Versatility Show-off: Kelty Redwing 50 Review (March 2018 Update)

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Kelty Redwing 50 | No products found. is an excellent do-it-all lightweight backpack.

Its innovative design offers plenty of pockets and decent tool attachment capability. Adjustable harness allows you to dial in the right fit after you wear the pack. PerfectFit suspension provides decent ventilation. Generous padding, thickness and mesh throughout the entire suspension and optimal weight distribution ensures perfect comfort.

Buying backpacks online:

We've been buying backpacks online for years and never had any problems. Before you buy, do make sure to check the seller's return policy, but you can almost always return an unused pack within a certain time frame and you're good. If it doesn't fit quite right after trying it on at home, you can always return!

No products found.

Overall, we highly recommend this pack if you're looking for a do-it-all backpack and aren't planning to participate 3+ days of outdoors activities (because of its volume).

#A sidenote here: REI's backpack capacity chart is GOLD. Highly recommend you to check it out before you read any further.

Overview

	Kelty Redwing 50
	No products found.
Overall Score	76/100
Pros	Very comfortable as it fits perfectly, generous padding, thick straps and hip belt, Lightweight, Front pouch to store wet, smelly or dirty items, Easy to use innovative organization
Cons	Not carry on size
Best for	Those who have no problems checking their pack in while travelling and planning to use the pack during a fair amount of multiday outdoor activities
	Kelty Redwing 50
Comfort Versatility Organization Weight	8/10 8/10 8/10 9/10
Compartments	Main compartment
Access	U-shaped zippered top access that opens like a clamshell when laid on the floor
Pockets	4 zippered 3 unenclosed pockets
Compression Straps	4 at sides
	PRODUCT SPECS
	Kelty Redwing 50
One Size	Dimensions: 26H X 16W X 12D IN Weight: 3.11 lbs Volume: 50L
	Read More on Amazon

Related Review: The 7 Best Backpacking Backpacks

	Osprey Atmos AG 65	Gregory Baltoro 65	Osprey Aether AG 70	Deuter Act Lite 65+10	Osprey Kestrel 48	Kelty Redwing 50	Teton Sports Scout 3400
	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.	No products found.
Overall Score	92/100	85/100	84/100	80/100	78/100	76/100	74/100
Overall Score	This product is a Crunch Top Pick! Best Backpacking Backpack
	Osprey Atmos AG 65	Gregory Baltoro 65	Osprey Aether AG 70	Deuter Act Lite 65+10	Osprey Kestrel 48	Kelty Redwing 50	Teton Sports Scout 3400
Best for	Those who are looking for the best overall backpacking backpack	Those who will be packing heavy and don't need as many features as Osprey Aether 70	Those who are looking for a very cool, feature rich pack specifically designed for carrying heavy loads	Those who prefer more room and won't be backpacking in too hot/cold weather	Those who are looking for a very comfortable medium capacity trail backpack with a lean towards traveling	Those who are looking for a do it all backpack	Beginner backpackers who don't need a premium pack and would do equally fine with a more balanced item
	Osprey Atmos AG 65	Gregory Baltoro 65	Osprey Aether AG 70	Deuter Act Lite 65+10	Osprey Kestrel 48	Kelty Redwing 50	Teton Sports Scout 3400
Comfort Versatility Organization Suspension Weight	10/10 10/10 8/10 10/10 8/10	9/10 9/10 10/10 9/10 7/10	9/10 9/10 9/10 8/10 7/10	9/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 8/10	10/10 8/10 6/10 6/10 9/10	9/10 8/10 6/10 6/10 9/10	7/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10
	Osprey Atmos AG 65	Gregory Baltoro 65	Osprey Aether AG 70	Deuter Act Lite 65+10	Osprey Kestrel 48	Kelty Redwing 50	Teton Sports Scout 3400
User manual	Osprey Atmos/Aura Series Manual	N/A	Osprey Aether/Ariel Series Manual	N/A	Osprey Kestrel/Kyte Series Manual	N/A	N/A
Women's counterpart	Osprey Aura AG 65 \| No products found.	Gregory Deva 60 \| No products found.	Osprey Ariel AG 65 \| No products found.	Deuter ACT Lite 60+10 \| No products found.	Osprey Kyte 46 \| No products found.	Kelty Women's Redwing 50 \| No products found.	N/A

Table of Contents

Suspension System

Adjustability

Kelty Redwing 50 is supported by PerfectFit Suspension system. It's designed to customize the fit for any torso length between 15.5 - 21 inches and ultimately provide the best possible comfort.

Back panel of Kelty Redwing 50 with PerfectFit Suspension.

Although this adjustability wasn't available in the previous model of Kelty Redwing 50, it's not a surprise to see it. Most similar backpacks of different brands offer adjustable harness now.

However, there's one feature of Kelty Redwing 50 that takes the adjustability one step further.

It's that it allows you to make your adjustabilities while wearing the pack.

So you loosen everything up, wear the pack, and then adjust for the seamless fit.

This is a HUGE plus.

Comfort

Entire suspension is generously padded with a foam.

Kelty Redwing 50 back panel.

On top of padding, the entire surface is covered with a breathable mesh.

Breathable mesh.

Hip belt is built with ample padding.

Hip belt is removable. It's a good option to have especailly when you're going on a lightweight trip.

Legit padding and thickness of hip belts are important. Along with the fit, it's probably the first thing you should consider while looking for a new backpack - especially if you'll be walking a lot. Why?

Because weight distribution determines your exhaustion and comfort.

Hip muscles (gluteus) are our largest muscles as Library of Congress explained in 2017[1]. In 2017, Epstein et al. found in a study[2] that the more weight transmitted to our hips, the longer distances we can walk without extra exhaustion.

