User Review: Camp Trails McKinley

All in all, I'm pleased. I just retired my old Camp Trails Horizon after 25 years of faithful service, and replaced it with the McKinley. The pros and cons:

Pros:

Very comfortable - hipbelt is large and well padded, shoulder straps are curved and have sternum strap. Adjustibility is good, but tedious. Frame is basically identical to my old Horizon - very strong and sturdy. Packbag is same basic design - good workmanship, and PLENTY of room for a week or more. Waterproofing of the bag material seems adequate, but I use a pack cover anyway so it doesn't really matter. Fits the curve of my back nicely, and VERY comfortable; I can wear it all day without any soreness at all on my shoulders or hips.

Cons:

Very cheesy backband! I used it once and replaced it with the one off my old Horizon. Much better!!!

Water bottle pocket - a lot of people might like this, but I don't. To me, it limits what I can put there to only a round water bottle. Give me the old zip up square pocket and I'll decide what I want to put there.

The divider between the main compartment and the lower compartment isn't sewn on the sides. I know this is supposed to be a "feature", allowing tall things to pass through, but it also allows all your small stuff to slide through to the bottom. To me, this is prime example of passing off a cheaper way to build your product as a "feature".

All in all, I think it's a good value, very comfortable, and built tough.