ULA Circuit.

The Gavler Review.

ULA Circuit Review: The Cottage Pack Thru-Hikers Graduate To

The ULA Circuit ranks number 9 on Gavler's Best Hiking Backpacks list with an 8.0, and it holds that spot for a specific reason: it's the cottage pack thru-hikers reach for once they've already refined an ultralight kit and need a frame that can still carry real weight. At 39 ounces with a J-curve aluminum frame and 68 liters of capacity, it transfers a 25-to-35-pound load better than anything else in the category — Backpacking Light called the frame "genius" with "excellent weight transfer for an ultralight pack." The trade-off is that every Circuit is hand-built to order in Logan, Utah, and the queue runs 4 to 6 weeks during trail season. If your base weight is already under 15 pounds or you need a pack this week, this isn't it.

What it is

ULA Equipment is a cottage manufacturer — small, direct-to-consumer, and built around a devoted following of long-trail hikers rather than mass retail distribution. The Circuit has been their flagship for years, and it occupies a specific niche: a framed pack light enough to sit comfortably in the ultralight conversation, but built to carry more weight than most ultralight packs can handle without sagging.

The defining feature is the J-curve aluminum frame. Where a standard aluminum-stay pack runs straight sidebars down the back panel, ULA's curved sidebars rest higher on the hips, which changes how weight transfers to the hip belt. The practical result is that a 35-pound carry — heavier than most ultralight hikers ever load — stays stable and doesn't swing or dig into the shoulders the way a frameless pack would at that weight. At 68 liters, there's enough room for 7-plus-day food carries, and ULA offers custom torso sizing at order time rather than stocking a handful of fixed sizes, which is part of why the fit earns such consistent praise from long-trail hikers.

Construction is 400D Robic nylon, a durable, abrasion-resistant fabric that holds up to thousands of trail miles without the delicacy of ultralight Dyneema composites. The warranty is more limited than what you'd get from Osprey or REI — cottage manufacturers generally don't match mainstream warranty programs — and that's a deliberate trade for the weight savings and custom fit that a hand-built pack delivers.

In use

The Circuit's reputation is built entirely on how it behaves under load, and the reviews back it up. The Trek, which covers thru-hiking gear extensively, put it plainly: "ULA builds quality that lasts thousands of miles. The Circuit is the proven choice for long trails." OutdoorGearLab's assessment focuses on the core tension every ultralight pack has to resolve — weight versus comfort — and concludes the Circuit gets it right: "39 ounces with actual comfort. This is ultralight done right."

Section Hiker's review gets at what actually separates a cottage pack from an off-the-shelf one: "Thru-hikers swear by this pack. The cottage-build fit is genuinely better than off-the-shelf alternatives." That's the case for paying the custom-build tax and waiting the weeks it takes — a pack sized to your actual torso measurement fits differently than one picked off a size chart, and on a five- or six-month trail, that difference compounds.

Where the Circuit is honest about its limits is above 35 pounds. This isn't an expedition pack, and ULA doesn't market it as one — it's tuned for the 25-to-35-pound range that covers most resupply-interval food carries and standard three-season kits. Push past that regularly and you're better served by a heavier-framed pack built for bigger loads.

Strengths

• J-curve frame load transfer. The curved aluminum sidebars rest higher on the hips than a standard straight stay, giving a 35-pound carry the kind of stability usually reserved for frame packs twice the weight.
• Custom torso sizing. Every Circuit is built to the hiker's actual measurements at order time — not selected from a size chart — which is the single biggest reason cottage-pack owners report a better long-term fit.
• Genuine ultralight weight with real capacity. 39 ounces and 68 liters is a rare combination; most packs this light top out well below 60 liters.
• Proven on long trails. This isn't a new or unproven design — it has years of thru-hiker mileage behind it on the Appalachian Trail, Pacific Crest Trail, and Continental Divide Trail.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

• The build queue. 4 to 6 weeks during trail season is a real planning constraint. Order in December for a March start, not in February.
• Limited warranty versus mainstream brands. Cottage manufacturing means you don't get the no-questions-asked replacement guarantee that Osprey or REI offer.
• Dated aesthetic. ULA's design language hasn't chased trends, and some reviewers note it looks more utilitarian than newer competitors.
• Overkill below 15 pounds base weight. If your kit is already stripped down and you rarely carry more than 25 pounds total, a lighter frameless pack will serve you just as well for less money and no wait.

How it compares

One rank below on the same list, the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 is the closer competitor in spirit — another cottage-built pack, but 13 ounces lighter at 26 oz, with a removable closed-cell sit-pad frame that doubles as camp seating. The Mariposa tops out around 32 pounds of comfortable carry versus the Circuit's 35, so the choice between them comes down to how much weight you actually carry: the Circuit for hikers pushing toward 35 pounds, the Mariposa for a lighter refined kit that rarely exceeds 30.

For hikers not ready to commit to a custom cottage build at all, the REI Co-op Trailmade 60 sits two ranks up at number 8 — an off-the-shelf pack under $200 that ships immediately, at the cost of the Circuit's superior load transfer and custom fit.

The Gavler verdict

An 8.0, with an 87 expert consensus and a 91 community rating that runs even higher — the kind of gap that shows up when the people who actually own a product love it slightly more than professional reviewers rate it. That tracks with what the Circuit is: a pack built for a specific, experienced buyer rather than a mass-market crowd-pleaser. If you're carrying 25 to 35 pounds on multi-day trips and you're willing to wait a month for a pack built to your measurements, the Circuit remains one of the best load-transfer designs in the ultralight category. If you need a pack this week or your loads are lighter, look elsewhere on the list.

Common Questions

Is the ULA Circuit worth it in 2026?

For hikers moving past their first ultralight refinement and carrying 25 to 35 pounds, yes. It ranks ninth on Gavler's Best Hiking Backpacks list with an 8.0, and Backpacking Light called the J-curve frame "genius" with "excellent weight transfer for an ultralight pack." The trade-off is real: ULA's custom-build queue runs 4 to 6 weeks during trail season.

How long does it take to get a ULA Circuit?

Because every Circuit is hand-built to order in Logan, Utah, with custom torso sizing, the build queue runs 4 to 6 weeks during peak trail season (roughly February through May). That's meaningfully longer than picking an off-the-shelf pack from REI or Osprey, and it's the single biggest planning constraint for anyone buying one ahead of a spring thru-hike.

ULA Circuit vs Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 — which should I buy?

Buy the Circuit if you regularly carry 25 to 35 pounds — the J-curve aluminum frame transfers heavy loads the way frame packs twice its weight do. Buy the Mariposa 60, one rank below on Gavler's list at 7.9, if your refined kit keeps you under about 30 pounds and you want a lighter 26 oz pack with a removable sit-pad frame that doubles as camp seating.