Speed Lite Pro 23 SL

The Deuter Speed Lite Pro 23 SL is a women's pack for moving quickly over big ground. Water on your chest, phone and snacks on your hips, poles a grab away on the shoulder straps: you can cover a long day without once stopping to take it off.

Who it's for

Women who hike fast, fastpack light or run the uphills. Deuter rate it five out of five for hiking, and its 6-10 kg recommended load covers a long summit day with water, a shell, a warm layer and food. Think Mount Kosciuszko from Thredbo and back via the Main Range, the full Mount Barney circuit, or a big day on the Larapinta's high sections.

Capacity, and what actually fits

23 litres holds a rain shell, a puffy, lunch, a first aid kit and a head torch, with a zipped top pocket for keys on the clip and a mesh front pocket for a wet jacket. Soft flasks ride in pouches on the shoulder straps and outside, and a mesh side pocket holds a bottle. It measures 52 x 28 x 19 cm.

How it carries

The LiteAir back pairs a light, skeleton-style frame structure with a thin back panel that sits flat and close to your body, so the load moves with you on rocky ground. Wide, perforated vest-style shoulder straps breathe, supple hip fins spread the weight, and a lightly elastic sternum strap adjusts two ways. Stabiliser straps and side compression keep it tight.

Fitting it

SL is Deuter's women's fit, with a shorter back and a harness shaped for women. The Speed Lite Pro 23 SL suits back lengths of 38-48 cm, which Deuter match to walkers about 158-178 cm tall.

Access and organisation

A zip runs right around the main opening so you can see everything at once. Zipped pockets on a shoulder strap and a hip fin hold a phone, GPS or bars, and quick-release bungee cords on the shoulder straps hold your poles when you need your hands.

• Zip-around main opening; zipped top pocket
• Soft flask pouches on the shoulder straps and outside
• Zipped shoulder strap pocket and hip fin pocket
• Mesh front pocket and mesh side pocket
• Quick-release pole holders; ice axe and pole attachment
• Wet compartment inside; key clip; attachment loops
• Mesh helmet holder sold separately

Weight

640 g for a 23 litre framed pack with a full harness. That is where the Speed Lite Pro earns its name: light enough to forget, structured enough to carry a proper day's kit.

Looking after it

The fabric is recycled high-tenacity 120D polyamide ripstop with a DWR finish made without intentionally added PFAS, and the pack is bluepass and Green Button certified. Deuter back it with a 2-year warranty.