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Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L vs REI Co-op Flash Air 50

Weight and specs compared for 2026 — and which one to choose.

Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L is the lighter option — 48 g lighter than the REI Co-op Flash Air 50 (6% less weight). If grams matter to you, that is the one to beat.
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Spec Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L REI Co-op Flash Air 50
Weight 820 g · 0.820 kg · 1.81 lb 868 g · 0.868 kg · 1.91 lb
Brand Mountain Hardwear REI Co-op
Category Backpack Backpack
Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L
820 g

Ultralight pack with Aluula Graflyte material. Swivel hipbelt for natural load distribution.

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REI Co-op Flash Air 50
868 g

Ultralight 50L pack with 3D contoured hip belt and ventilated back panel. Made from PFAS-free UHMWPE fabric with DWR coating.

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Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L vs REI Co-op Flash Air 50: which should you buy?

If saving weight is your priority, the Mountain Hardwear Alakazam 45L wins — at 820 g it is 48 g (6%) lighter than the REI Co-op Flash Air 50 (868 g). That said, the heavier option may justify the extra grams with more capacity, durability or comfort, so weigh the trade-off against how you'll use it.

See where both rank against everything else in this category on the lightest backpack page, or browse the full gear weight database.

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