Bought a Cuscus 75 liter Expedition pack nearly 2 years ago. The water bladder pouch seam tore before I even got it outside. Having read some other reviews it seems things don't hold up well with this pack, and the company has poor customer service.

Now that I'm about ready to replace this pack I am uncertain as to how you are supposed to measure your torso.

I'd like to keep the volume the same or larger. I'd like to keep the weight the same (~5 lbs) or lighter. It must have be hydration bladder ready. It needs to have several exterior pockets. I'd prefer it to have a pouch on the belt. I really like the external attachments for a tent/sleeping bag. I really dislike bright neon colors. And I'd like to keep the cost below $300.

Any recommendations or packs to steer clear of?

What is the difference in a women's pack and a man's?
I'm just under 5'8" and 150 lbs so I figure as long as there aren't flowers and butterflies or a bright pink coloration a long women's pack may be an option.

I don't have any pack recommendation for your criteria, but the only difference between a man's and a woman's is the sizing. I have the woman's color Granite Gear Blaze, but I had the hip belt swapped out.

Fitting tips for packs

Do find someone else to measure your torso length. When I tried to do it myself, each time was as much as 2 inches different from the previous attempt!

I'm really surprised that more people don't check the excellent articles listed in the left hand column on the home page of this site. Lots of gold to mine there!

Sorry about the skipping the info on the left. I bypass all of that and come directly to the forum pages...

I read the internal backpacking tips. Quite informative. Thanks!

I've been looking at the ultralight backpacks on the left in the ultra light gear section here.

I'm surprised that your own measurements could be that far off!

We typically buy things online when we can find a good deal and therefore cannot try it out first, and probably won't have a return policy.

As for buying online and return policies I reccomend REI...you can find good deals at rei-outlet.com and if you don't like it just return it to the store. I ordered 3 jackets from them and returned 2 to a store...I asked their customer service about this and they said it was perfectly OK to do that.

If I'm measuring my torso correctly I'm coming up with ~17".

I see most large capacity packs (70+ liters) start with 18" torso sizes. Will that 1/2-1" difference be a big deal as far as long term comfort (several miles)?

Can the shoulder straps have padding sewn into them to accommodate the size gap?

ESTU - I think some manufacturers also shape the straps, so as not to put pressure on a womans breasts. I'm pretty sure Kelty does this with their "S" design packs for the ladies. Not real sure about the other companies though. Other than that, a given pack, say a Kelty Coyote for men and women are identical.

J.

????? The difference is the angle of the belt and the shape of the straps.

I have both woman specific and man specific packs. Some belt designs work better for me than others.

You're really going to have to try the pack on with the gear you plan to put into it. Pack sizes are like shoe sizes; every manufacturer is different. Note that the torso length range for, say, a medium often differs for every manufacturer. Most manufacturers say that if you're between sizes, get the larger size. Since I'm at the bottom end of "small," I haven't experienced this situation. Most packs are too big for me!

Yeah, that what I meant. Sorry for the vagueness. I had the straps and hip belt swapped on my Blaze backpack.

Very few packs that will give me the volume I need (70+ liters), the waist size (30-31"), as well as meet a few of my setup requirements without going well over the weight (5 lbs) with a short torso (~17").

The Dueter ACT Lite 65+10 is cheaper and lighter than the few others I've found, but I know nothing about them. Anyone have anything to say about them?

I have two of these packs, one my wife uses! And we are both very, very happy with them.

Deuter makes a great pack. I briefly used an ACT Lite and ACT Zero series pack (I want to say one was a 50+10 and the other a 60+10, but I can't really remember.) They are really nice packs, with superb adjustable suspensions. They carried really well, and both are now on friends' backs, both are delighted with the pack.

The only reason I am not still using one is that it's simply overkill for the load I typically carry (about 16 - 18 pounds of food, water, and gear other than the pack.) There was a bit too much volume in the 50, and the suspension was far more than I needed. So, I found a pack (Gregory Savant 48) that was half a pound lighter and still sufficient for my needs.

I'm leaning towards getting a Deuter for dayhike. A 28 liter. It a three way race between Deuter, Granite Gear Habanero, and Osprey Strato.

