Internal Frame Backpack

I'm only 5'-4". Perhaps this bag is too big for me, but I mainly bought it for "emergency preparedness" and then have ended up using it as I venture into the world of backpack camping. In my opinion, the only thing missing are pockets along the waist buckle. Other packs have that option and it would be a nice place to store a phone, lip balm, or snack. A few things: I LOVE all the pockets/straps/features, however, some of them are hard to find because of the black on black color. Some contrast stitching would make it a lot easier to find things. There is a rainfly, but it might take you awhile to find it and there IS a bladder pouch and hose slot (it's on the right side if you are wearing your pack). I love the two mesh pockets at the bottom which I am just flexible enough to reach around and grab a water bottle. The side zippered pockets are great for a first aid kit, etc. I like that you can separate the bottom compartment for shoes/fuel OR you can unzip it to just create a single large space, and if you have voluminous clothing, the 5L extension at the top is very nice as are the two "brain" pockets (at the very top of the pack) that zipper from opposite sides to ensure you can put keys and anything you don't want to get wet on the inside and nothing will fall out if you want to put things in the more easily accessible outside brain pocket. There are 3 sets of straps for securing the pack to your body. The set attached to the waist buckle. Then there is a set at the typical place all backpacks have them, by your obliques. Then there is the third, higher up straps near your shoulders that help keep the pack tight to your back. I could use a longer set of these because the pack is never fully against my back which I guess is because of my height. As long as I don't "overpack" (more than 20% of my body weight) it isn't an issue, although if anything makes me buy another pack it will be this AND the desire for waist pockets. Finally, there is a place to strap poles, sleeping pad, etc. Overall, well-made, lots of features, reasonable price.

I've used this for at least 1 big overnight hike every year, the past 7 years. Usually about 40-50# worth of essentials packed inside or strapped to the outside on a 10-15 mile solo hike each time. This bag has never failed. All the zippers, cinch strings, stitching, etc still looks brand new. If anything its too big and I tend to overpack it. Lots of organization room; durable; versatile. My only complaint is the price has gone up considerably in the past few years, otherwise I'd buy another one for guests. The straps do tend to loosen but once you tighten the upper shoulder strap that connects it to the backpack it tends to stay tight for me.

I've used this for a few years now and while I haven't experienced some of the issues others have, I realize this is not a 'pro' level backpack either. It is entry level, and should be judged on that. I've used it for weekend backpacking trips, and general camping. I'm not going to put 50 pounds in it and complain that it wont hold, because it's not designed for that. If you're carrying 50 pounds or more, you should look into expedition rated bags, or hunter backpacks, not economy 'store brand' merchandise. And comparing it to the same is like comparing apples and bananas. I've found this bag to easily carry what I needed for short backpacking trips. A hammock, Tarp, UQ, TQ, change of clothes, food water and stove. I do not believe it's a full 75L pack, as I moved to this from a 65+10 and I swear I lost room. The front pocket is shallow, maybe 1 1/2" deep and most of what I've stored there has been miscellaneous flat gear. Paper, map, etc. I've also found the side pockets to be a little lacking, though they look large, it's deceiving. They will barley hold 2 regular cans of food, stacked, in them (not that I would carry that, just an example of volume). I ended up using 1 pocket for my stove/pot kit (Stanley type) and the other for 'storage' (Stakes, misc, etc). So, what about the good? It has a large spacious main compartment with a zipper separation between the top and bottom sections. There is a space for a camel back with a Velcro strap to hold it and a hole to route your hose through. The "Brain" on the bag, has an external pocket and an internal pocket. I keep my night clothes in the inside pocket and the things I need to reach quickly in the outside one. There are 2 mesh pockets on the bottom, that work well for water bottles or similar. It has a integrated rain cover that it sewn into a pocket on the bottom (No more losing that cover!) and has adjustable compression straps all over the bag to snug everything up. The torso length is adjustable, as is the hip belt, sternum strap and shoulder straps (top and bottom). Although I didn't experience any slippage of my straps others did. This can be overcome by placing new buckles on the straps, if you are so inclined... Overall, it's a good starter backpack. Don't expect much, but you didn't spend much either. Read all the reviews, Good & Bad and decide for yourself.

