JanSport Klamath 85

After purchasing one for myself, I went back and bought a second one for my son.

We have used this pack for trips into the Sequoias and Eastern Sierras and have been very pleased with it's performance. Jansport has produced another fine sturdy pack at a cost that is affordable.

This pack is huge and carries the load great. The hip belt is comfortable and well padded as are the shoulder straps. We prefer to use the BV450 canister and it fits great when a bear canister is needed.

My only complaint is that it is easy to bring too much gear because of its size.

Overall I feel that for the money, this pack exceeds all expectations. Don't let the low price fool you. It is a well made and rugged pack. I would trust it on any trek into the back country for a weekend, a week or more.

It is a great pack for the money!!

1. Great space, huge!! you can carry your whole room in this thing

2. Fits great,lots of adjustment. It does not have a cavity for your head but is not really needed; the pack sits far enough away from your head anyway. It fitted way better than a Vaude 65+10 and was cheaper

3. The exterior pockets on the side fits a nalgene bottle perfectly. It is easy to reach the bottle as well as put it back. It has a camel pocket too!

4. 2 daisy chains plus loops for your gear: ice axes, poles shovel etc

5. The front pocket seems small but it can carry lots of stuff, same with the side pockets on the top

6. Life time warranty

The downside, this is why I do not give this pack a full 5 starts: it lacks a few features that I had seen in other packs, nothing major but I would like to see:

1. The top lid should have a buckle so it can be use as a fanny/day pack. It also should have another mesh pocket

2. Needs a side zipper to get to the main compartment for quick access

3. Would be nice if the waist belt adjustment was redesign so you pull away from your body and not to the sides to get it tight

4. No sleeping bag compartment divider

5. Does not have a rain cover

6. A pocket for your compass or headlight on the waist belt

I did take it on a short hike this weekend and it worked great, I did not really feel like I was carrying that much on my back although I was carrying around 30 lbs.

It was really hot weather around 25-27 C and I did not feel really hot on my back.

I will be taking out camping and hiking in the coming months. I will post my impressions after.

First of all, my torso length is a little under the RECOMMENDED size. However, with a little adjustment the pack worked perfectly. The frame does seem to stick out of the bottom a little, make sure you don't let the frame rest on your butt, it's quite uncomfortable and annoying.

As for the size, it's HUGE! You can easily fit enough gear for multiple days in this thing. After all, all your adding to the load is more food...

The outside pockets were perfect to help organize my stuff too.

Overall best yet...

I have always used external framed packs. When I finally used an internal I didn't like it because of the heat on your back. I went through two of them until I bought the Jansport Klamath. It is still warmer on the back than an external but tolerable.

I packed this thing so tight I was worried about seams busting out. It bounced around and got thrown down and held up beautiful. Hydration compatible, easy loading, this pack worked wonderful.

The only complaint is the side loading sleeping bag compartment is too small for a larger cold weather bag. I still fit it into the bag from the top. 3-season bags no problem fitting. I used this bag for 2 weeks in the Smokey Mts National Park in winter and would take it anywhere in the world!