Arc'teryx Bora 65 LT

5 lbs, 10 oz

Purchased this pack to replace a stolen Bora 65.

Excellent all around pack, killer suspension. Packbag itself is a stripped down, black spectra Bora with the new waterproof zippers. It's kinda embarrassing the amount of comments I've gotten when using this pack. The pack is especially designed for mountaineering use, despite being not so lightweight. It lacks a sleeping compartment and the lid to fanny pack belt. The packbag is not as squarish in shape as the rest of the Bora series, being more sculpted making the pack a bit more difficult to pack. Make sure your sleeping bag will fit the bottom of the pack. Its hipbelt is a lighter, less padded version than on the rest of the (larger capacity) Bora series and pivots with you like the rest of the Bora series.

Cool Stuff.

Top of the lid zipper makes for great access to top lid even when stuffed and compressed, the under the lid zipper to flat map compartment is very handy. Snow doesn't really stick to the spectra fabric but I've noticed no other difference just yet. Side access zipper travels almost the entire length of the pack, useful. Suspension is excellent, the pack can carry a lot more than its volume indicates, though you may want to get the beefier hipbelt. External vertical kangaroo pocket is particularly handy and if packed with the right stuff prevent you from having to go into the main packbag when on the trail. This is a great pack for bushwacking, short winter trips and heavy weekend trips.

Nit picks

As this pack is much more a mountaineering design the wand only pocket doesn't bother me as much as they do on the rest of the Bora series, same thing with the compression straps that can't accommodate a sleeping pad. Still it's heavy for its volume. While it can handle a heavy load, the pack's smallish size means that most that load will have to be under the floating lid or consist of heavier packed items.

I couldn't push this pack into week long trips so I purchased an Osprey Aether 90 for longer trips. Interesting observation: the Aether is only a few ounces heavier than the Bora LT and more versatile in terms of capacity range. While I love the pack, ideally a lighter pack would have been better for me, considering possession of a light expedition sized pack. For bushwacking trips and winter weekends I'll use this pack.

A climber/ backpacker looking for an all around pack for cragging and shorter backpack trips would do well with this pack.