For anyone wanting to keep their backpacking load as light as possible, the Liteway Elementum 50L is a great choice says Chris Townsend.
The Liteway Elementum 50L is an lightweight frameless pack made by Liteway, using tough recycled fabrics with a trapezoid shape – wider at the top than the bottom – which makes for easy packing and access.
Chris Townsend recommends
For anyone wanting to keep their backpacking load as light as possible, the Liteway Elementum 50L is a great choice says Chris Townsend.- ultralight
- tough, recycled fabric
- pockets
- no frame or back padding
- stretch side cords
- expensive
| Quick Specs |
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| Price: £264.99 (available from ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk) Weight: 774g Volume: 50l Materials: Ecopak™ EPX200 PFC-free recycled polyester & UltraGrid recycled nylon Features: stretch cords on side & front, cord on base, ice axe/trekking pole loops Closure: roll top with three buckles Back: frameless Hipbelt: padded Pockets: stretch mesh front, 2 stretch mesh side, 2 zipped hipbelt, 2 stretch mesh shoulder strap Sizes: 2 Women’s version? no litewayequipment |
The Ukrainian brand says the internal capacity is 37 litres with the pockets adding 13 litres. I think the inside was more like 45 litres. The stretch pockets are very roomy too and the hip belt pockets are bigger than on many packs.
There are thin stretch cords on each side for attaching gear plus non-stretch cord on the base. It’s hard to get the stretch cord taut. The non-stretch one was useful for attaching a closed cell foam pad. As there’s no padding, packing needs to be done with care. I slid a piece of closed cell foam down the back to give some structure and to prevent hard items poking me in the back. Liteway suggest attaching a foam pad to the back of the pack, which would save a little space inside.
The shoulder straps and hipbelt are well padded. I found I could carry most of the weight on my hips. Detachable load lifters are provided. I don’t think they’re needed with an ultralight load. I tried the pack with and without them and couldn’t tell the difference. Being body hugging, the pack is very stable and secure on rough and steep terrain. There’s no airflow of course and my back did get damp on a long day out. I’d rather this than a pack that felt unbalanced.
The Elementum is designed for loads up to 12kg. I used it with that weight and it carried fine. I think it would handle a little more okay. For anyone wanting to keep their backpacking load as light as possible, it’s a great choice.
How Chris tested
Chris is 5’8” and a size large. The packs were used for backpacking trips in the Cairngorms in the late winter and spring in mixed weather and over some very rough terrain. Weights are from his own scales. This review was first published in the July 2026 issue of The Great Outdoors. You can compare it with other in our guide to the best backpacking packs.
