User Review: Mountainsmith Bugaboo

Reading the other reviews, I realized I'm going on nine years of using my Bugaboo on almost a daily basis, and it's in just about as good shape as when I bought it. I have used it biking, book-carrying, and for carrying up to 40 lbs of groceries from the supermarket. I use it on any day hikes and even for quick summer overnights. The suspension system is excellent, though you'll be happiest keeping the loads under 30 lbs. Like Mountainsmith's lumbar packs (the waist-belt set-up is the same), the pack fits like a glove, and, properly adjusted, hardly bounces at all even when I'm running. The panel-loader zipper has never even balked, and the numerous lash points and compression straps have allowed me to stretch its utility numerous times.

I'm not sure how useful people will find a review of a decade-old model, but it does show the durability. I have beat on this pack, and it has held up remarkably. I have also noted in stores that the current Bugaboo doesn't seem to have changed much (except for the improvement of making a shovel pocket out of the exterior pouch on mine). But you don't expect smart pack makers to fiddle too much when they're already close to perfection.

If you're in the market for a day-and-a-half pack, you should try out a Bugaboo. You might find another pack just as good, but you won't find one better.