Deuter Aircontact Core 65+10 Review

The Deuter Aircontact Core 65+10 is a heavy but well-designed backpack with a full set of features to keep you organized. It has seven external pockets and three ways to get into the main compartment. It also has tons of padding and is very comfortable for you and all your gear.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Aircontact Core is a very comfortable backpacking backpack, one of the most comfortable packs we tested. It has a well-padded back panel, hip belt, and lumbar area, paired with a stout frame that effectively distributes pack weight.

The padding on the Aircontact Core is some of the cushiest of any pack we tested. The hip belt and lumbar pad have a thick foam that's soft but sturdy enough not to feel unstable while you're wearing it. Two vertical strips of padding run from the lumbar pad up to the shoulder straps, sandwiching your spine. Not just your average pad, the back panel is made of an ultra-springy mesh-like foam that still allows for plenty of ventilation while cushioning your back.

There are sections of perforated foam incorporated into the hip belt, more easily bending to accommodate your body comfortably. The lumbar pad is a whopping 1.5 inches of thick cushioning against your sacrum. As this is where the bulk of the pack's weight rests on your lower back, all our testers appreciated this generous padding when carrying heavy loads.

The internal frame of the Aircontact Core is comprised of two metal struts running vertically down the entire length of the back. When loosening the load lifters on the top, weight is immediately transferred onto the hip belt. This is an indicator that the frame functions as it's intended to. Unclipping the hip belt resulted in a lot more weight on the shoulders, another indication that the frame effectively transfers weight from the shoulders to the hips.

Ease of Use

The Aircontact Core has plenty of useful features that can be changed and adapted to suit just about anyone's packing style. It manages to straddle the line of offering a plethora of features while keeping them versatile enough that the pack isn't pigeonholed into any niche use.

This pack features a dedicated sleeping bag compartment on the bottom of the pack with an exterior zipper. This allows you to store your down sleeping bag and other gear you won't need until you get to camp in a separate compartment. For those who prefer one large main compartment, fear not — unzipping a single internal zipper allows you to combine this section with the rest of the pack.

With a large front zippered opening, it's both possible and straightforward to access the main compartment of the Aircontact Core without unclipping the lid or fiddling with the drawstring top. This makes it super easy to dig out that one thing you didn't think you'd need, but then you do — like a puffy jacket, hat, or pair of gloves.

The Aircontact Core has lots of useful stretchy exterior pockets. The large stretchy front pocket is big enough for bulky items and a great place to stash a jacket or other layers you might want to access quickly. The mesh fabric lets you dry items in these pockets as you hike. This is the perfect place to stash a wet rainfly or freshly cleaned socks after doing camp laundry.

The side water bottle pockets are made of the same stretchy mesh material. Impressively, the material can stretch to accommodate a whopping three liters of water per side. If you ever need to carry a ton of water, this pack is ready. We found ourselves using the right side pocket to carry our water while using the left side pocket for extra food we wanted ready for breaks. Conveniently, the right side pocket has a side access opening to help you to reach that water bottle while still wearing the pack. The left side has regular, top-open access.

The Aircontact Core also uses this same mesh material for the zippered hip-belt pockets. These pockets are big enough for a large smartphone plus extras. And since the mesh material stretches, we found these hip belt pockets could consistently fit more than we expected. They're great for gloves, GPS, sunscreen, chapstick, and even a windbreaker jacket.

The lid, or brain, has a large zippered pocket on top, which you can access from the outside. It also has a flat zippered pocket on the underside of the lid. The main exterior brain pocket can hold an impressive amount of gear. It's easily large enough for bulkier items you want quick access to. The inner brain pocket is great for small items you need to keep track of and access relatively quickly.

Weight-to-Volume Ratio

The Aircontact Core weighs 5.2 pounds. This is not a particularly light pack. In fact, it's one of the heavier packs we tested. However, with the ability to expand from a 65 to a 75 liter bag, this weight comes with some extra space.

All those organizational features we love come at a weight cost. This pack is built to carry a heavy load, so the weight isn't necessarily a problem. If you're looking for a minimalist pack, this isn't the one for you. However, the pockets, adjustment system, and plushly padded suspension system are worth the weight for many backpackers who appreciate staying organized and comfortable on the trail.

Adjustability

The Aircontact Core is a highly adjustable backpack. It features Dueter's Varislide torso length adjustment system and a range of hip belt adjustment capabilities to fit most men.

The torso length adjusts easily to fit torsos from 18 and 22 inches. This is more range than most packs we tested, and unlike some packs with set 1-inch increments for torso length adjustments, you can slide the shoulder harness up or down to exactly where it will fit you best.

Also, Deuter claims the torso length is adjustable from 16.5 to 24.5 inches. We can only reconcile our measurements with these numbers by assuming Deuter factored in shoulder strap length adjustment when calculating torso length adjustability. The hip belt can be adjusted to fit anywhere from 30 to 50 inches in diameter. The padding is not adjustable, but the webbing can fit around a variety of different-sized bodies.

The biggest downside to this pack is it only comes in one size. We love how this backpack's adjustable torso works, but we wish it came in more than one size to fit a wider range of people. If you need a backpack with a shorter torso, the women's version is nearly identical but is built to accommodate smaller torsos.

Should You Buy the Deuter Aircontact Core?

If you're looking for a full-featured pack with tons of ways to organize and access your backpacking gear, the Aircontact Core is a great pack to consider. It's one of the best values for a pack, with many ways to access and store your gear. It's is one of the least expensive backpacks we tested but performs about as well as packs that cost a lot more.

What Other Backpacking Backpacks Should You Consider?

The Aircontact Core is a spacious, comfortable, versatile, and high-value backpacking backpack for those looking to keep their gear organized. If you're looking for a more streamlined and lightweight backpack, check out the Ultralight Adventure Equipment Catalyst or Gregory Focal 58. If you're looking to compare this to other seriously comfortable backpacks, check out the Osprey Atmos 65 AG, Gregory Baltoro 65, and Osprey Aether 65.