The ISPO Award-winning hiking backpack from deuter – Unimaginably Light Hiking
Discover the ultralight Speed Lite Pro — winner of the ISPO Award 2024. Designed for fast-paced hikes and long days on trail, this PFAS-free backpack blends comfort, ventilation, and performance into a sustainably built hiking pack. Explore why it’s the ideal choice for lightweight adventurers.
The days of hiking with clumpy big boots and toiling uphill with a heavy backpack are long gone. This new lightness when it comes to mountain hiking is further enhanced by the gear now available, and this award winning hiking backpack is a perfect example. This ultralight backpack includes six day pack models, versatile enough for a range of activities. Whether you’re heading out for a fast-paced summit push, an all-day hike, or minimalist travel, each pack in the series is engineered to support dynamic movement and efficient packing without compromising on durability or comfort.
Built for momentum and stripped of excess, the Speed Lite Pro proves that when less weighs you down, more opens up — more trail, more freedom, more adventure.
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The Speed Lite Pro models are wonderfully light and offer excellent carrying comfort. Access your essentials without breaking stride, saving energy so you can enjoy more of the landscape and natural world around you.
Whether it’s a quick blast up a few peaks, a brisk hike through fragrant woodland, or a speed hike along the coast, this collection from deuter perfectly complements your lightweight hiking footwear. Ultra-light, ultra-functional, and ultra-comfortable, it’s ideal for keen hikers who want to cover greater distances at speed without unnecessary weight.
Trail Inspiration: Whether its a western hike through British Columbia or perhaps you’re exploring along Canada’s East Coast Trail, the Speed Lite Pro is built for any challenge at any pace.
Innovative LiteAir Back System
This new collection outshines previous models with its minimal weight. Designed with a “less is more” approach, its extremely lightweight and minimalist LiteAir back system significantly reduces the weight. The smallest models—the Speed Lite Pro 17 SL (Women’s fit) and Speed Lite Pro 19 (Men’s fit)—weigh just 610 grams and 630 grams respectively. Weight savings result from lighter, durable materials and streamlined construction.
The LiteAir back system provides effective ventilation, optimized load transfer, and increased back stability during dynamic movement.
Ergonomic Comfort for Distance Hiking
For speed-focused hikers wanting to cover greater distances quickly, this hiking backpack is unmatched. Vest-style, ergonomically shaped, perforated shoulder straps provide a secure fit with good ventilation. Supple hip fins and stabilizer straps distribute the load evenly, relieving shoulder and back muscle strain – ensuring optimized weight distribution.
Comfort, reimagined for the ultralight hiker. With over 125 years of backpacking expertise, deuter continues to lead the way in performance-driven design. The Speed Lite Pro series reflects this legacy, engineered for exceptional comfort in a lightweight hiking backpack that won’t slow you down. Because when your gear works with you, not against you, every step takes you beyond where you thought you could go.
Explore More: Browse our full deuter Collection
Practical Features for Quick Access
Despite its lightweight construction this hiking backpack has a host of clever features, including easy-access pockets on the shoulder straps and hip fins—ideal for storing cell phones, keys, flasks, or energy bars at the ready. The larger models (28 SL and 30) also offer a spacious lid compartment for smaller items. Quick-release pole attachments allow speedy transitions without removing the pack, and a separately sold mesh helmet holder adds functionality for biking or climbing. Internally, the backpack accommodates a hydration bladder up to 3 litres, spare clothing, and weather protection.
Additional thoughtful features include:
- A generously sized front stretch pocket—great for a packable rain jacket, trail snacks, or a folded map.
- Dual side pockets, one on each side, perfect for stashing water bottles or other trail essentials.
- Trekking pole loops and external daisy chains for modular gear attachment.
- An internal hydration sleeve compatible with up to 3-liter reservoirs.
- A breathable, streamlined hip belt with an integrated zip pocket for quick-grab items.
- A spacious main compartment designed to balance weight and volume.
- A top zippered pocket for stashing sunglasses, keys, or a GPS device.
Versatile Options & Sustainable Choices
Available Speed Lite Pro models cater to varied needs:
- Women-specific fits: 17 SL, 23 SL, 28 SL
- Men-specific fits: 19, 25, 30
Sustainability is key—the body fabric is 100% recycled and bluesign® accredited, Green Button certified, ClimatePartner certified, and made without harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Sustainability Focus: Read more about deuter’s Sustainability Standards
Gear That Complements the Speed Lite Pro Experience
To get the most out of your hiking experience, pair your deuter backpack with gear that complements its lightweight design and trail agility — ideal for hikers who move fast and pack smart:
- Kayland Alpha Knit GTX – Ultralight, breathable, and built for dynamic motion, these shoes are perfect for quick ascents and technical day hikes. Explore Kayland footwear
- deuter Rain Cover – Weighing next to nothing and packing down small, this accessory keeps your gear dry without sacrificing your speed advantage. View Rain Covers
- deuter Drypack – Keep valuables and spare layers dry inside your pack with this featherlight waterproof sack — ideal for changeable weather. Shop Drypacks
- deuter Helmet Holder – For bike or alpine adventures, this lightweight mesh attachment expands the pack’s versatility and secures your helmet with ease. View Helmet Holder
- Minimalist Layers – Technical wind shells and lightweight weather protection help you stay ready for changing conditions without the extra bulk. Browse Devold apparel
Whether you’re cruising alpine ridgelines or darting through shaded forest switchbacks, this refined gear lineup is built to move just as freely as you do.
Award-Winning Performance
The revised Speed Lite Pro series is lighter, more breathable and more sustainable, proudly earning the ISPO Award 2024.
The ISPO Award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the outdoor industry, spotlighting products that push boundaries in innovation, performance, and sustainability. For this hiking backpack to receive this accolade means it not only meets but exceeds expectations in design and user benefit — standing out among countless entries from across the globe.
From the words of the ISPO jury themselves: “Comfortable and stable backpacks are particularly important for speed hiking. The new Speed Lite Pro impresses with its great fit, good ventilation and low weight.”