Shoulder straps are thick and equipped with decent padding and mesh.

Shoulder straps of Kelty Redwing 50.

Ventilation

When you look at the back panel you see a fair amount of space between paddings.

The intention here is to keep you cooler by letting the air flow through the channels between paddings.

While it's true that it's impossible to keep you completely cool especially on warmer days, packs with superior ventilation like Kelty Redwing 50 will definitely keep you cool longer.

Stability

Upper and lower side dual compression straps are able to compress the pack, cluster your items and prevent wobbling when the pack isn't fully loaded.

Compression straps.

Single aluminum stay built in the center of the backpanel adds to pack's support and stability.

Storage

Summary:

Main compartment with an internal laptop/hydration sleeve
Front pouch
Front zippered pocket
Top lid zippered pocket
2 side zippered pockets
2 mesh side water bottle holders

Main Compartment

Pockets: 1 sleeve

Main compartment is accessed from top, under the top lid. There are double U-shaped zippers that open to the main compartment.

Internal sleeve can be used to store either a hydration reservoir (sold separately) or a laptop up to 17". I've got to add that internal hydration sleeves are less useful because (1) you'll be made to unpack when replenishing and (2) spilling can ruin your overall traveling/outdoors experience especially if you've got electronics inside.

Additionally, both zippers reach all the way to the bottom, so you can open the front surface of the pack like a clam. This way you have easy access to the entire main compartment without having to unpack everything.

Front pouch

Pouch at the front surface is innovatively designed between front surface and the main compartment.

Front lid is attached to the pack with 3 buckles, and the pouch harnesses the gap between them. Middle buckle and stretch mesh on the sides ensure that the load won't fall off.

Front pouches are usually opted for smelly, dirty or wet item storage which you'd like to have kept away from your inner dryer items and enclosed pockets.

Front zippered pocket

A particular pocket is designed for your frequently used items. External zippered pockets make these items more readily available.

Your inventory inside is accessed even more easily through the traveler organizer. This way your items don't fall downwards to the bottom of the pack or get mixed.

Similar to main compartment, front zippered pocket is accessed through double U shaped zippers as well.

Top lid

Pockets: 1 zippered pocket

Top lid isn't a floating type. It means that you can't remove it and you can't shift it up or down.

Zippered top lid pocket.

Not much room available in this pocket, and it's compressed, so it's convenient for storing maps, books, snacks, notebooks etc.

Side

Pockets: A zippered pocket and a mesh water bottle holder at each side

Another unique feature of this pack is zipepred pockets at each side.

They're pretty sizeable and hence useful for the items that you need readily available but are too large for front and top lid zippered pockets.

Side zippered pockets from various angles to illustrate their size.

In addition to zippered pockets there are mesh water bottle holders at each side.

kelty-redwing-50-side-mesh-water-bottle-holders

Mesh water bottle pockets from various angles to illustrate their size.

It'd be better to have horizontal installment option to be able to store your water bottle while wearing the pack, but it's not a huge deal.

Another unique feature of this pack is the pass through behind the side zippered pockets. They allow you to store extra gear when collaborated with lower mesh pockets. You can incorporate upper and/or lower compression straps as well for a more secure attachment.

Size, Volume, Weight and Dimensions

Kelty Redwing 50 is a one-size-fits-all pack.

	Volume	Weight	Dimensions
Kelty Redwing 50	50 Liters	3.11 lbs	26h x 16w x 12d in

The design intention of Kelty Redwing 50 is a lightweight hiking backpack[3].

However; many pockets, tool attachment capability and superior access to main compartment (U shaped zipper) makes Kelty Redwing 50 very versatile, which is one of the reason why this pack is this popular.

You can use it during any outdoor activity and while traveling.

If you're confused with the dimensions, check our post Dimensional Inconsistencies of Osprey Backpacks. Although it's a post for Osprey packs, reason 2 applies to this pack as well.

As for the volume, 50 liters is perfect for any trip up to 3 days - including day hikes and traveling uses.

However, I'm talking about in terms of volume. So if you're an essentialist, you can use it as long as you'd like. It won't cause any other problems.

Carry-on Status

Its size is too large to be accepted as a carry-on for most airlines[4], but as you know is a very grey area. For example, I've never experienced any problems with my Deuter 65 L pack.

The truth about carry-on size is that most of the time the airlines staff won't be paying attention unless you piss them off.

Also packs aren't made of steel, you can always shrink them after unpacking/externally attaching/wearing some items.

No-one can tell you for sure whether it's going to be accepted as carry-on. But I'd guess that it'd be acceptable 80% of the time.

Durability

Although I've never had any problems with their packs, it's good to know that Kelty offers a limited lifetime warranty[5] against all manufacturing defects.

Limited means that they'll always try their best to repair your pack even if it's not a manufacturing defect.

It's water resistant but not waterproof. I'd recommend getting a rain cover if you're expected to experience foul weather.

Gear Attachments

2 bottom tool loops
Daisy chains and lash points
4 compression straps

Bottom loops

You can attach gear to the front bottom tool loops.

A loop and a bungie tie off is available at one side only.

Compression straps

See the Storage section above.

Lash points and hide-away daisy chains

Lash points and hide-away daisy chains for storing extra gear as Hawbaker explained in 2015[6] are located at the front surface of the pack.

Other

Hide-away front carry handle

A durable carry handle is placed beneath the gap above daisy chains.

Colors

Black, Twilight Blue, Garnet Red and Ponderosa Pine colors are offered.

Conclusion

Kelty Redwing 50 is a men's lightweight do-it-all backpack.