Whippa x Scotty’s Gone Walkabout Colo 55 Ultralight Hiking Pack – Reviewed and Tested

After hauling the Aussie made Whippa x Scotty’s Gone Walkabout Colo 55 through three rugged trips across South East Queensland, including one particularly brutal night in The Steamers, Max found a sub kilo pack that’s far tougher than it first appears.

 

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I’ll admit that it took me a while to trust the Colo 55. The 966g pack feels ridiculously light when you first pick it up. The main Ultra 200X fabric feels thin, the harness and sternum strap are simple and there aren’t layers of padding, pockets and suspension systems everywhere you look. Coming from my Osprey Atmos, it almost feels like there should be more to it.

Over three trips around South East Queensland, including Mt Maroon, Mt Barney, and an epic overnighter into The Steamers, the Colo 55 proved it could more than stand the test in some of SEQ’s most rugged bush bashing terrain.

The Colo’s been created in collaboration with Scotty Williams

The pack is a collaboration between Whippa and Scott Williams from Scotty’s Gone Walkabout. Scott is also a familiar name around Wild Magazine, one of We Are Explorer’s sister publications, where he regularly shares his thoughts on conservation matters.

Whippa itself is a Summit Gear brand, with the company designing and manufacturing outdoor equipment in Katoomba since 1981. The Colo 55 follows a pretty simple philosophy: keep the weight down, use very strong materials and strip away anything that doesn’t really need to be there.

After testing it over the last six months, I can see why they took that approach.

Why am I the right person to do this review?

I’m 24 and have spent most of my life hiking around South East Queensland and the Scenic Rim, including years in Scouts and plenty of general adventuring since.

I try to squeeze in a cheeky overnighter every couple of months around my hectic work, uni, and cycling schedule. My gear choices generally lean towards the ultralight end of things, although I’m definitely not the person cutting a toothbrush in half to save three grams. I’ll happily carry a few luxuries. Sometimes those luxuries are steaks.

My usual overnight pack is an Osprey Atmos, so the Whippa Colo is quite a different proposition.

Max and his stunning backyard

Quick Specifications

Capacity: 55L total, 50L main compartment + 5L front pocket 

Optional capacity: 6L Expedition Hood available separately 

Weight: 966g with frame sheet 

Height: 60cm minimum, up to 89cm with roll-top extended

Width: 28cm 

Depth: 20cm, excluding front pocket 

RRP: $619 

Body fabric: Ultra 200X 

Base: Ultra 800X UHMWPE 

Back: Ultragrid Ripstop 

Side pockets: Ultra TX 95 

Hip belt pockets: UltraStretch 

Sizes: Small, Medium, Large 

Size tested: Medium 

Tester height: 178cm 

Colour tested: Gravel Grey / Black Out 

Made in: Katoomba, NSW, Australia

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The Whippa Colo’s lightweight without feeling fragile

Performance

The hardest outing for the Colo 55 was The Steamers. We spent around eight hours moving through some of the hardest terrain I’ve walked in a while. There was effectively no track, so much of the night was spent pushing through thick scrub, crawling beneath vegetation, and scrambling over loose rock.

It rained for most of the trip, and I had a full overnight load inside the pack: tent, sleeping bag, mat, cooking equipment, food, and everything else I needed for the night.

Testing in soggy SE QLD

I had my reservations going into it, and honestly I was convinced that my gear would be saturated upon arriving at the campsite.

There were branches constantly scraping against it and the pack was brushing up against rock, tree trunks, and low hanging vines. The Ultra 200x material feels much lighter than what you’d find on a traditional heavy-duty hiking pack, but against all odds, the pack came out without any issues.

Holding Up in the Rain

The weatherproofing was a standout for me, especially after hours in persistent rain. I was convinced I’d open the pack to find my gear wet. Instead, everything inside the main compartment was bone dry.

Whippa tape seals the seams and uses a roll top closure on the main compartment, and in this case it worked exceptionally well.

