Its a fake! I knew it was when I bought it but it was cheap even for the fakes. I was recently in Nepal and while in Kathmandu, there were TONS of trekking shops with fake gear, there was also real gear for cheap (everything in that country is cheap) but I was really low on funds. I found these Northface packs that everywhere had for 40 - 60 ish USD for about 19 USD after I talked to the guy for along time.





I figured for 19 bucks if it lasted a few times times would be well worth it. I just wanted something small short trips cause I only have a big bag. Anybody have any experience with counterfeit goods?

I have, but not backpacking gear. When I was in Poland, there was a bazaar that had very obvious knock offs for real cheap. In Iraq, a friend of mine bought a "Rolex" for $20 and then went home and sold it at a pawn shop for a couple hundred.

There are fakes of almost anything you can think of. China is the source of most of them. There is a mall in Shanghai (think it was there) that sold nothing but fakes of high end clothes, sporting goods, you name it. I saw it on 60 Minutes.

Things to really beware of-fake drugs and climbing gear-yes, there are fake Petzl biners and other climbing gear around. Petzl has a warning on their website.
http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/news-2/2...-petzl-products