comfortable for me than both, even at a very low 10 lbs. Without the frame, the Movement is similar to the other two. I was surprised that the modular straps used as load lifters further improved comfort even though they aren’t connected to the frame and the manufacturer told me they are not “functional” lifters. My Mariposa lifters did nothing at all for me. The movement’s *clearly* made a difference, at least at the weights I tested. Volume is probably just right for me and seems to be very close to the volume of the G420. Definitely less than the Mariposa. Venom mesh is way better than the mesh of GG packs that makes them look pregnant when utilized. That’s actually my only real complaint with the GG packs (I think their packs rock). The single aluminum stay is a solid chunk of metal and easy to remove (I notice the HMG unbound has a similar setup). I’m very impressed with its performance until just over 30lbs. I felt the single stay pushing down the middle of the belt at that point. I threw dumbells in the middle of pack to get up that weight so it may just be the distribution that caused that. I’m not sure how much higher I would push it or how annoying it would end up being on a hike. I’ll have to test that out a bit more. I also noticed that I need to keep heavy stuff down to the middle of the pack or lower as it will (comically) sway left to right if the weight isn’t distributed properly. Anyway, that’s my first impression loaded up around the house. I used an Osprey Atmos, Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor, GG Mariposa, G420, Kumo, and I tested the Yama Sassafras and Nashville Cutaway (that’s another story I’m happy to share if anyone is interested). The Movement is the most comfortable for my typical load and I think makes the most sense for the majority of my trips.