I highly recommend women purchase a backpack made for women, like this one. I own the High Peak Luna and not buying gear made for women would be like wearing mens hiking boots. Great piece of equipment.
I like this backpack because it stays in position very well, has lots of space to pack our doggy supplies and is very sturdy.
I had my reservations about this bag, because it doesn't look like it could handle a lot of heavy weights and abuse. However, I was desperate and bought this pack in a hurry, for the purpose of traveling for a week in Africa. I had to be a savvy packer and wanted something small- I didn't want to run the risk of leaving my luggage in the storage below the bus. I needed something with substantial room that would fit underneath my seat for my bus trips and as a carry-on. I packed this bag to the max with a week's worth of underwear, all my toiletries, bathing suit, small towel, two pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of lightweight pants, sandals, socks, and 3 short sleeve tee-shirts, some tank tops, and rain jacket. I was even able to lock the pockets with my valuables. There are many useful pockets inside for documents, ipod, and even CD pocket (which I used to store my compact digital camera). This pack traveled with me for a week in Ghana, was abused and battered and made it back in one piece. My friend was traveling with a North Face Reacon bag, and even she was impressed with how well my bag held up considering what I paid for it. I gave the pack only four stars because the mesh pockets only hold very small bottles- my 1/2 liter water bottle fell out all the time and I ended up carrying it a lot. The mesh pockets are useful for smaller items like lip gloss, sunglasses, or sunblock. The bungee cords are useless and are only there for looks, the straps are thin and very uncomfortable if you have a heavy load, (however there is a sternum strap which did help a little- but no waist belt). In addition, the bag was only outside for a few minutes with light rain and my contents got soaked rather quickly (cheap zippers is the cause). Luckily, I brought a small dry bag with me to keep my socks and camera dry. I recommend getting a rain cover if you plan to spending a lot of time outdoors with the pack like I did. When I came back, my boyfriend started using it immediately as a gym bag and takes it with him on the subway to work almost everyday. For that purpose it is a great bag. My macbook even fits in here perfectly with a case on. Overall, I can't knock the pack too much, it is great for the price and has held up well.
This Backpack is awesome! This is the first internal frame pack I've purchased, and it's freaking sweet. Reading the reviews I decided on this one due to some reviews saying it worked for tall people. Short people can use this too!, the shoulder straps are adjustable - I never thought a backpack could do that, but the whole shoulder strap contraption actually shifts up and down, giving a great fit for anyone 6'5" (like myslef, and 220lbs) to shorter, I'm guessing kids could fit super comfortable with it. But I'm not just talking about straps leading from bottom of backpack to the pit area, thoes adjust too, but the whole thing does, never seen anything like it.
The only thing bad about it I can think of is the sleeping bag compartment is too small, I just unzipped the seperater thing making it one large bag. Which I kinda like cause it forces me to get a smaller (and more lightweight) bag for the hiking and snowshoeing. Oh, and the inside compartment barley fit my huge, 35" snowshoes.
This is freaking sweet, for the price, freaking sweet. I used it on one miserable snowshoeing trip so far, and it held up great. I packed too much stuff making the snowshoeing trip horrible(first time ever snowshoeing, learned my lesson), but my back and shoulders were comfortable with this bag - The waist strap helps a ton, and with big plastic clip-to-gether things it was super easy to do up and undo with gloves on. Time will tell on the zippers, and fabric, and plastic clip-to-gether things hold up, but from the first abusive trip, and from just looking at it, I'm sure it will. I would for sure buy again!
Hope this helps the tall people on their purchase, we need to look out for each other!
I have used this MULE for a while now and it has passed several of my test. I fill it with ice first then water when I know I am going out. I live in the desert and it get very hot here. It works great and for over 8 hours I have ICE cold water. I have used it on family outings such as the zoo and saves me $$ as I am not spending 2.50 for a bottle of water. This is a complete simple system for me as I also carry a streamlight LED flashlight and Level 1 first aid kit in at along with camera and other accessories. Even after that I have room for other stuff. I give this system a 5 Star rating.
The Raptor foldable stove has been a hassle-free addition to my pack. I would suggest improvising some kind of wind screen. The piezo lights every time with no signs of wearing out. And as long as you are frugal with your fuel, each canister will last a while. I took three two-day trips last summer and still have fuel to begin next season. It folds neatly into its small rugged protective case. Down the line, I might be looking at titanium for decreased weight, but for an extra ounce or so, the price on this one is a great value.
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