User Review: Camp Trails Wilderness (External)

I bought this pack in '93 for a Venture Scouting hike in Montana. I chose it based on the first impression in the store and my previous experience with a friend's Camp Trails pack. It was easy to fit to my torso and the straps are very comfortable. The "kitchen sink" organizer is great. Any small items are easily stowed and accessed using this feature. The position of the water bottle sleeve is also great just reach up and your bottle just falls into place.

I hauled in excess of 70 lbs. on that hike. We had to haul our gear plus divided up the Troop gear. The day before the hike to camp on a lake in the Gallatin National Forest, two of our group had to leave due to a family emergency. The rest of us had to take on the gear they were to carry. It was almost too easy to add gear into and on this pack (that's why my load was so heavy, nobody else could stuff the additional gear as easily).

For the money, it is as good as an external frame gets. I also have the internal frame version for winter hikes.