Reviews & Ratings for Bergans of Norway Helium 40 L Backpack - Women's — 1 review — Page 1

When I saw the nextgen of my favorite lightweight pack, the previous version of the 55L Helium lady, highlighted in Backpacker magazine's spring 2016 gear guide, I was stoked! Had to have it and ordered it right away. I decided to get the 40L since my 55L serves me just fine hoping it would be a great day pack or weekender. Sadly, it is going back and I am no longer a fan. So much has gone wrong with this pack - the quick adjust harness is not quick to adjust, the velcro is hard to get open and scrapes your hands. But once I fenangled the torso fit, I found the diamond shaped area that covers the adjustments rubbed me really wrong in that part of my back and upper shoulders. While the hip belt is now anatomical 3d whatever whatever, it no longer covers my iliac crest completely. It is shorter in girth and rides higher even at the lowest torso fit for me and with a weighted pack. I also felt something odd in the lower back area of the pack. Turns out, the piece of material there has been deformed by how tight the pack was wrapped up for shipping. I couldn't get it to flatten, it just kept buckling. Additionally, there doesn't seem to be a framesheet in this one. You can feel nearly straight through the material in most areas of the back. The hydration sleeve doesn't go all the way down and would not hold my 3l bladder. The mesh on the side pockets is thinner and would be more prone to snags. The compression straps, or rather, strings, are completely ridiculous. They don't stay...
Read More...