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Black Diamond Element 45

rated 4.0 of 5 stars
photo: Black Diamond Element 45 overnight pack (35-49l)

Pros

  • Sleek, lightweight
  • Comfortable, doesn't ride hot
  • Trim design, branding not flashy

Cons

  • Slightly flimsy (custom?) buckles

Straps and back panel fit well. I'm 5'9" and approx 145 lbs with what I would think would be an average-length torso, though there is a 47L available as a long-torso option. I can and have worn this bag fully loaded on long days without significant discomfort due to ride or heat buildup.

Trailspace lists this as an overnight bag, but I've been using it for multi-day excursions into the backcountry, having traded down from general use of a 60L pack that I tended to overfill.

For the visually minded, the bag is pretty nice to look at, too. BD is not particularly overt in their branding; I like that.

The quick-cinch toggles all around are easy to use and very easy to open one-handed. I never expected to think twice about toggles in the past, but here we are.

I've suffered only one issue I've had after 8 months of use—on my most recent backcountry overnight I returned to the car to find one of the side-release buckles on the bottom of the bag (that had been holding a portion of my tent under tension) had liberated itself from its mate. The male end of the buckle had broken at some point in the last 5km of my journey (since I had last set the bag down).

I returned to the retailer, MEC, to see if Black Diamond would handle it under their 1-year equipment warranty (but MEC repaired it in-house).

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: 209 CAD

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Price Historic Range: $75.00-$200.00
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