Black Diamond Beta Light 45 review: Streamlined, super light, surprisingly waterproof

Billed as Black Diamond’s “answer to the ultralight backpacking revolution”, the Beta Light 45 is a brilliant hiking backpack for long-distance walks at the lowest weight possible, with a fast, agile and minimalist approach. Weighing just 890g, but with a 45L capacity, aluminium stays for enhanced load capacity and good all-round features, this pack will please gram-counting campers.

The carrying experience is very comfortable with a close-to-the-body, straight, flat sensation, while the shoulder strap harness – which has a design reminiscent of running vests – feels wonderfully athletic and agile.

This overall approach will definitely polarise opinion. Some will love the streamlined, sleek ethos; but traditional hikers will find it insufficient in terms of ventilation, stability, structure, volume and features. The price feels rather excessive too – but, ultimately, I loved this backpack.

I found it really comfortable and for an assault on a multi-day hike like the Cape Wrath Trail, Pennine Way or South Coast Path, I’d definitely give this pack a go.

The best features include the shoulder strap and hipbelt pockets and the humongous Power Mesh front stash pocket, as well as the use of a high-tech material called Challenge Sailcloth Ultra 200, which feels reliably robust, durable and weather-resistant.

Back system: Panel, frame and harness

As you’d expect with an ultralight pack, the Black Diamond Beta Light 45 has a minimalist and simplistic back system – you don’t get any high-tech engineering, complex backpanel wizardry or technical focus on rigidity and stability.

Instead, things are kept straight-forward: you get a frame pad and two internal aluminium stays, alongside a standard hipbelt and a shoulder harness with a running vest style design. Black Diamond says the load capacity is up to 18kg, but that seems to be pushing it a bit too much – personally I’d only use this pack up to about 12-13kg, at a push, and 10kg is a more ideal maximum.

I love this back system. The shoulder harness – which has a design reminiscent of the straps you get on running vests – is particularly impressive, in my opinion. It hugs the body nicely and just gives the pack a really agile, nimble and streamlined feel.

The overall carrying sensation is close-to-the-body with a flat, straight feel. It’s not very ventilated and not designed for heavier loads, and the general feel of the carry might polarise opinion, but personally I love it.

Back length and sizing

The Black Diamond Beta Light 45 is available in four different sizes (extra-small, small, medium and large) so there is a good range of sizes to suit all torso lengths and body shapes.

Black Diamond quotes the torso lengths and waist circumferences each size is suitable for, as follows: extra-small (14”-15.5” torso, 24”-42” waist), small (15.5”-17.5” torso, 27”-45” waist), medium (17.5”-19.5” torso, 29”-48” waist), and large (19.5”-21.5” torso, 31”-51” waist). I’m 178cm (5ft 10in) tall and weigh 68kg with a slim build and a 32” waist – I opted for the small pack which worked well for me.

Once you’ve purchased your pack, the back system is non-adjustable.

Volume, shape and weight

The Black Diamond Beta Light 45 has a 45L capacity. This is a nice capacity, hitting a Goldilocks 'just right' balance for many ultralight thru-hikers – enough space to accommodate everything you need and nothing you don’t, so you’re never tempted to over-pack.

Personally I think it’s a great size – it strikes a perfect compromise for me and works well. But, of course, for many non-ultralight campers with bulkier kit, the 45L volume might seem too small.

The shape of the Beta Light 45 is streamlined, sleek and nicely proportioned. It’s neither too tall nor too wide, and instead has an efficient, minimalist profile – I really love it.

In terms of weight, the Beta Light 45 clocks in at an official weight of 890g, including all accessories and features. Black Diamond says you can strip down the pack to a weight of just 521g by removing the aluminium stays, hipbelt and foam – but most hikers will choose not to do this.

The 890g weight does class as ultralight, offering a massive weight saving compared to many other packs – the Beta Light 45 is 1,299g lighter than the Osprey Aether 55, for example, and it’s even 75g lighter than the Atom Packs The Prospector EP60, another ultralight specialist.

By most measures, therefore, the Beta Light 45 is wonderfully light, offering a fast, agile and minimalist carrying experience that many will love. However the use of aluminium stays in the frame adds weight, and for £360 I’m left feeling that 890g is a tad disappointing.

For the sky-high price I expected something even lighter, to be perfectly honest. For comparison, the Zpacks Nero 38L weighs an insane 308g, but it’s an entirely frameless pack (and has a smaller 38L volume), while the frameless, medium-sized Gossamer Gear G4-20 Ultralight 42 backpack clocks in at just 703g. So if you want to go truly ultralight, there are definitely gram-saving options out there.

Features: Lid, straps, pockets and weather protection

This pack clearly prioritises being ultralight and minimalist rather than fully-featured, so the overall feature-set is quite pared-back and low-key. I absolutely love this no-nonsense, unfussy approach, but some other hillwalkers may prefer more bells and whistles.

The Beta Light 45 has a lidless design, instead sporting a rolltop closure system with top-only access. You get two stretchy, ripstop pockets on each side and a humongous, super-stretchy stash pocket across the front of the pack – this is super useful and practical for long-distance hiking. The stash pocket is made from a fabric called Power Mesh.

You also get zippered pockets on both hipbelt fins and both shoulder straps have pockets too: one is a stretchy mesh stash pocket and the other is zippered. The hipbelt and shoulder strap pockets are superb for stashing little items you need on-the-go while hiking, such as a GPS, sunglasses, sun cream, lip balm, power bank, phone and valuables.

On the exterior of the pack, four adjustable and removable Dynex core compression straps secure the pack and allow for alternative adjustment and lashing systems, while internally there is a sleeve to house a hydration reservoir, if so required.

In terms of weatherproofing, the Black Diamond Beta Light 45 performs excellently. It is made from a fabric known as Challenge Sailcloth Ultra 200 (plus a reinforced 400 version), which Black Diamond describes as "the lightest yet most durable on the trail".

The fabrics certainly feel high-tech, strong and premium – almost a bit like DCF – and the American brand confidently boasts that the material is "lightweight, tear resistant and extremely durable". All of the seams of the pack are taped too, effectively making it waterproof (though we won't be adding it to our best waterproof backpacks roundup).

Verdict

An ultralight pack with a premium thru-hiking design that will delight gram-counting walkers – but it’s outrageously expensive.

For some more budget friendly options at a similar volume, check out our roundup of the best backpacking rucksacks.

About the author

James Forrest writes regular features and route guides for Trail and LFTO, and has been one of our main gear testers for the last few years. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.