High Sierra Summit Pack - 45 Liters - Special Buy

Comments about High Sierra Summit 45 Pack - Special Buy:

I like the look and functionality of this pack and the size is great for an overnight to a couple days camping. There are all the standard features for a pack of this size and design including storage for a hydration pack, hooks for hiking poles and even a cell phone pouch thrown in.
I have had some issues with poor zippers.
The pack arrived with front zipper that constantly jams and gets off track so the front vertical pocket is unusable but I haven't missed the use of that pocket. I find this pack a bit hot so if you are hiking in a hot climate you may want something with a better back ventilation system. For the price I think this is a good pack.

Comments about High Sierra Summit 45 Pack - Special Buy:

I used this pack for a late fall northern america trip. I love that the pack fit me well and fit so much inside. I am of petite stature and it is hard for me to find a pack that fits my torso length but this pack does. I did however pack the front zipper, that goes vertically up and down, too full, which resulted in part of the zipper bending. But the zipper still does work.

Comments about High Sierra Summit 45 Pack - Special Buy:

I have been using this pack for over a year and a half now, so this is an honest review that wasn't written after only one use.

I've brought this pack on some pretty miserable hiking/camping conditions. When it comes to rain and snow the built in pack cover is a god-send, covers the whole pack and the bright orange of the nylon is easy to spot. But is nearly impossible to access if you have gear stowed on the bottom of the pack with the gear loops (i.e. sleeping pad, tent). Also, the rain cover is great for air travel.

The fact the top lid can be extended above the pack makes additional gear loops (better explained in pictures below). The tip lid is rather spacious, I can fit all my food, toiletries and nylon rain pancho in.

The sleeping bag compartment on the bottom is big enough to accommodate many types of sleeping bags but may be hard to stuff a below freezing synthetic one in there (i.e. REI Polar Pod +10). My +30 synthetic sleeping bag fits with room to spare when packed with a stuff sack.

The main compartment is impressive and you'd be surprised how much you can pack in this thing, even with a 3L hydration bladder in the separate water bladder pocket. Double nylon closure on top keeps contents dry from rain.

The vertical pocket on the very back of the pack is rather useless. Not only is the pocket very small, but as the main compartment fills with volume, it only gets smaller. If you pack packed to the brim it can even be hard to unzip and retrieve items. For this reason I keep a small first-aid kit, emergency survival items, and my map in this pocket.

The padding on the back is hard and tends to stick to your back. This makes it extremely uncomfortable on hot summer days. the padding on the hip is to be desired but gets the job done. Chest strap can be moved up and down to accommodate people of different heights.

The fact that there is only one stay running sown the center makes balancing this pack difficult. Combined with poor hip padding, when packed to a heavy weight (35-40lbs) the pack becomes extremely unstable on waist and you will find yourself constantly switching the weight from your hips to your shoulders, which can be a nuisance on long hikes.

Two long daisy chains and 3 compression straps (2 on side, one running over top lid) make stowing gear on the outside of this pack easy and simple, you can stow a lot of gear on the outside of this if you wish.

It should be noted this is NOT an expedition pack. Strictly a weekend pack.