Covers a lot of bases - Deuter Trail 30L Daypack

I've always believed in having the correct tool for the job. I bought one of these because I was looking for a larger day pack to mesh with longer hikes, and it seems to fit the bill in spades. It is perhaps overkill for a three mile loop, but I bought it for those days when I intend to spend 10 to 15 miles on the trail. For fun, I loaded the pack up with a summer weight sleep bag, bivy, water, food, mini stove and suvival/first aid and had room to spare. I truly believe one could use this pack for a long ultralight weekend, and I intend to experiment in that regard come spring time.

Filled with around 20 lbs of gear, the pack was comfortable. I was worried about the mesh hip belt, but it was not uncomfortable in the slightest. I wore the thing loaded for several hours around my house to try to break it in and did not find any areas of chafe or discomfort. Obviously, I'll need to wait for a field test for a final review, but we're off to Big Bend and Guadalupe Mountains national parks in March where the pack will get a workout.

So far though, I'm impressed with the quality of construction and the suitability for what I envisioned when I started thinking about buying a new "day" pack.

*BTW, I don't climb anymore (I'm 60), but had such a pack been around when I did, it would have been welcome. There are plenty of places to attach axes, crampons, etc.

Bottom line: Good first impression and I can't wait to try it out.