Solid Investment
Bought this recently to fill the role between a bare-bones hydration pack and a 30L daypack. Interior is brightly colored, good for low-visibility/night; main zip is asymmetric and only extends halfway down one side, which seems like a potential blow-out saver; plenty of attachment points; comes with a lightweight removable plastic face-sheet (no Aluminum stays), which was totally unexpected and great for distributing heavier loads; sized perfect for my torso, 5'10" 160lb. Comfortable when fully-loaded, small enough to be barely noticeable when just used with a bladder and cinched down. No frills and the construction is bomber (though hasn't taken much hardcore abuse yet). Overall, a very solid investment, especially seeing as these were going for $99 at the start of last season (+50% off isn't bad). So far, used during a music festival, carrying 3L water, hardshell, sweatshirt, food for the day, and a couple extras with some space to spare. Also been on some day hikes with a similar load. Will likely see heavy backcountry and resort riding next winter. Profile is flat and low, which is probably great for mountain biking too. Will be used as a summit pack for Mt. Rainier in a few weeks. Will likely be carrying a mid-weight down, hardshell, heavy mittens, 3L water, goggles, misc insulation, food, first aid, ice-axe (external), trekking poles (external), and likely a few extras. Probably wont need to, but looks like crampons can be attached to the board straps pretty easily. Collapses down to about the size of an emergency bivy pad when empty. Might argue that it's excessively heavy for a traditional alpine summit pack, but that's not really it's intended application. Black tiger camo will be handy if North Korea decides to invade the Pacific Northwest and I need to fight communists in the woods with a crossbow like Patrick Swayze in Red Dawn.