Southern Lite Packs

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Southern Lite Packs

Custom backpacks made in New Zealand. From ultra light to super tough.

Packs for tramping, hunting, packrafting, ski touring, climbing, alpine, adventure racing and more.

27/08/2026

I was in the paper yesterday and apparently I'm a Packmaster😁

If you really want to read it check out page 23 http://digital.scene.co.nz/

20/08/2026

I did a thing the other day for the Three Lakes Cultural Trust for Te Ara ki te Ao Auaha -The Path to the Creative World series.

Feel a little embarrassed sharing this, but Joe from Bunker Street Film did such a great job filming it I thought I'd be rude not too.

• Created by Three Lakes Cultural Trust Lakes Cultural Trust hreelakesculturaltrust in partnership with Pivot Innovation, with support from the Queenstown Lakes District Council Economic Futures Fund.
• Filmed and produced by Joe and Erin Murdie of Bunker Street Film Co. )
• Executive Producers: Gizelle Regan and Amos Breyfogle

19/08/2026

I thought I’d give everyone a bit of an update on what’s going on and why I’ve stopped making packs for sale.

I’m just about to start a pretty big contract that will see me making almost 800 packs in the next 10 months. It’s hugely exciting, but it’s also going to be a massive amount of work and a pretty big time commitment!

At the moment I have one person working with me, and I’m hoping to have a second person start in October. But even with the three of us, I think we’re going to be pretty hard pushed to keep up with the amount of packs we need to make.

So, I’m also looking for a third person to join the team. Ideally, someone with a production sewing background who is fast, has a good eye for detail, and takes pride in producing quality work.

I’d love to think I’ll be able to keep up with the contract while also making the odd batch of my regular packs for sale, but realistically, I don’t think that’s going to happen.

For now, it’s going to be heads down and getting these 800 packs made!

Hopefully, once the contract is finished in June, I’ll be back to making packs for sale once again, if I'm not totally burnt out.

Thanks heaps to everyone who continues to support the business. I haven’t disappeared — I’ve just got a very large pile of packs to make!😂

06/08/2026

Last chance to get a Southern Lite Pack this year!

With a large contract on the way, it's unlikely I'll be making any more pre-made batches of packs for quite a while. Once my current stock is gone, I probably won't have any more available until after summer.

I have a few packs ready to go on the shelf though, so if one of these catches your eye, get in touch as soon as possible—they won't be hanging around for long.

For price and info check out my website https://www.southernlitepacks.co.nz/readymade

Currently available:

55L Ultralight Pack

Black with green pockets – Medium

Black with green pockets – Large

Black with pink pockets – Medium

70L Versatile Pack Red – Medium GONE!

75L Adventure race pack- Large

70L Heavy Duty Versatile Pack (Ultra 400) optional detachable front pocket

Hunter Green – Medium

Hunter Green – Medium

Hunter Green – Large

90L Rafting Pack – Small, GONE!

If one of these takes your fancy, let me know and we can get it sorted before it's gone.

22/07/2026

Finished up what will likely be the last batch of pre-made packs for a very long time.

With a big contract about to kick off, my time in the workshop is running out. Once these are gone, there probably won't be many more hitting the shelves for quite some time, so if you've had your eye on one, now's the time. I still have a handful of other packs including ultralite 55L tramping packs, big 90L packrafting packs and ski touring packs in stock too.

This batch is a heavy duty version of my 70L Versatile platform, but made from Ultra 400 with an Ultra 800 base for those who prefer gear that's built to be used hard. Whether you're disappearing into the hills for a week, carrying heavy loads on a hunt, or pushing through thick scrub off-track, these packs are made for it.

The 25mm frame stays make hauling heavier loads comfortable, while the large side pockets and three compression straps let you strip things right back when you're travelling light. The removable top lid gives you the option of a clean, minimalist setup, and there's a rifle dropper attachment point for hunters. If you want to customise things further, removable front pockets can be added as well.

At just 1,590g—or only 1,420g with the lid removed—they're remarkably light for a pack this capable and this tough.

Once they're gone, that's likely it for a while.

16/07/2026

Some projects are a little more special than others.

Six years ago I built Megan Dimozantos a pack, and it's been everywhere with her. It's been dragged through rivers, squeezed into rafts, hauled over countless mountain passes, and carried on more adventures than most. It's been well and truly used—and abused. The fabric is tired, the scars tell plenty of stories, and it's finally earned its retirement.

So it was time to build the next one.

Designed specifically for packrafting, this pack comes in at 90L and is built to swallow everything needed for long days and remote trips. It's kept lightweight with 12mm frame stays and Ultra 200 throughout, with Ultra 400 on the base to handle the inevitable punishment of rocky riverbanks and rough camps.

The top compression and double side straps pull the load in tight, keeping all that volume tidy whether it's packed to the brim or carrying less.

