Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L vs Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 50L
Weight and specs compared for 2026 — and which one to choose.
Ultralight frameless backpack with 55L capacity, roll-top closure, padded hipbelt, and compression straps. Ideal for thru-hiking and multi-week expeditions.
Ultralight thru-hiking pack with carbon fiber frame and Dyneema Composite Hybrid fabric. Features roll-top closure and adjustable torso fit.
Building a pack? Add either one to your HikeLoad list, or drop its weight into the base weight calculator, and see what it does to your total weight.
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Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L vs Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 50L: which should you buy?
If saving weight is your priority, the Mountain Laurel Designs Exodus 55L wins — at 510 g it is 96 g (16%) lighter than the Zpacks Arc Haul Ultra 50L (606 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.