I've been looking for a daypack for winter, about 26-28 liters, but have had many difficulties. First of all, I do need some structure to it, to transfer most of the weight to the hip belt--my shoulders are extremely pressure-sensitive. I can't use a pack that will just hang off my shoulders, especially with heavier winter gear.

Second, an increasing number of daypacks are "unisex" and "one size fits all," which means that with my 15 inch torso, they are all way too big for me. (I can relate here to the big and tall guys, for whom these same packs are way too small!) REI used to have a nice light 29L woman-specific daypack, but I discovered too late that they have discontinued their woman-specific packs. (I did find the 19L version on closeout, which works fine for warm weather but won't hold all my winter stuff.) GoLite also discontinued their woman-specific packs. The pack I just got rid of (North Face) was definitely too big and not very comfortable.

Third, the reason I'm looking for a daypack is that the one I had is far too heavy, almost 3 pounds. My overnight (up to 10 days) backpack weighs 30 ounces, and I refuse to carry a daypack that weighs more than that, especially since I'm really nervous about re-injuring my recently-healed plantar fasciitis. The few daypacks I've been able to find that would fit my short torso are all close to 3 pounds, which rules them out.

I just ordered an Osprey Talon 33, which at least has a torso length adjustment. It starts at 16", not 15", but I hope it will work. The pack is also a bit larger than I need but it seems to have fairly good compression. If it turns out to fit me and my winter gear, it appears that I can do some butchering creative trimming to get rid of a few ounces (manufacturer specs put it the same as my overnight backpack). I won't trim until I'm sure it's otherwise a keeper, though. I suspect that even REI would balk at taking it back after I remove the lid and a number of other (to me) nonessentials.

I'll report back how it works out.

Osprey manta 30 is my go to winter day pack.

The Osprey Talon 33 arrived today. I loaded it up and carried it around the house a bit, and I think it's the winter day pack I've been looking for. I want to try it on a several hours' hike before making a final decision, though. Unfortunately, that will be another month or two since I'm still being super-careful about not restarting my plantar fasciitis! I will also look at a couple more alternatives before deciding for sure. For now, though, it's looking like a keeper.

The good: The shortest adjustable torso length works fine for me--the pack fits, which was my biggest concern! It easily holds all my winter clothing, some winter emergency gear, water, lunch (total pack weight 10 lbs.). The pack compresses well; I could compress it down as a summer daypack if I wanted. The ventilated back appears to be a good feature. It is a very nice-looking pack, although that's the least of my concerns. Total pack weight on my scale, 29.2 ounces.

Not good: I'm not going to be able to trim off as much weight as I thought, probably only an ounce. The hydration pocket (which I don't need) is open at the top, so I can't remove the partition between that and the main pack. I also will probably keep the lid, since it's an integral part of the compression system. The sternum strap is too high--it was on my throat (!), although I discovered that with difficulty I could move it an inch farther down--still a bit high but not enough to choke me. I will probably end up altering it so it can be a little lower. The closure for the back pocket is under the lid, so the lid has to be undone before the back pocket can be accessed. I may remove the back pocket (not very useful) instead of the lid. That's where the big Osprey logo is and I'd just as soon not be a walking advertisement anyway. Of course, no butchery trimming until I'm absolutely sure I don't want to return it!

The worst feature is that the frame sheet was close to buckling with only 10 lbs. total pack weight. Adding another quart of water did make it buckle! This pack will not properly support the 20 lbs. stated on the Osprey website. I didn't pack very carefully--just stuffed things in as they came to hand. More care as to weight distribution will help. Even so, there's absolutely no way I'd want to carry more than 10-12 lbs. with this pack. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for those planning to carry snowshoes or skis on their pack. Fortunately, I won't be doing that.

Despite the shortcomings, this pack does what I want: fits my short torso, weighs under 2 pounds and is comfortable with my winter gear!

A woman's pack has differently shaped shoulder straps than a man's (usually s-shaped) to avoid pressure on the mammary appendages. It also has (or should have) a more curved hip belt since most of us have a lot more curvature in that area. Generally (but not always) a woman's pack is designed for those of us with shorter torso lengths.

I've found some unisex packs quite comfortable (my backpacking backpack is unisex) and others miserable. I'm sure the same is true for woman-specific packs, but I've tried only one of the latter (which is very comfortable). A lot depends on how the chest appendages are located, definitely not the same for all of us, and even more on the pack design (also unique by manufacturer and even by model).