(75L pack) Haven't put it to use yet, but these are my first impressions with pictures. Was looking for pack with plenty of storage and pockets, with webbing on the outside for expansion packs or lashing gear/equipment as necessary. This is a stellar pack and worth more than I paid for it, for sure. High quality metal zippers, not-cheap plastic buckles. More pockets than I will have stuff. Stitching seems quality, and adjustable height shoulder straps to customize a quality fit. Inside is mostly one large space for gear. There is an elastic pocket sewn to the back portion of the pack as a divider, presumably to hold water bladder (as large as you need)b though itbis sewn slightly low in the pack. There is a velcro hanger loop for the bladder, and a hole for the hose that exits over the right shoulder. The frame piece is contained in a zippered puch at the back, narrow and slim but another opportunity for storage. The 'cap' of the pack has a pocket inside that covers most of the space, much larger capacity than my splayed hand. It also has one on the outside, larger than my splayed hand. Both zippered. Front pocket has a U-shaped zipper approximately 12" tall and 6" wide, with reasonable depth to accommodate gear. Outside this pocket is a single line of webbing for affixing molle-style pouches or other equipment. 2 cylindrical zippered pockets, one on each side, large enough to comfortably hold a 32oz Gatorade bottle. 2 small elastic-topped, half mesh water bottle pockets, one on each side, comfortably hold a 20oz plastic water bottle with clearance to spare. Maybe not highly accessible while wearing the pack, depending on how long and flexible your arms are. Bottom compartment with double-zipper opens plenty wide. Stuff a modest-sized sleeping bag, pair of footwear, mess kit, or whatever else. Most of the width and depth of the pack, and about 9" high. Smaller verticle zippered pouch, bigger than my splayed hand, that comes with a rain fly. Ample room for more storage of small (especially flatter) items. Lashing straps underneath pack for a rolled item, and another set above to lash something to bottom front. Several other pairs of loops, webbing, and straps with buckles to fix more gear to theboack or cinch a full pack tight. Shoulder and hip straps have high density foam padding for comfort. Plastic D-rings on shoulder straps, and elastic band to help hold hyration hose or other equipment. I'm highly impressed with this pack. Only negatives I can see sre small: lack of pockets or webbing on hip straps lose an opportinity for more carrying potential. A dedicated pouch for hydration pack accessible from outside the pack would be ideal, but the oppirtunity for an oversized bladder thanks internal capacity of pack offsets that. Maybe a better handle for lifting a loaded pack. That's all I can really see that could use improvement, but my expectations were already well exceeded.

I'll start with it: This bag does have an internal pocket for water bladders. I saw some answers say yes, some no, and that almost made me not purchase it. Amazon should delete answers that are factually incorrect. It has a pocket that I'll say is 3/4 high, then a velcro strap for the handle of the bladder. Also a hole for the hose to exit the bag. I ordered a 3L Platypus bladder and it fits with room to spare! It's my first hiking pack, so this part is from my perspective but I think the sleeping bag pocket is plenty large enough. I ordered a Teton Trailhead, adult size, mummy style bag and it fit in it just fine. I think I could even order a similar bag rated for lower temps and still squeeze it in there. My standard, rectangle coleman bag would definitely not fit. I wouldn't really expect it to though. It's near the size of the bag! I haven't taken it on the trail yet, I'll update my review if my mind changes with use. I have organized and fully loaded it though. I'm coming up around 40 pounds for 3ish days worth of stuff, clothes and food included, water not included. It feels comfortable and secure to me at this weight. I ran out of space before I could bring the weight any higher. I have some optimizing to do there, space and weight. I also near exclusively camp in areas with a ton of water sources and bring filters so I don't know that I'll ever walk around with its bladder full. I fit a LOT of stuff in it, so I'm very happy with its size. I even have a full fishing set up in it. With some smarter purchases of a few things I could open up some space to carry even more. I think it's a great product and worth it's price.

This is a great pack for the cost. This is definitely an entry level pack. Noteworthy though, I do canyoneering (which is pretty hard on equipment) and this has held up perfectly on four outings so far. My fourth trip, I spent approximately 12 hours canyoneering/rappelling the Sierra Anchas in Arizona with approximately 70lbs inside the pack (I ordered the largest size), and it isn't showing any signs of wear. The Squeak: The pack makes a horrid noise when you put it under load and start walking. I fixed this by removing the adjustable shoulder strap from the center of the back pad (it is velcro) and put several layers electrical tape over the area that has no velcro. I then velcroed everything down and the pack was immediately silent! I probably used 30 cents in tape. The Upper Shoulder Strap Adjustment: There are two adjustments on the shoulder strap, one up top and one below. On my pack the upper adjustment kept on coming loose under load. I adjusted the upper strap to the position I desired, then rolled the excess strapping up in about a 1 inch fold and wrapped it several times with....you guessed it.....electrical tape. This was probably 5 cents in electrical tape. I would say that it is annoying that I had to make adjustments to a brand new pack, but I did not expect perfection at this price point, BUT, the pack seems to carry the load very well and I enjoy putting it on. It is comfortable, functional, and looks decent. I have been avid outdoorsman for 18 years.

This bag is great for the price point especially compared to other bags on the market at 5 to 6 times the cost of this one. I took this with me on my honeymoon to Europe and it worked great. I was able to fit everything that I needed in this bag and the internal frame made it comfortable to carry when we were moving from city to city on the train. I didn’t even use all of the storage space in the bag as some of it does have a very specific use but if you were camping this bag would be great. Saw some reviews that the buckles broke easy, I didn’t have this issue with the bag at all but if I do I am just planning on buying some metal clips and replacing all of them on the bag to make sure they don’t break!

If you're looking for a budget bag this is not bad. I weighed my bag and it's 5.04 lbs (2.285 kg) according to my scale; it's a heavy bag. Mesh straps and adjustment system are reasonably comfortable but fully loaded, the pack is not the most comfortable and mine makes some squeaky noises that are annoying. The side pockets are not as useful as you might think. I would prefer a slightly bigger main compartment instead of the side pockets. I do like the rear pocket but a mesh pocket would be equally good and possibly lighter. The lower mesh pockets can each hold a nalgene bottle. It does not come with a rain cover. Not expected for this price, but something you will have to buy separately. Conclusion: This is a big heavy bag for a cheap price. The flaws are acceptable for this price point but if you're willing to spend more you can get a better backpack. I would not suggest this pack for longer trips but for shorter trips where weight is not a major concern but budget is a concern, this could be a good choice.