The suv of packs - Mystery Ranch Terraframe 80 Backpack

This is a great, comfortable, spacious pack. I traded in a Kelty external frame pack for this model and have done a ten miler with it, very happy. Heavy duty construction on everything, so not for "ultralight" hikers, but more for hikers that want space and toughness for the next 20 years of ownership. I think the base weight is around 8lbs. I like the hybrid & expandable external/internal frame system and being able to slip a tarp in between the bag and the frame is cool & very useful. The two large pockets that run on the outside are where my rain gear and extra warm layers live for quick access. I like the molle attachment points on the hip belt for adding dump bags, accessories. The inside is one big cavern--so secret pockets or nooks and crannies. Only one sleeved pouch on the back which is where you'd put stuff like a hydration bag if that's your system. I put maps & ditty bags in there.

The detachable top section is a little smaller than I'd like, though.... you can get a 1L Nalgene in there, some trail mix and a light rain jacket in it with a few other small objects and that's about it. Not a deal-breaker, but smaller than I expected as it's billed as a detachable day pack. Their system of detaching the shoulder straps and attaching to it to make it a day pack seems like crazy overkill since the pack is so small--a better design would be to use 1'' webbing for the straps because it's basically waist-pack sized in terms of volume.

Like practically every single brand on the market, the two lower external pockets that hold your 1L Nalgene bottles are a tad bit undersized. I feel like that elastic lip is going to give out first in a few years and that lightweight almost mesh material is about two inches too short. Talk to me in ten years and I'll be wishing they were made out of cordura like the rest of the pack.

Their system of weight management when it comes to integrating the bag, frame & shoulder/waist straps is really good, though. While my external frame pack wins overall when it comes to brute-force weight carrying, this pack wins when it comes to being able to move athletically on the trail.

Sizing: their fitment guide suggests going down a size if you are in-between sizes, but I would actually suggest go in the opposite direction. I bought the Small, Medium and Large packs to evaluate and kept the Large. I'm 5'8", broad shouldered, 185lbs with a 34 to 36" pant size (with a 30 inseam). The pack I kept was the L/XL version which has a L/XL (17" - 24" torso) tag on the shoulder straps and waist strap sized as M/L (35-40" waist). My torso measures about 18". I think skewing larger will give you comfier shoulder straps and a bigger, beefier waist belt with increased surface area which I felt distributed the load better. When I crank on the waist belt it gets plenty tight--it's not like I'm maxing out that adjustment as I could still loose some weight and tighten it even further.

Overall a solid design.