Some women's packs come in horrible (to me) colors, what I call "bink and burple." Others come in bright pastels, which I don't like either, but after a few trips and a layer of dirt they aren't nearly so bright. A few manufacturers realize that more conservative colors that don't show the dirt are more of an asset for backpacking gear. I personally am a lot less fussy about colors if the item is on sale for 50% off.

As usual, the most important features of a pack are fit, fit and fit! Everything else is YMMV.

Followup on the Osprey Talon 33: It's going back to REI. After an hour or so of carrying a full load (about 11 lbs. total), the hip belt becomes quite painful. That's because the "wings" are too short so don't reach the front of my iliac crest. That might not be a problem for someone with really skinny hips, which mine definitely are not

Always a good idea to load up the pack (properly) and take a "hike" around the house for a couple of hours while it is still returnable. I should have done that before writing my preliminary review!

Sorry to here that OM, I hope you find a pack that meets your needs!

It's a shame more packs don't have interchangeable wings and hipbelts!

We have an REI that just opened here, and finally took the opportunity to visit for a bit. I didn't get to check out all of the packs I was interested in due to a grumpy 3 yr old.
First I tried the Kelty Coyote 80, and thought it was good. We have a Kelty child carrier and I have been pleased with it.
But then I tried the Dueter ACT Lite. It seemed much better built. It felt like a pack that would last through many tough and crazy adventures and still be around when I'm gone! I certainly like a sleeping bag compartment. I think I may have found a winner. I'll keep looking though.
We decided to get a membership since we have several expensive items to upgrade, and spending $10 a year would be simple even when you don't need anything.

For best results, box up your gear and the weight/bulk equivalent of a week's food, plus a quart of water, and take it with you to the store. Hopefully without the three-year-old, unless he's part of your pack load!

Unless REI has changed policy, the membership fee is for life. I bought a membership fee in 2000 and haven't paid since. In fact, I don't even remember paying a fee. I am still a member and receive the yearly dividend.

I sell packs where I work, and if you are between sizes we are taught to recommend the smaller size. Not saying this is 100% truth, but just referencing some conflicting advice in the forum thus far.

"Hopefully without the three-year-old, unless he's part of your pack load!"

Actually she is quite the trooper. She hikes all the way to the camp sites, which are generally ~2 miles in. No extreme terrain, but hilly, and she's been carrying her clothes and a stuffed animal in a kid's backpack that's a little big for her (getting her the REI Sprig 12 - she is big for her age, closer to a 5 yr old in height). The child carrier has been retired for the most part.

She just walks a little slow and needs to investigate everything! But that's great, except when we're late and it's getting dark too fast!

That's great!

I used to take my daughter on day hikes all the time. When she got to be around 5 she started complaining that she didn't want to go, but she complained about most anything at that age so I completely ignored her and two minutes into our hikes she was loving it. Of course, she'd complain when we had to leave too

She's 27 now, and she borrowed my sleeping bag and pad for a backpack/climbing trip she took over the weekend. I'll call her just a little bit to complain that she was supposed to return them last night

Yup, one-time membership fee. I'm not saying how much I paid for mine, but it was long enough ago that it probably wouldn't cover a double-cappuccino today.

Cheers,

Dont have a lot of experience with it yet, but so far I like my Golite! Have you checked into those?

Time for some unabashed bragging. I paid $2.00 for my REI membership. I have a five digit membership number. If I had joined when I first heard of REI, it would be four digits....

Yeah, I'll brag a bit too. I paid two bucks for mine in about 1951. My number is four digits starting with five. When I joined, the entire operation was in a room about the size of a two car garage upstairs from the Green Apple Pie restaurant on Pike Street. The headquarters of the Seattle Mountaineers was just across the hall from what was then called "The Co-op". The first time I heard of REI I didn't know what the person was talking about. One guy I used to do a lot of climbing with when I lived in the PNW had a number about 2100 and another was around 3500. Both of them are still alive but not active in climbing or backpacking any more. A low number used to give it's holder the presumed right to make comments such as "Kid, I've worn out more boots than you have socks" and similar professed claims to great experience.

