Marmot Aspen 35

Great bag for a couple days if you carry under 25 pounds. I've used it in all seasons and had no problems. Added plus, makes a great carry-on for travel.

Bought this pack originally for a carry-on to pack all the kids' stuff. It worked great for that, books, coats and small enough that it fit in overhead when we traveled.

I didn't think of it for backpacking until my kids got older and I could just pack my gear. Fits my hammock, under-quilt, and sleeping bag just fine and, depending on how many days I go out and the food I will be carrying, my tarp may have to go on the outside of the pack. The bag is not waterproof, so I use a compactor trash bag to keep things dry.

The shoulder straps are S shaped and do a good job of supporting the pack. It comes with an adjustable chest strap. The waist strap is minimalist. It does the job, but has no padding, good straps and buckle, just know it won't carry much over 25 pounds without putting more weight on your shoulder.

The pack is a top loader so you have to plan how you pack. It will swallow up a lot of gear. It has a drawstring closer at the top. It can be overstuffed as the lid will expand up. The lid has three compartments. One large one and two smaller ones.

The larger one is big enough for things you may need to get to. You will have to take the pack off as the zipper faces the back of the pack. The other pockets are a little harder to access. One inside the larger pouch, great place for keys and wallet. The other is under the lid so you will need to unbuckle the lid for access, all three are zippered.

There are two small pockets on the side of the pack, I think they were made so you could put your skis in, along with the side compression strap looks like they would hold. The pockets will fit large water bottles but will push into the pack's interior, better fit for smaller items. There is an internal water hydration sleeve.

Overall, this is a great 35L pack for a day trip to a couple of days. Shoulder straps are comfortable and the waist pad is OK, just not made to carry much over 25 pounds. At three and a half pounds it's a good lightweight pack, not in the class of ultra light, but you're not paying for it either.

I know it's not in production any more but can be picked up on eBay. To date I have not had any failures in the workmanship of this pack. The bottom is a little scuffed and the ends of a couple of straps are frayed a little. I'm very pleased with this pack.

This is a rucksack that I would recommend to day hikers and those who won't stay out for more than two days at a time. It is ideal for summer hiking and short camping trips, not long expiditions.

Marmot Aspen 35

Over the three years that I’ve owned my Marmot Aspen 35 rucksack, it has never failed me, or impressed me that much. I highly recommend this rucksack to; day hikers or those who plan to stay out for one night in winter and fall, or two to three nights in the summer. This is because it is a quality built rucksack, which is not designed for long or cold journeys where a lot of gear needs to be carried.

Volume

The rucksacks main compartment has the capacity of 35 liters. This makes it light and easy, but forces you to take the minimalist approach to your packing. For me this works nicely in the summer, but is a real limitation in the winter when I need to carry around a lot of warm clothing and sleeping bags.

Straps

The straps make the bag comfortable and easy to wear. They are also very good because they have a lot of places to attach knives, canteens, or hatchets to them.

External Storage

Like on the straps, the hull has plenty of room for external storage. It has the usual blanket strap as well as two straps on either side. I use them to carry my sleeping bags, back pads and tarps. They tighten nicely and don’t loosen until you unbuckle them.

Not Waterproof

In my opinion the biggest flaw is the fact that the bag isn’t waterproof. This means that heavy rain or a fall into a river or puddle can result in the whole journey being ruined, but I found a solution. The trick is to get your hands on a 35 liter garbage bag and filling it with all the gear  you want to keep dry, then you close it and put it in the rucksack. All the gear that can get wet, you can put on top.

All Together

All in all I can say that this bag does its job, it’s not extraordinary, but it does  the job for short trips and day hikes.  I tried using it for multi-night winter camping, and it didn’t work very smoothly, so the thing with this backpack is that you have to know its limits, and make good use of its benefits.