I purchased this pack when I was just getting into backpacking and didn't want to spend a ton of money as I wasn't sure how much I would be doing this. Well I've now done over 100 miles with this pack over several trips and I love this pack! While I've changed and upgraded other gear, I have no thoughts on upgrading my pack any time soon. It just is solid and while on the heavy side (the only reason I'll probably upgrade at some point) the features you get are perfect for my use personally. I've used this pack now in all seasons and from overnighters to six day five night treks. From wet trips to bone dry, pack all your water trips. Why anyone needs more then 50 liters is beyond me. My six day trip I had a two man tent, zero degree bag, and 10 liter bear bag stuffed full with food, plus all the other essentials needed. The only thing I ever strap on the outside of my pack is a sleeping pad, everything else fits inside just fine. My heaviest load out was right around 40 lbs and it handled it perfectly. The things I like best are the side and top pockets which make it easy to have a ton of quick accessable items that are easy to organize and know where everything is without digging around and pulling items out of your pack to get to them. I use one side for toiletries and such (tp, toothbrush, toothpaste, deet, sunblock, wet wipes) the other side for tools (pocket chain saw, bear bag line, headlamp, compass, first aid kit) the top pouch for quick items I might need throughout the day (couple snacks, phone charger, cigarettes, lighter, map) and the pocket on the bottom side of the lid I put my rain jacket, water filter and dirty water bag. Basically you never need to get anything out of the main compartment of your bag unless you are stopped for lunch and want to cook something or at camp. This saves time looking for things and pulling items out of your pack only to have to repack it all back and cinch it all down again. Some folks complain about the sleeping bag compartment, I can understand. It is small, however I personally can fit my sleeping bags in there just fine. Even my zero degree synthetic fits in there just barely with a compression bag. But I can see where this might be a complaint for some, just not for me. If you are in to strapping things on the outside of your pack, there are plenty of places to do so. Trekking pole loops, ice axe and hatchet loops, D rings on the shoulder straps, compression straps at the bottom for pads or tents, and enough bungee cord to strap on anything else you can possibly need. Very solid in this area for those who need this option. Finally the suspension is pretty good at least for me. I'm 5'7" about a buck sixty. So I'm a small guy. Keep that into consideration obviously, but for me the pack rides well. Especially after a couple of trips and adjustments and learning how to pack it so it's more top heavy. My last two trips I had zero issues with balance. No back, hip, or shoulder soreness at all. I'm very pleased with this. The first couple of trips I did have those issues though. I'm not sure if it was all the adjustments made or that I built up more strength over the miles of travel. Probably a bit of both honestly. My last trip I had six liters of water on me as it was a desert trip, as heavy as I've ever packed, and I had absolutely no issues. The pack felt perfectly balanced. No hip, back or shoulder pain to speak of at all. Maybe it needed a little break in time as well, who knows. Now for the cons and these are minor complaints I have with this bag or areas they could easily improve the design.... First the side pockets for water bottles are simply too small. When my main compartment is full, only a smart water bottle sized bottle will fit and even then it's a very tight squeeze. As I utilize my side pockets and they are stuffed, they get in the way of a one liter bottle a little. So you can't just reach back and grab a bottle out, have a drink, then put the bottle back in on the go. Well you can, but I'm often fumbling to get the bottle back in the pocket, and at times I just have to unbuckle and swing my pack around to actually get it back in there. I really wish they made those pockets expand more. Also this size will make them impossible to carry larger circumference bottles in them. They really need to make the elastic water bottle pockets a little larger. Second is the front mesh pocket. It's useless with a full pack. First it's to shallow to begin with. Especially if you are going to have a Velcro fastener. It's just too small of a pocket to be of any use to me. I don't know why they couldn't have had the mesh go further up the pack. Second, it is not elastic, so with a full main compartment you can't put anything in there anyway! Maybe slip a map in there, that's about it. Nothing thicker then a few pieces of paper would fit. So I don't see the point of this mesh pocket. They could easily fix this if they use an elastic mesh and run it further up making it larger and actually usable with a full main compartment. All in all I have to say this is a solid piece of gear and one I would recommend to just about everyone. The exception being the ultra light guys and taller larger folks. But anyone in to UL backpacking wouldn't consider this pack to begin with anyway. I would give it a 4.5 rating as the cons I listed keep it from a perfect score for a budget pack. Still a great pack and one that I imagine I'll continue to use for a couple more years before I plan on upgrading.
