[Backpack] 3FUL 45+10 Framed pack

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

This is a brief report on the 3FUL 45 +10 litre framed pack (YUE 45 + 10 backpack) that I purchased at the start of 2020. It’s on Amazon as well as AliExpress, and it can be ordered in various materials. I purchased the UHMWPE version for $240 AUD because it was the lightest (and cheapest) version offered. It arrived in March 2020, six weeks after ordering and just before all the coronavirus issues.

Pack with a 4 day load

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I’ll cut straight to the chase, the pack has a design fault which has led to a failure after limited use. One leg of the aluminium frame has bored through its protective rubber tip and then made a hole through the pack material. The second leg is well on the way to doing the same thing. It’s disappointing because I haven’t used it in the bush yet, only on a treadmill at home. I doubt it has been on my back for more than 12 hours in total.

You can see the frame has come through the base

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Close-up of failure point

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I’ve been in touch with the on-line store and with 3FUL, and we are still talking. So far they are focussing on how to repair the hole, rather than something to prevent future holes from occurring. It’s not really a major design problem, I can think of several ways to fix this for good, but there’s nothing yet from the supplier/retailer that will stop the frame boring another hole. I’ll undertake my own repairs if I don’t get anything satisfactory back soon.

If it wasn’t for the fault this pack has a lot going for it:
- It’s a good size. With my current gear it’s big enough for 4-5 days walk. The claimed 55 l max volume feels right. it doesn’t hold quite as much in the main bag as my 58 l Exos but it’s pretty close.
- It’s light weight. My version weighs 1065 g on the kitchen scales, 20g less than the stated weight on the website.
- It carries well. I’ve treadmill walked with dummy loads between 10 and 16 kg. The frame is good and the hip belt fully supports these loads. The pack is rated up to 18kg if I am interpreting the diagram on the website correctly.
- The pack is adjustable for torso lengths between 45 and 55 cm. I’m at 53 cm and it fits me well.
- It’s comfortable, for me anyway. I prefer packs with a rigid frame like this pack has. Back, hip belt and shoulder strap padding is firm rather than plush but again I prefer that. The hip belt is a bit short for my 42 inch waist, but otherwise fine.
- The pack offers reasonable back ventilation with a sizeable gap between the shoulder padding and the hip belt. The hip belt is good enough that you can take all load off the shoulders and let a bit more ventilation through if you prefer.

I don’t know what else to say other than if you do buy one, be prepared to make repairs.

[GregG]

Q. Does the alloy frame just simply give the back of the pack a bit of "shape" so as to give it an air gap and make it easier to pack, or does it actually transfer some of the load on to the hip belt or the bottom of the pack? Just wondering why the alloy pole wore through the fabric so quickly.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Q. Does the alloy frame just simply give the back of the pack a bit of "shape" so as to give it an air gap and make it easier to pack, or does it actually transfer some of the load on to the hip belt or the bottom of the pack? Just wondering why the alloy pole wore through the fabric so quickly.

It's a bit hard to explain in words but the hipbelt fits in a sleeve which is connected to the base of the pack by a double layer of material. This then folds up and fastens to the back of the pack by a section of velcro. The frame sits in the fold but it isn't fastened to the hipbelt or the pack at the base, it sits there due to gravity/tension. Hopefully the photo below makes it clearer. The bottom of the pack is in the top part of the photo with the frame. The hipbelt and hipbelt sleeve has been unfolded and is the the part you see at the bottom of the photo.

With hipbelt "unfolded"

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With the hipbelt in position the frame just sits on the material forming the join. Despite the frame not actually being solidly connected at that point, it definitely transfers the load to the base of the pack (and effectively to the hipbelt). Unfortunately the material that the frame bears upon is insufficiently robust to take the load long term - that's my take on it anyway.

[GregG]

Thanks Johnno. It definitely seems as though there is a design flaw with the frame, given that the alloy tube has worn through the rubber stop and then through a double layer of fabric and obviously the other one is not far off doing the same, in a fairly short period of use. It seems as though the downward load on those vertical frame members needs to be spread over a greater bearing area of the pack base, unlike the way the load is currently focused into a small area.

No doubt a bit of redesign and field modification can fix this but the whole deal is unsatisfactory from a consumer point of view as it currently stands, it is a fair assumption that most other purchasers will be experiencing the exact same problem and bouncing it back to the retailer and/or manufacturer. The pack is unfit for purpose and the situation should be remedied either through a full refund or a permanent repair. It sounds like you have the situation in hand and I hope you get a satisfactory resolution without any difficulty.

