EMS Men's Summit TL

I have read some awesome reviews of this backpack. I had a bad experience with it however.

Make sure you pay careful attention to weight distribution when you pack this bag. In the summer of 2005 I attempted a 2-day 20 mile-per-day hike in the hilly woods of Pachaug State forest in Voluntown, CT.

A majority of the weight I carried was in food and water. I expect that I had 40 pounds in my bag, mainly because of the 90 degree heat.

The long and short of my negative experience was that because of my relatively small frame, the bag did not fit me well. Because I had the weight load pretty high on this bag probably at best rated for 30 pounds, I had more problems. Mainly, this was chafing on my back. I had to put a towel behind my back to increase my waist size and stop the chafe.

Ultimately I finished my hike effectively, but make sure you pack and size the EMS Summit TL appropriately.

This is a highly reviewed bag for the price. You may need another bag for the rough stuff though. If you're kind of thin and are doing anything serious outdoors consider another, perhaps more-expensive pack that is better fitting than having to buy this one AND another one down the line.

Maybe would be better in colder climate when not sweaty and have a thicker layer to prevent chafing.

This is the first pack I have ever owned. I got it based on some positive reviews I read and could not be happier. I used this pack for a 5 day hike on the AT and it was very comfortable. My only complaint are the bottle holders. They are very short and my water bottles were always falling out. If it wasn't for that I would have given this pack a 5 star review. Overall though I couldn't be happier and would recommend this pack.