Jared B. from United States, CO Public Profile

I recently got this pack, and have used it several days at this point. It is the first Avy pack I've had, and the E1 system seems as good as anything can get. It was extremely easy to test deploy at home, repack, and quickly have it ready to use again. The rest of the pack is mostly well thought out, but for a $1000 pack could be better. The main zipper, despite being huge and looking durable, has run extremely roughly from delivery, and takes a lot of force to use. The helmet attachment works, but the velcro is prone to coming loose, and it seems like it was just an afterthought added on. Dedicated clips for it would be a lot better. For the tool compartment, it is nice they have dedicated spaces for probe and shovel, but the shovel pouch is too small for my shovel, so the shovel just lives outside of it. It seems like there are some low hanging fruit for improvements that should be made.

Additionally, I'm 6'5", and the pack frame is small for me, and an additional 3 inches or so of frame would be a nice option. Even with the shoulder straps as long as they go, I still have excess weight on my shoulders, and the airbag deploy handle is on top of and almost behind my shoulder. For anyone 6' and under, this wouldn't be an issue, but if you are over 6' and have much torso length, don't expect the pack to fit well.

So far they are pretty stiff compared to what I'm used to, which should be good for durability. They do seem to be a little better after wearing a couple times, but I'm hoping they break in more and are more comfortable after a while.

I've only used it a couple nights so far, but it is comfortable and stays inflated all night. I also am less sore in the morning, since I don't bottom out on the ground through the pad if I move around. Assuming it is durable, it should be a good piece of gear.

I've only used it a few days so far, so no comments on durability, but it handles well. Dry treatment smells sort of strange, but I'm guessing that will go away with some use.