Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 Backpack Review

Bottom Line

There are some packs that surprise us, and the Deuter Aircontact 50+5 did that in a few ways – both good and bad. For starters, it’s absolutely the most comfortable backpack in our best backpacks guide that doesn’t have a suspended mesh back panel. The arrangement of foam pads works great to ease pressure points and create an incredible feel, even when loaded up with 30 pounds of weight.

There’s a decent amount of features at work here, too, with the most satisfying buckles we’ve ever used and great lashing points for customizing external carry capacity. However, other parts of the pack left us wanting more. The water bottle pockets are too high to be usable with the pack on, and the compression cords go over the pockets, making them impractical to use when carrying a bottle. Additionally, the hip belt pockets are floppy, hard to access, and made of mesh, which limits their durability. Plus, the enormous back pocket is also full mesh, which has us similarly worried.

So there’s some good and some bad with the Aircontact, but the negatives are not enough to detract from the overall comfort. We think it’s a solid pack that should provide great trail comfort for someone who doesn’t mind Deuter’s design decisions here.

How We Tested

We took the Aircontact on local trails in the midwest to do preliminary testing while we overhaul our backpack gear guide. We’ll update this review and the guide with three-season testing as the seasons allow.

Comfort

This one surprised us, but the Deuter Aircontact is amazingly comfortable. You wouldn’t guess it from the straightforward arrangement of padding, but as soon as we put it on after loading it up with 30 pounds, it seemed like 10 pounds evaporated. We always advise people to try on packs themselves since comfort is highly subjective – on our tester, at least, it was a great fit. A lot of the comfort stems from the smart arrangement of padding and lack of padding to create an experience that puts pressure where it should be and alleviates it from potential sore spots. This is absolutely the most comfortable pack we tested that doesn’t use a suspended mesh back panel.

We weren’t able to test ventilation ability too severely in the winter, but the large gap in the back mesh did create a large space for airflow. Fortunately most of the pack panel is made of a suspended mesh – not to the same degree as some packs with a true trampoline mesh – but it should still promote better airflow.

Features

The Aircontact sits in the middle of the road when it comes to features, and we don’t think that’s a bad thing. It’s not trying to be a do-everything pack that would require extra weight. It’s a straightforward pack that keeps its weight down. 

Most of the usual features are here: floating top lid, adjustable torso length, hip belt pockets, back stretch pocket, compression straps, and ample attachment points. The Aircontact 50+5 omits a sleeping bag compartment, but that’s an acceptable tradeoff in our opinion. 

One standout feature that caught us off guard was the quality of the buckles. They’re small but clip easily and come apart easily, too. This is an underappreciated detail of backpacking packs. Tricky buckles can make poor days even worse. But with the Aircontact, every time we unfastened the top lid or side compression, we were delighted by how effortless it was. The ample attachment points also mean you can reconfigure the straps to allow for lashing larger objects to the outside, which is a nice touch.

The hip belt pockets are unfortunately not our favorite design. They’re made of mesh, sewn in at the top, and connect with a Velcro spot on one bottom corner, so they flop around quite a bit. It’s a baffling design, and we’d expect them to be one of the first parts of the pack to wear out. On the positive side, they open and close easily with one hand.

Durability

The Aircontact features a 175D nylon fabric for the entirety of its construction. The main pack feels lightweight but durable, but we’re only cautiously optimistic about its long-term durability. Part of the issue here is the weak spots are a bit pronounced. With a huge mesh back panel, mesh side pockets, and floppy mesh hip belt pockets, those are the first areas where we’d expect heavy wear. Many backpacks are moving away from full mesh pack panels for a reason, instead opting for solid fabric combined with more protected use of mesh. However, it seems Deuter hasn’t picked up on this trend yet. We think that with proper care this pack will have no issue lasting a good thru hike or many seasons of hiking, but not everyone will take that care. 

Ease of Use

Our biggest complaint with the Aircontact is the complete abandonment of usable water bottle pockets. In addition to being made with low durability mesh, the openings are up high, nearly to the mid of the back. During testing, we contorted our arms to try to get a water bottle in or out – and gave up almost immediately because it was ridiculous to even try reaching them.

Additionally, the Airconact continues a frustrating trend in backpacks by routing the side compression straps over the water bottle pockets. This limits the use of either the side straps or the water bottle pockets since neither can operate effectively while the other is in use. We do appreciate that Deuter gives the ability for these straps to be removed. However, many manufacturers allow the straps to be routed under the side pockets or simply omit unnecessary compression on the lower parts of the pack. These design decisions do give the Aircontact a rather attractive profile, and we suspect this is a bit of form over function here.

Unfortunately, the hip belt pockets are troublesome as well. Being positioned so far back on the hip belt, the shoulder strap actually interferes with use here. When the pack is loaded up, the straps are tight and cross over the top of the hip belt pocket, meaning it’s harder to get things in and out of the pockets. It’s another small design choice that looks good but does not really function well.

All of these complaints aside, they’re not dealbreakers. If you use a hydration bladder – not water bottles – you won’t notice some of these design limitations. But when so many other packs are designed without these stumbling blocks, it’s frustrating when an otherwise good product confuses us.

Should You Buy the Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5?

If nothing in our review bothers you, then the Aircontact is a good pack. There are design tradeoffs for sure, but they’ll only impact a certain population of backpackers. For everyone else, you’re left with a solid experience.

It’s not the cheapest pack on the market, but it’s right in line with its peers. Similarly, it’s not the lightest, but it’s not terribly heavy either. The Aircontact seems to be targeting new and average experienced backpackers who want a straightforward and comfortable experience, and we can recommend it for that purpose. This wouldn’t be our first choice for a heavy hauling expedition, nor a months long thru hike. However, we’d happily take this as our weekend adventure bag.

What Other Backpacking packs Should You Consider?

There are a lot of great packs near the same price and weight as the Aircontact in our Backpacking Backpacks Gear Guide.

Deuter Aircontact Ultra 50+5 Women’s – Deuter does offer a women’s fit version of this pack with an SL designation that offers a shorter torso length, a more conical hip belt, and a narrower distance between shoulder straps..

REI Flash 55 Review – The Flash 55 manages to do much of what makes the Aircontact good, but improves upon it in many ways – better pockets, durability, adjustability, and features – and costs less, too. . We’d pick this pack just for the improved water bottle pocket access.

Osprey Exos 58 Review – For a little bit more money but slightly less weight, the Exos 58 manages to be an overall better pack than the Aircontact. Using a suspended mesh back panel, it edges the Aircontact in comfort, and its water bottle pockets are easier to access, thanks to vertical openings.

Granite Gear Crown 3 Review – If you’re uncertain if you want to look at traditional or ultralight packs, the Crown 3 can be a great middle ground. It boasts excellent capacity and lashing options, making it a versatile pack for many situations.