I have not heard of Golite packs. Only their tents. Obviously worth looking into... Do they make a large capacity (65+ liters) with a sleeping bag compartment? Do they sell them through REI?

No, I don't think they sell through REI. Check their site - www.golite.com. They do have great customer service and a lifetime warranty. They do have a 65L and a 80L. I have the 65L and like I said I don't have a lot of use out of it yet, but it's been great so far. I don't think they have a separate sleeping bag compartment, mine doesn't anyway. AND the price is hard to beat. My 65L was 100.00!! And FYI I just got some goretex rain pants from them for 60.00! Anyway check them out.

Being somewhat twisted and perverse (perverse, not "perverted"), the only two comebacks I could think of were:

"So, were you an early adopter of fire when it came out?"

"So, do you think those upstart MSR stoves have a snowball's chance of ever replacing the Svea?"

Sorry, couldn't resist. (My number is low 7 digits.)

Well Glen, I'm still not convinced that fire is here to stay and what the heck is a Svea, some sort of newfangled torch?

In fact, the only thing a low Co-op number means is that you are old!

the only thing a low Co-op number means is that you are old!

crikey! i'm in the low six digits. but my local REI store had some sort of contest to see which customer had the lowest number and I wasn't anywhere close. whew!

Not that I'm that old, but I can remember having an email address on this site long ago. I think it was ken@backpackinglite.net or ken@litebackpacking.net. Something like that. I think it was in about 1998.

Their Quest backpacks don't come in a medium. They'd be too big for me as I have a 16.5" torso and 31" waist. Even the women's pack wouldn't work.

I like the minimal weights and the prices.

Keep checking back with them, it seems like they get different sizes periodically, maybe as they build them?

Glen, Knowing your age, I really feel OLD, my number is only six digits and fairly low at that. waaaa best, jcp

Golite packs have no frame. Therefore, if you have 70 liters of stuff and it weighs 25 lbs or less, or, you are really extremely good at packing so that the pack balances properly on the hip belt so you're comfortable wearing it while hiking, go for it.

Good luck with that. :p

My GoLite Quest has both a frame sheet and stays. It weighs just under 3 pounds and has a capacity of about 4000 cubic inches (66 liters). It also has an excellent suspension system and is comfortable with loads up to about 45 pounds. I use this pack more than any other I have and will be sad when it wears out.

While my Quest was purchased in 2007, I believe that GoLite still makes this pack although I think the current incarnation is a bit heavier. My Quest has over 1000 miles of fairly hard use behind it and is still in good, though scuffed, condition.

Frame sheet and stays isn't the same, as my friend found out loading nearly 30 lbs in one... she was miserable. I don't think her pack (bought this year) had stays. Not sure but I believe it was the Pinnacle. She got it because she thought it would be like her older Golite pack, and it wasn't.

Some Golites are frameless, some have framesheets, some have stays, some have both framesheets and stays. I have an older LiteSpeed which has both a framesheet and stays.

I have a Pinnacle as well which is frameless except for the foam, which doesn't do much. Golite doesn't make the Pinnacle anymore (nor do they make the Peak)... sort of. Instead they placed them into the Jam line. So now the Jam (another frameless) has 3 different volumes. The frameless golites as other frameless packs require the packing to be just right, and as the weight increases, they do not carry well. fortunately they use a sleeve for the foam pad, and one can also use that sleeve to place a framesheet and/or stays. I use my stays from my Mariposa when needed.

Don't feel too bad; I didn't join until the early 80s.

Pika,

If my math is right you joined REI as a teenager?

If so were your parents also members? If not, what prompted you to join?

dj2

Your math is right.

My parents were not members nor were they particularly interested in mountaineering. Both loved fishing and when they were younger would backpack in order to get to good fishing. This was my introduction to backpacking, starting in 1947.

I lived in southern California until I was about 13 and learned basic rock climbing from a scoutmaster who had served with the 10th Mountain Division during WW-II. I loved it! When we moved to Seattle, I got started with the Mountaineers and their climbing course. This was the start of my nearly lifelong love of the mountains. It was through the Seattle Mountaineers that I was introduced to the Co-op (now REI). The Co-op was one of the few places one could purchase climbing gear.

Wow, 65 years of hiking. Pretty cool.