I recently bought this through REI, and am awaiting it's arrival through the mail as they didn't have it in stock at the store.

I tried on a different Aether pack, as well as a Deuter pack. I've been using a really cheesy pack so any improvement has to be a good one. Though the Aether felt good, the Deuter did seem somehow better, almost lighter despite them being nearly identical in weight.

I chose the Aether as it was larger, and I'd prefer to have a bigger pack, mostly because I pack the the bulk of our daughter's stuff (she has a small pack that has a water bladder, and carries her PJ's and a stuffed animal), but we'd also like to make a 30 day trail hike, which, if possible, would be the CD, and it may be that we'll need to pack more food as there are less places to stop from what I gather. Had there have been a larger pack that fit I'd likely have chosen it.

The other reason is it's an American product with a great reputation and warranty. German's are known for over engineering stuff, and I couldn't stop considering it despite it not being what I felt was ideal (large).

I have a short upper body (17") so my choices were quite limited.

I'm not sure what to do with my old Cuscus 75 now. I wouldn't recommend one to anybody!!! Unfortunately we were duped by the reviews (which now are poor) many moons ago, and didn't know much about packs to begin with.