Deuter Futura Pro 40 SL Pack

This spacious, female specific backpack is designed for extended multi-day treks or daylong trips when extra tow is required. The women’s rucksack features ample back ventilation, flexible carry comfort and a “floating” hip belt, plus a stow-away rain cover, trekking pole attachments, and a bottom and top compartment; this pack is designed for diverse outings.

Deuter is proud to advertise the anatomically shaped Vari Flex hip belt in bilaminate construction with a 3D AirMesh cover. In less latent terms, the hip-belt is very comfortable, padded and flexes with you when you are hiking. A convenient and popular feature of the Futura Pro is the two zipped pockets on the hip belt for easy access and stow-away of essentials.

The lightweight backpack has a compact versatile fit whether full or lightly packed. The pull-forward closures allow the hip belt to be easily tightened and the side compression straps on the outer pack position and stabilize your load. 

The Aircomfort pro system offers contoured, softly padded shoulder straps with breathable Wide Air-Mesh panels. The shoulder load adjusters make for extra comfort and eliminate pinching. A benefit of the lightweight Future Pro 40SL in comparison to a monster trekking pack is the round, durable spring steel frame, which allows for much more flexibility without compromising structure. The Aircomfort Pro System is a flexible highly ventilated mesh panel that wraps your back and allows for ample airflow.

This durable pack is made with the Deuter-Super-Polytex, a 600 density polyester thread and the tightly woven hard nylon Macro Lite 210 with PU coating.

The SL Women's Fit System has smaller, narrower, softer buckles and straps to prevent chafing under arms and reduce pressure on the chest and sternum. The SL carry system is made slightly shorter to accommodate for women’s average torso length, and the SL shoulder straps are also a bit narrower and shorter in length.

 The Futura Pro 40SL is the perfect size between a massive trekking pack and a lightweight daypack.

Features:

- Women's specific - SL design
- Aircomfort Futura Pro Back system
- Variflex Hip belt
- Zippered side bellow pockets
- Bottom compartment access with internal zip divider
- Integrated, detachable rain cover
- Pull-forward closure allows the hip belt to be easily tightened
- Side compression straps on the hip belt
- Anatomically shaped 3D AirMesh shoulder straps with load adjusters
- SOS label
- Lid pocket
- Zipped front pocket
- Stretch outer pockets
- Internal valuables pocket
- Attachment for ice axe and walking poles
- Gear loops on the lid
- Reflective attachment for hydration tube
- Two hip belt zipped pockets for valuables

A convenient and popular feature of the Futura Pro is the two zipped pockets on the hip belt for easy access and stow-away of essentials.

Deuter is proud to advertise the anatomically shaped Vari Flex hip belt in bilaminate construction with a 3D AirMesh cover.

The Aircomfort Pro System is a flexible highly ventilated mesh panel that wraps your back and allows for ample air-flow.

The Aircomfort Pro air-flow systems creates space between you and your pack.

Trekking pole attachment points on the Futura Pro are beneficial and enable a hands-free experience.

Extra compartments on the Futura Pro make organization easy.

The Futura Pro comes with an integrated rain cover, discretely stashed at the base of the pack. 

Verdict:

Deuter has added a trending ventilation feature to the back of the pack. Indeed the Aircomfort Pro System’s built-in mesh panel offers flexibility, ventilation and freedom of movement, however I would disagree with the companies claim that it lends to a perfect fit. The mesh panel felt less secure when the pack was full and I was treading on uneven turf. I would appreciate if there were a way to adjust the length of the back panel and forgo the mesh ventilation for a snug-fit. The pack felt a bit short for me; at times the hip-belt creeping up my torso. Packing smart helped remedy this fit issue by placing the majority of my heaviest gear at the bottom and towards the back of the pack. I also was not a fan of the frame ending near the top compartment, as it limited movement and flexibility in the head and neck region. I really enjoy when packs have fully detachable top compartments, the Futura Pro however does not. The integrated rain cover is an awesome feature, as are all of the extra compartments including the bottom one which has it’s own zipper! The padding on the flexible hip belt and shoulder straps are some of the best features the Futura Pro has to offer. Overall the pack is well designed, durable and innovative in its material, technology and versatility. 

SPECS:

Price: $170 US
Weight: 3 lbs 13 oz / 1720 g
Volume: 2440 cubic inches / 40 litre
Size: 27 / 13 / 10 (H x W x D) Inch / 68 / 34 / 26 (H x W x D) cm
Material: Deuter-Super-Polytex. Macro Lite 210

PROS:

- Pivoting, padded hip belt with padding on the lower back.
- Bottom compartment has it’s own outer access zipper.
- Lighter weight than a trekking pack, sturdier than an ultralight pack.
- Durable fabric
- Spacious
- You get a flower hairband!
- Accessible pockets on the hip belt.
- Extra compartments on the Futura Pro making organization easy.
- Integrated rain cover

CONS:

- This is mostly a top-loading pack, no entry point zipper to the main compartment.
- Top compartment decreases mobility in the head and neck regions
- The mesh back panel decreases the fit of the pack and can lead to a less secure feel.
- Back panel does not adjust to lengthen or shorten the torso of the pack.

Rating: 8/10

Comfort:        1/2
Durability:      2/2
Features:        2/2
Innovation:      1/2
Quality/Price:  2/2

This is only our opinion. Do you disagree? Did we miss something? Are we totally out to lunch? Join the discussion in the forums here, and let us know what you think. People like/dislike gear for different reasons so chime in and we'll get a well-rounded evaluation.

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