Great pack - recommended! - Gregory Stout 45L Backpack - Men's

I am a male 5'11, 155 pounds, athletic build.

I have the L version of this pack (48L) I've gone on several multi day backpacking trips with this pack (up to 6 days) and don't let yourself be fooled by the 48L of this backpack; there is plenty of room for everything.

On my first trip I had to carry 2 days worth of water for the first couple of days before getting to my first water supply, and I have to say that the water in addition to the gear and 6 days worth of food, got a little bit too heavy on my shoulders. I am not sure how much it weighed, but it was certainly way over the "comfort zone" of this pack (around 35 pounds) and it was still totally manageable to do 10 miles a day.

As soon as you get closer to the comfort zone, however, this pack is wonderful. The weigh distribution is really nice (you barely notice any weigh on your shoulders -if any-) and it adapts surprisingly well to the shape of your back. At first I thought that the tight fit of the shoulder straps would put more weigh than I wanted on my shoulders, but I couldn't have been more wrong; it makes the pack adjust really well to your body, allowing no space for the pack to move around and make you loose your balance even in the most complicated of the trails.

In terms of organization, I would have personally liked a separate compartment for the sleeping bag to keep things a little more organized, but the bottom zipper of the bag does the job just fine to take your sleeping bag quickly out of the bag without having to get everything out of it.
Finally it is to say that this pack most certainly honors the name of its model. It is sturdy and durable; it definitely looks like it is going to be around with me for a long while.

Overall, great pack. Ergonomic, natural fit to the body, sturdy, adaptable! No matter what you do with it (overnight or multiday) this pack will adapt to your needs. It can stretch quite a lot while still managing weight quite impressively for its size, or it can also compress for smaller loads and you won't even be able to tell you still have it on. Totally recommended.

PS: I didn't want to talk much about the design given that this is such a subjective topic; but I want to mention that I totally love the aesthetics of it; great designing job! Blue is best ;)

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.