Exped Lightning 50 Backpack Review

Bottom Line

With excellent performance and quality, a thoughtful array of features, and a decent weight, the Exped Lightning is only held back from greatness by some unusual design choices. That’s why we rated it as a good – but not excellent pack – on our backpacking backpacks guide. 

First and foremost, the most important part of any pack is comfort, and the Lightning gets an easy passing grade here. We think it should work on many body types. It kept us happy on many Minnesota trails during the testing period. 

More excitingly, we loved the feature set here. With a useful waterproof pocket up top, some of the best hipbelt pockets we’ve ever tested, and a stretch pocket below a top Y strap, these are good to see. Exped put much thought into this design. 

However, that thoughtfulness hits a wall with some confusing usability choices. The top Y strap can’t fit a bear canister – no matter how empty the pack is. The compression system limits the back pocket, making the water bottle pockets nearly unusable. 

We really liked this pack, but our testing period was marred by occasional moments of frustration where we had to adjust our usual systems to get around the pack’s design choices. None of them are show-stoppers, but they do bring down the overall score of what otherwise might have been a golden recommendation.

How We Tested

We tested the Exped Lightning 50 on Minnesota trails to evaluate its comfort, features, durability, and ease of use.

Comfort

The Exped Lightning 50 lands solidly in the upper middle of comfort for backpacks due to some bold design choices. Overall, we think this is a comfortable pack. However, since comfort is so subjective, we need to temper that with a look at what design features are contributing to comfort. 

Exped has opted for a separated hip and shoulder padding area, a design choice shared by some packs but isn’t the norm. This has the benefit for allowing for increased back ventilation but can also increase pressure spots if the foam isn’t set properly. Thankfully, the Lightning’s padding felt good against our lead tester’s bony frame.

The shoulder straps and hip belt strike a good balance of softness and support. We felt sweaty after hiking up a huge hill at one of the local Minnesota state parks where we tested the Lightning, but it was in-line with what we’d expect from other packs. 

The suspension on the pack also works well, but we wouldn’t say it is class-leading. We felt the load transfer was decent when loaded, but the pack lacked the rigidity we’ve felt from more supportive packs.

Features

Despite being billed as a lightweight pack, the Lightning manages to pack an impressive array of features without any feeling too encumbering.

Our favorite are the hip belt pockets, which are incredibly smooth to open and close with one hand. This is an unfortunate rarity on packs, which is why we jumped for joy when we realized how good the pockets were on this pack. They’re fairly sized – though not massive – enough for headlamps, snacks, phones, and other small items.

Another excellent but rare feature is the small pocket protected by a waterproof zipper at the top of the pack. We love pockets like this for stashing maps, a buff, or second-tier items that don’t warrant space in the hipbelt but get used enough that we don’t want them buried in the pack. This pocket also has a zippered side that we can access inside the pack for more organization. 

There are also a few other notable features worth mentioning: a mesh pocket on the shoulder strap, a dedicated trekking pole stow system, a large back stretch pocket, a top Y strap, two systems for securing the rolltop, ample compression straps, and perhaps most uniquely tiny velcro loops for keeping dangling straps coiled up.

All together, we’re left impressed with the amount of features at work here. The Lightning is a lightweight pack for those who aren’t quite ready for a stripped back minimal pack.

Durability

Exped is known for quality work, and the Lightning continues the reputation for bomber construction. We couldn’t detect a sign of weak stitching anywhere on this pack, and the entire body is made of 210D HMPE ripstop nylon with a PU coating. It certainly feels tough to our hands when hauling it around. 

One of the most telling tests we look for on packs is how the extension collar on the main bag holds up to being grabbed and moved around with the full weight of the pack dangling below. Companies can put handles on their packs all they want, but most people are just going to grab the collar if they need to move it when opened, and the Lightning felt incredibly solid with no detectable seam flex or weak spots.

On the downside, the Lightning employs more mesh than we’d like. The hipbelt pockets are the worst offender here, with full mesh below the zipper. This isn’t uncommon in backpacks but still a trend we don’t like. The side water bottle pockets are also mesh, which we admit looks quite pleasing, but that’s the last place we’d want mesh. Finally, the back stuff pocket employs two panels on the side of a solid fabric down the middle. This gets a pass from us since the mesh allows for some airflow for items to dry (the back stretch pocket is a common place to put wet items).

Ease of Use

This is the most mixed section since the Exped Lightning does so much right but leaves us scratching our heads in other areas. 

Starting with the good, the high construction quality means that everything feels solid to use. We found it easy to tighten the hip belt, adjust all the straps, and center and release all the clips. The hip belt pockets are easy to open and close with one hand. We also thought the trekking pole stash system was nicely implemented.

On the negative side, however, there were a few confusing additions – the biggest of which is the top Y strap. We love the metal hook, but the gate is an unnecessary addition we don’t see on any other Y strap hook. It adds one more step to unlatching. Additionally, that metal hook includes a buckle system for the strap which means each side of the Y adjusts tightness independently. This makes tightening the strap more tedious since you have to tighten both sides and leave enough slack to tighten them. 

This is especially problematic since the Y strap is not long enough for a bear can. Even when there is nothing else in the pack, we could not fit our BV500 bear can on top. This is purely a top compression strap – and a poorly designed one at that.

Additionally, the side straps are routed through the back stretch pocket, which means to get full compression on the pack, the back pocket contents need to be compressed too. This is counter to how we use the back pocket – as a place to grab bulky items needed quickly (rain jacket, down jacket, TP kit, sit pad), which severely limits the utility of this pocket. 

On a similar vein, the side water bottle pockets are stretch mesh. Plus, they’re positioned so high that they’re difficult to access. We’d much rather have the added utility in exchange for a slightly less sleek look.

Nothing is necessarily a deal-breaker, but some of these features reduced the Exped Lightning’s ease of use. This pack is not in the “beginner friendly” category.

Should You Buy the Exped Lightning Backpack?

For the intermediate to advanced backpacker who knows how to adjust their style and wants the features this pack offers, the Exped Lightning will win some fierce fans. It’s hard to deny that it simply looks great – which will attract people in its own right – but it also performs the fundamentals extremely well. Great materials, excellent quality, good comfort, and thoughtful features make for a solid pack. 

It’s held back by questionable design choices that narrow its window of appeal, but that doesn’t erase the solid performance you get elsewhere. It helps that it’s reasonably priced for its category, but isn’t a budget pack by any stretch.

What Other Backpacking packs Should You Consider?

If you’re not sold on the Lightning, our full backpacks guide has more options, including these recommended packs:

REI FLash 55 Review: If you’re looking for a well-featured pack that’s cheaper and easier to use than the Lightning, the Flash is the easiest to recommend.

Granite Gear Crown 3 Review: Similar to the Lightning, the Crown is a more minimal and lightweight pack that boasts a sleek profile and a good assortment of features.

Osprey Exos Review: For a more traditional but still lightweight option, the Osprey Exos is incredibly popular for a reason and we still like it all these years and iterations later.