Lowe Alpine Austrailis 80

I've been using my Lowe Alpine Austrailis 80 for over twelve years and it's still going strong. 

I've done numerous two day trips over varied terrain and have never had a comfort problem. I tend to pack on the heavy side and this pack distributes the weight very well.  

I really like the compression straps and the easily accessible side pockets.  While not water proof it is highly water resistant.  I'm very satisfied with this pack. 

Suspension: Not very good. The hip belt rubs and bites after about 10 miles of hiking on hard terrain, and after that first 10 miles, things just go from bad to worse (unfortunately not something you can test in the store with sandbags).

Design: The pack's design is pretty decent. I like the way the sleeping bag compartment is a half moon design (my old pack wasn't like this) and is elasticized -- very convenient. Also, the small pocket on the lid is a good size, and it has a fair amount of compression straps and such so that the pack can ride nicely.

Durability: Questionable. As someone else noted, the inside material of the pack is flaking off around where the stays meet the shoulder yoke. The nylon used for the actual body of the bag looks a little scanty as well, but has held up reasonably after some hard abuse.

I'm not very satisfied with this pack, but I guess for $90 I got what I paid for. You'd be better served by going with a North Face Slipstream.

The Australis 80 is a pretty decent pack. I have been on two 5-day hikes with this pack and carried loads ranging from 25-45 lbs. It's high points are the compression straps and the sleeping bag compartment (very accomidating.) The torsoladder is very easy to adjust. Hip belt is large and hip pad is real big and can bunch up your shirt which is annoying. This pack is a work horse designed to carry large loads.

This is an exellent backpack. Sure it takes a little bit of time to adjust, but afterwords it functions excellently. The pack is very strong, and very close to waterproof. If I could change the pack in any way, I would attach pockets to the compression straps. This pack is a great deal, and works nearly as great as any other competitive model.

This pack has been an allright buy. After a while of fine tuning, this pack has become quite comfortable. The padding is plenty, but not too much. The bungie cords on the outside are very useful for wet clothes. You can find a better pack, but you can't find much more for your money with this one.

For the price I paid for this pack, it feels like a steal. Have been on three good hikes (approx. 20hr.) with it, good hip support, no shoulder rub, no real sores after a 7hr. good incline trek. Secures very good to body all way around. Do not regret purchase at all.