One of the best parts of making custom gear is knowing exactly where it's headed. Every scratch, every repair, every faded patch becomes part of the story. Hopefully this pack will collect just as many memories as the last one—and if I'm lucky, I'll get to watch it happen as we head down another remote valley together this coming summer.

I can't wait for the next adventure with Megan.

09/07/2026

This will likely be the last batch of 90L packraft packs I'll be making for quite a while. I don't expect to make another run until after summer.

If you've been thinking about one, now's the time to get in touch. I currently have 5 available:
• 1 Small
• 3 Medium
• 1 Large

Each pack is built from Ultra 200 with a Ultra 400 reinforced base for extra durability. They feature a removable lightweight 12mm frame, giving the pack structure while still allowing it to compress down small enough to fit through a TiZip on a packraft.

Features:
• Removable lightweight 12mm frame
• Two side compression straps plus top compression for managing big loads
• Large side pockets that fit a four-piece paddle
• Lightweight yet highly capable design

A medium weighs approximately 1,170g, making these an excellent balance of durability, carrying comfort, and low weight for extended packrafting trips.

Send me a message if you'd like to secure one before they're gone.

01/07/2026

Finished up this batch of ultralight framed 55L packs yesterday. The bright colours with the black pockets look pretty special.

For a lot of people these probably wouldn't be considered "ultralight". They still have a proper frame and a fully padded hip belt. But my philosophy on lightweight packs is a bit different.

To me, the whole point of going lightweight is to improve comfort and mobility in the backcountry. Once you start removing the frame, replacing the hip belt with simple webbing (or removing it altogether), or cutting the shoulder strap foam from 10mm down to 5mm, you're sacrificing the very thing that makes a pack enjoyable to carry.

So these packs still use the same high-quality 10mm EVA foam in both the shoulder straps and hip belt, along with load lifters and the same lightweight 12mm frame that I use in my own hunting pack and I've comfortably carried loads up to 40kg out of the bush with.

The weight savings come from trimming unnecessary components rather than compromising comfort or durability. I've switched to lighter 15mm webbing and hardware where it makes sense, removed the top compression straps, and kept just a single side strap on each side. The lower shoulder strap adjustment is still 20mm webbing rather than 15mm because I'd rather have the extra durability in a high stress area.

The hip belt uses a lightweight forward-pull adjustment with 25mm webbing instead of my usual 38mm Berg buckle setup.

The entire pack is built from Ultra 200, the lightest fabric I carry, while still offering outstanding durability.

The end result is a framed 55L pack that averages around 900g, while still being comfortable enough to carry 20kg loads.

All of these packs apart from the black and grey one are available and will be going up on the website shortly. If one catches your eye get in touch before they're listed.

29/06/2026

Check out my latest storage addition to streamline my sewing workshop! ✂️🧵

Laser-cut boxes keep all my hardware close at hand while I'm at the machine, there's extra worktop space when I need it, a magnetic strip keeps my tools within easy reach, and dedicated hangers keep my tapes organised.

Best of all, it all slides neatly out of the way when I'm finished. Clean, organised, and so much more efficient!

Who's jealous? 😁

24/06/2026

Another batch of 70L Versatile Packs heading out the door.

These ones are primarily built with hunting in mind, but they’d be equally at home on tramping, packrafting, travel, or any adventure where you need a lightweight pack that can comfortably carry serious loads.

This batch is built from Hunter Green Ultra 400X with black 400X side pockets and a heavily reinforced Ultra 800TX base for maximum durability when bush bashing, hunting off-track, and dealing with rough New Zealand backcountry conditions.

A feature I’m particularly excited about is the removable front pocket. Combined with the removable top lid, it gives a lot of flexibility depending on the trip. Running a lightweight overnight mission? Strip them off. Need extra organization and storage for a longer trip? Clip them back on.

The three side compression straps do a great job of shrinking the pack down when carrying smaller loads, making it ideal for day hunts and shorter trips from a base camp. Even though it’s a 70L pack, it compresses surprisingly well when not fully loaded.

These packs also feature my new 50mm hipbelt webbing and buckle, along with 25mm aluminum frame stays for improved load transfer and carrying comfort when hauling heavier loads.

Weight comes in at around 1,750g complete. Remove the top lid and front pocket and the main pack weighs just 1,420g, with each removable pocket weighing approximately 170g.

I've now almost completely used up the supply of 50mm buckles I bought for testing, so there probably won't be many more packs built with these larger buckles until I decide whether to order another batch.

Pretty stoked with how these ones turned out. The Hunter Green Ultra 400X continues to impress and is quickly becoming one of my favorite fabrics for hard-use hunting packs.

Of this batch of six packs, three have already sold. At the time of writing I believe I still have one Large and two Mediums available. If you're interested, get in touch ASAP as I don't expect them to hang around for long.

These will be going up on the website later today, so keep an eye out if you've been waiting for one.

Address

62 Hampshire Street
Kingston
9300

Telephone

+642040845491

Website

https://www.southernlitepacks.co.nz/

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