The Ultra200X fabric kept out the relentless rain

The front stash pocket is a different story, although it stayed mostly dry, the pocket isn’t watertight so I wouldn’t trust this for anything that has to remain dry. For me it became the place for things I wanted quick access to, particularly a rain jacket, wet gear, or rubbish.

Comfort

The Whippa Colo 55’s simplicity surprised me. Unlike other overnight packs on the market, there’s no elaborate suspended mesh back panel or complicated harness arrangement. The hip belt and sternum strap are straightforward and the shoulder pads use simple 10mm closed cell foam padding.

This is a far cry from some of the overly technical options currently on the market, but in all honesty, wasn’t life simpler back when cars only had aircon and a radio?

The Colo 55’s harness is simple, comfortable and possibly sweaty

At 178cm, the medium torso length felt spot on for me. Once adjusted, the pack sat very close to my back and sat snugly against it. It barely moved even when scrambling and crawling through rough terrain. The hipbelt and shoulder straps distributed a full overnight load without creating any obvious pressure points that I can remember.

The Colo 55 felt like an extension of my body for the most part which was very useful when navigating steep and unpredictable terrain.

There is one major potential downside to Whippa’s design. The back panel sits closely against you and doesn’t have the big airflow channel you’ll find on the Osprey Atmos and other bags. All my testing was done in colder weather, so I can’t fairly say how hot it gets in summer. My assumption would be that ventilation is not one of its stronger points.

Design

The main compartment is one enormous 50L roll top space, with a 5L stash pocket on the front. There’s very little internal organisation, which I personally love. This means you’ll need to use dry bags or dedicated pack organisers if you’re a little fastidious with your packing.

The roll top makes the 55L capacity a whole lot more flexible. I pack relatively light, so I never struggle for space, and when I didn’t need the full volume I could simply roll it further down and keep everything snug within the pack.

The 55L capacity can extend with the 6L Expedition Hood available separately

That minimal approach only suits some. Those who enjoy the use of pockets for pack organisation will find the Colo 55 frustrating and should look elsewhere.

The side bottle pockets are enormous. On my Steamers stint I carried a 2L Nalgene in one, while the other swallowed my hatchet and cooking kit. They add a surprising amount of practical storage without requiring you to open the main pack.

Visually, I like it too. The gravel grey and black out colourway is understated, doesn’t look overly technical and generally blends into the bush rather than standing out from it.

Summit Gear, Whippa and Sustainability

I actively try to buy Australian made gear where I can, and Whippa’s connection to Summit Gear gives the pack an interesting local history. Summit Gear has been designing and manufacturing outdoor equipment in Katoomba since 1981, including specialist gear for Australian emergency services.

Whippa was launched in 2024 as the company’s first ultralight focused brand giving local Aussies a lightweight pack option that supports Australian business.

Is the pack sustainable? Honestly, I think so. It’s durable and will stand the test of time. While Whippa isn’t really doing anything in terms of recycled materials or carbon offsets, the pack is as tough and simple as possible, which genuinely increases sustainability.

Durability’s a key factor in sustainability.

Price

At $619, the Colo 55 sits in roughly the same price bracket as plenty of high end hiking packs. There are cheaper options out there, including some that offer more pockets and features, but in my experience they don’t necessarily match the Colo’s combination of sub kilo weight, comfort, durability, and Australian manufacturing. For me, that makes the price easier to justify, but I can understand that this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.

Don’t let the lack of weight fool you, the Whippa Colo is built tough

Final Thoughts

The Whippa x Scotty’s Gone Walkabout Colo 55 Ultralight Hiking Pack took a little while to win me over. At first, the combination of sub kilo weight and stripped back design made me wonder how it would cope on rough South East Queensland terrain.

After three substantial trips, including hours of wet, off track bushbashing through the Scenic Rim, those concerns have largely disappeared. It’s carried comfortably, kept its contents dry, and come through far harder treatment than its weight would suggest. It won’t suit hikers who want lots of compartments or a highly engineered pack, but for anyone who values low weight, durability and Aussie manufacturing, it makes a very convincing case for itself.