OK. I just returned from a five-night car-camping trip where I day-hiked each day using this pack.

I can't say what weight I carried with much accuracy, since I didn't have a scales and I'm not in the habit of gram-counting for day hikes. I can say that I generally carried nearly 3 liters of water at the start of the day, plus maybe 5 or 6 lbs. of other stuff, so a fair estimate of weight would be in the neighborhood of 12 lbs. More than 10 and less than 15 for sure.

The suspension transferred all the weight to my hips quite well and the load carried very comfortably for me. This was the primary benefit I was looking for. The pack has room to fit as much as I would need for a dayhike in any season, given that I always carry enough gear to bivy overnight, if necessary.

The four hikes were on rough trails, poorly maintained and sometimes overhung with brush. No damage occured to the pack, but that isn't saying much, really. The outer mesh pockets would have been the most vulnberable to damage and they did fine.

I am quite certain I will keep the pack - so now I can start trimming off the doodads I won't need or use. I'm just happy to find a lightweight day pack that works for me. It seems like every pack out there is over-featured and overweight.