[Neo]

Nice honest review Johnno.

My first thought is a plastic T foot at the base of the uprights to fix their design. Sounds like they are too 'pointy' as is or need thier own little reinforced pocket.

Hope the pack works out well when you take it out bush. Cheers.

[Ms_Mudd]

Good review. It's always useful to hear the good, the bad and the ugly.
Glad it happened on the tready and not out in the wild. I hope the seller makes good with a new pack or some renumeration.

[Jarudo]

Hi. Interesting post.

Just had a look at my pack which i bought in june 2020.

Did yours come with the little pockets for thrbpoles to slip into? On my belt it seems like the poles bear into the bottom of this pocket which sits off the fold material.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Hi. Interesting post.

Just had a look at my pack which i bought in june 2020.

Did yours come with the little pockets for thrbpoles to slip into? On my belt it seems like the poles bear into the bottom of this pocket which sits off the fold material.

No little pockets on mine, just a little rubber sock around the end of each pole. Mine was ordered in January 2020, the manufacturer must have added those pockets after that. That should fix the problem

I have repaired mine by adding an aluminium tube at the bottom with two holes for the frame to sit in. That will stop the frame boring holes through the material.

How are you finding yours? I was really enjoying this pack until this little incident, which makes me wonder how much product testing the manufacturers actually did.

[Jarudo]

Wow. You must have been in the first batch of adopters.

Its an awesome pack.
Transfers weight really well - my only qualm is that the back structure is quite tall. My torso length is only 18" so quite a bit of the frame stick up above my head which is not as comfortable when rock scrambling.

I was tossing up between this and the Osprey Exos but didnt like the weight distribution on the Exos due to the Air Gap.
Also the trampoline suspension was super bouncy at higher loads.

I'm actually looking at how much it costs to buy a small sized belt.
The large sized belt bought is a bit too big.

If I do end up getting the small size, I'd have a spare belt hanging around if you were interested.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Well there you go, one of the reasons I bought this pack was because I was unhappy with how the Exos carries a heavy-ish load. I find this pack much better, provided of course nothing else goes wrong.

I already have the large hip-belt, so thanks but no.

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Hi folks. A brief follow up report.

The manufacturer has been useless, so I undertook my own repair as noted in one of my previous posts. It's simply a 16mm aluminium tube with two holes drilled to fit the frame legs and give them something more solid to bear against than a piece of cloth. This has added a grand total of 31 grams to the pack weight. Since then I've used the pack off and on for six months and no further problems have surfaced.

Despite the poor response from the manufacturer, this has become my go-to pack. It's light, it's comfortable, it carries weight just fine and it's big enough for most of the walks I do. I took it with me recently on a commercially operated bushwalk in the Kimberley. The walk was a 14 day scrub bash/rock hop for there were no tracks. We had a food drop after 7 days and my maximum load was around 15 kg. The pack handled the conditions without any issues. Two very minor tears to the rear mesh pocket was the only evidence of wear and tear.

Drawbacks? Theres' a couple.
1. The hipbelt pockets are tiny. I kept a muesli bar in one and my GPS in the other and that's about all they will hold. You will struggle to fit a phone or a camera in them. On the other hand I found the shoulder strap pockets ideal for holding a 300ml water bottle. It's not much but it saves you taking off your pack for a drink each time.
2. If you are going to a hot climate, a black pack is probably not the smartest choice.

Otherwise it's all good. A better response from the manufacturer and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

[tomlindavid1985]

Hey how are you going with this pack,are you still using it or have you switched to another one

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

Still using it, in fact I just finished a 10 day walk with it. Max load was 18.5 kg. That's the most I've ever had in it. It was still comfortable but I did find the hipbelt starting to slip at that weight. No other comments, I'm very happy with it.

[tomlindavid1985]

Hey, thanks for the feedback, Im tossing up between the new Exos 58 or the 3F UL YUE 45, which of the packs do you prefer (durability, multi day hikes, quality of construction).

[JohnnoMcJohnno]

I can't comment on the new Exos, I don't know anything about it other than I see Osprey have brought back the hip belt pockets. I had the previous version of the Exos and didn't like the way it carried when it was loaded above 12 kg - the load would bounce, the shoulder straps would stretch, and the hip belt always felt like it was designed for a super-model rather than a normal person. It was great for a light load in summer though. I can definitely say that the Yue carries a full load much better than the old Exos, but that probably doesn't help you much.