I've now taken this backpack on about 8 hikes including 2 wild camps covering around 70 miles so far. First let me cover the pros then I'll move into the cons.
Pros:
. Extremely comfortable bag, I've carried this bag on a couple of 16+ mile hikes carrying between 12kg and 13kg and it's been super comfy leaving me with almost no shoulder or back pain. The waist belt takes almost all of the weight and the t rex system along with sternum strap and load lifters allows you to get and amazing fit. This is honestly the most comfortable back pack I've ever worn.
. Great internal space. I love the roll top and the simplicity of the single large main space in the bag, it promotes packing your backpack well and has tons of room, I've managed to carry my full sleep system, tent, food, spare clothes and even a chair all inside this bag and still had extra room.
. Side pockets. The 2 large mesh side pockets for water bottles are bigger than you might think and surprised me once I started using this back pack, I can fit my tent poles and pegs plus a few extra little bits in one pocket and 2 x 1 liter water bottles in the other side comfortably so I'm very impressed with the side pockets and the relative ease of access while hiking. The way the compression straps zig zag also allows for items like the tent poles to be secured in the side pockets.
. Large kangaroo pouch pocket. This bag has a large front pocket that's been great for stashing things like my waterproof coat, rubbish as I hike and other items that are either wet or I want easy access to. The kangaroo pouch however comes under both the pros and the cons section unfortunately.
. Hydration bladder pocket with strap. I haven't used it with a hydration bladder but the large pocket with hanging strap fits my foam foil mat for under my sleeping pad perfectly.
. Hiking poles attachment points. I really like the hiking pole attachment points on this pack, it offers the standard on the pack loops for hiking poles but also has one on the shoulder straps as well, this was great when I was hiking over terrain that shifted from up and down hill to flat ground often meaning I could stow my poles without having to take the pack off, it took a little bit of getting used to but I found this to be a nice addition.
Cons:
. The kangaroo pouch and how it interacts with the compression straps. So because the compression straps zig zag around the side of the bag they are also connected to the opening of the kangaroo pouch and when the side compression straps are tight you can't access things inside the kangaroo pouch easily, you have to mess around loosening the compression straps to take out or put in items like your waterproofs and in the UK when it can go from nice and dry to raining 10 times an hour this gets really frustrating choosing between having everything on your bag tight and secure and having easy access to the large front pouch, I'd love to see this done differently so the pouch has just and elasticated top and the side compression straps don't interfere with it.
. The waist belt pockets. This one really annoys me, they decided to put the zips on these pockets about a 3rd of the way down, this means that you can't really fully use the space in the waist belt pockets and if you do items tend to fall out if you fill the pocket fully, the zips are also a nightmare to zip closed with one hand if you've fully unzipped it while wearing the back pack. Please if you make changes to this pack exped put the zips for the waist belt pockets on the top like all the other backpacks I've owned.
. Finally the shoulder strap elasticated pocket. So I love a good shoulder strap pocket especially for putting a 500ml or slightly bigger soft flask, having it there and available on hikes for me promotes regular drinking helping to stay hydrated. Unfortunately the pocket exped puts on the shoulder strap is just too small, I think it's probably designed more for items like snacks but I really wish it was just a little bit bigger to offer more versatility with this backpack.
Overall opinion: Despite the cons I've mentions I have absolutely no regrets buying this bag, for the price, the weight and it's features I can happily live with the cons for how comfortable this pack is. It looks fantastic and has great features and so far seems incredibly durable. I'm not really an ultralight hiker and so I wanted a bag that could handle all my gear and go for miles without causing me and pain or issues and this bag does that no problem. I would highly recommend this backpack to anyone looking to upgrade from a standard heavier pack looking for something that handles heavier loads extremely comfortably. It doesn't come with a rain cover but I generally use a pack liner anyway and I've found this bag to be fairly water resistant anyway. I hope this review helps, if exped reads it I would love to see some small changes made but I would highly recommend this backpack.
