andrewp from United States, AZ Public Profile

I purchased this pack for the days when I needed to carry more than my 25l pack was able to handle. This pack is quite a bit bigger and I do question whether I'll ever fill it completely on a day hike, but it's nice to know that I have the room should I need it. Even though this is a "small" pack by MR standards it's still capable of carrying quite a bit more weight than one would ever consider loading into a pack of this size.

Although I purchased this as a gear-heavy day pack now that I have it and have hiked with it a few times I'm excited to try taking it out on a light overnight trip. There's not enough room to handle my fall / winter kit, but it should have no trouble with a summer bag or quilt along with simple shelter and amenities.

At 40l, this is definitely in an odd size range. Too big to be someone's only day pack for hiking and too small to be useful as a general backpacking pack. If you end up carrying a lot of extra gear (for work or pleasure) then this could very well be the perfect pack for you. To put it another way, if you _need_ a 40l pack then stop looking and buy this. If you're looking for a general-purpose hiking day pack then you should look a bit smaller than this (like the Coulee 25 or Scree 32).

As with all Mystery Ranch packs the quality of materials and construction is beyond reproach.

I bought this chair specifically for backpacking as a luxury item. While the chair is easy to setup, comfortable, and perfectly functional it still leaves a bit to be desired. My two primary issues deal with the bulkiness of the frame when folded and the fact that the legs tend to sink into soft soil very easily. The latter can be addressed with some strategic placement (or strategically placed rocks), but there's no way to make the folded chair smaller. The big issue is with the two plastic hubs that the aluminum supports plug into. These take up a ton of room and make the folded chair one of the larger items in my pack.

I may end up trying one of the hubless chairs from Big Agnes even though there appears to be a significant weight penalty along with a gain in packed length.

If you don't mind strapping it to the outside of your pack then this is an excellent chair. If you're set on fitting it inside the pack (as I am) then you'll end up fighting with it a bit.

If you're able to backpack in a temperate climate with easy access to water then there are other (smaller & lighter) packs out there which will likely work just fine. If you're dealing with less-than-ideal conditions and need to carry more gear (or water) then this pack should be at the top of your list. Sure, it doesn't have a lot of the selling-point features of the other packs and it's a bit on the heavy side, but those things likely won't matter one bit when you're on the trail. With the Glacier you get a design that's been continuously refined over the course of the past 30+ years and through that a pack that can carry almost anything for any length of time without killing you. Just like my Dana Designs packs of the past this one has allowed me to carry a lot of weight over technical terrain without aggravating my back one bit. On the trail I have zero concerns about the durability of the pack and have absolute confidence that it won't let me down. I can't say that about other packs I've carried.

If you're looking at one of the 65 - 75L packs from one of the other (bigger) manufacturers then you owe it to yourself to check out the Glacier. It will absolutely outlast anything else on the market and when you're 10 miles and 4000' AEG into your third day on the trail you'll be singing the praises of the Glacier's ability to carry any load with ease.