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BLACK/LIME SPRITZ

REI Flash 45 Pack

$89.99
$129.00^*

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(3)

Item # 844660

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The streamlined REI Flash 45 pack balances minimal weight with maximum comfort and convenience. It's the perfect companion for a long weekend of fast and light backpacking.

Molded, mesh-covered EVA back panel rivals heavier packs with its comfort and ventilation; shoulder straps are made with perforated foam, allowing sweat vapor to pass through
Aluminum headrail teams up with 2 flexible Delrin rods to offer genuine load transfer to the hips, which is virtually unheard of in a pack this light!
Spacious main compartment features a hydration sleeve (reservoir sold separately); floating top lid extends to accommodate bulky items and larger loads
Floating front pocket offers adaptable and generous storage, fitting a wide array of contents such as rain gear or water bottles
Zippered hipbelt pockets offer immediate access to snacks and other small items
Lightweight lash points allow additional gear to be strapped to the outside of the pack; quick-clip bungee loops let you secure an ice axe or trekking poles
The REI Flash 45 pack features side and top compression straps that help pull the load close to your body and provide attachment points for additional gear

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Item 844660

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REI Flash 45 Pack Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

REI Flash 45 Pack

4.0

(based on 3 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Comfortable (3)
Lightweight (3)

Cons

Best Uses

Extended trips (3)

- Was this a gift?:
- No (3)

Reviewed by 3 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-3

Apr

2013

(2 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Awesome and Horrible

By UtahGuy

from Utah

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Highly Adjustable
Large Capacity
Lightweight

Cons

Poor Load Management
Poor Versatility

Best Uses

Extended Hikes

Comments about REI Flash 45 Pack:

The thing I like most about this pack is the size - I'm a thick 6'4", and this is the first "large" pack I've bought in a while that actually fits me. It's so nice to be able to buckle the belt strap around my waist with the pack still on my shoulders where it belongs. I also love the extremely light weight, flexible frame, the vented padding on the back, and the sternum strap that doubles as a whistle... nice touch.

The thing that really kills this backpack for me, and brings it from 5 stars to 3, is the cargo management ability, i.e., none. The large size has a 50l capacity, and that's awesome, but it consists of a large toploading tube, a removable pouch on top, and a single mesh bag that wraps around the sides. That's pretty much it, and it makes the bag pretty much useless for light or intermediate day hike loads. There's no internal dividers (other than the hydration bladder pouch), no smaller pockets, the two lonely compression straps are at a silly 45* angle and useless, and the single wraparound mesh makes it very difficult to keep things where they belong.

The addition of a few useful compression straps on the sides, and the elimination of the single mesh pouch in favor of mesh Nalgene pockets on the sides and bungie webbing across the front, would bring this backpack back to 5 stars for me(and I'm tempted to break out the sewing machine and do just that). It could also use webbing attachments for lashing things onto the bottom and top, which could turn it into a viable pack for multinight or thru-hiking. In the meantime, this pack is too large and the cargo management too nonexistent for every day use or light overnighters, and at 50l with limited ability to strap things to the outside it's really too small for anything but a warm-weather overnighter or winter daypack, and if you load it down too much I expect the flexible frame might become a liability anyway.

I want to like this backpack, and it's great for a load that fits it exactly, but it's just not versatile enough for me. I guess I'll keep looking.

Comment on this review

Apr

2013

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Nice lightweight pack

By arizona21

from West Orange, NJ

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Load
Good Padding
Good Suspension
Large Capacity
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Day Hikes
Extended Hikes
Light Loads

Comments about REI Flash 45 Pack:

I love the REI Flash line. I own the Flash 18, Flash 22 and now this model. This is a large capacity lightweight pack for minimalist overnights or dayhikes where a large capacity is necessary. Keep in mind that all hikers have their own style and backpack needs. Not one pack is for everyone. I like the extended exterior mesh pocket. I have been able to reach around back without removing the pack to change hats or gloves. This is a pack that opens from the top and some might not like that style, however, it is common in lighter weight packs reducing zippers, pockets and other features that add weight. Pack is comfortable, roomy. I like the hip belt pockets. Wouldn't want to try more than about 20 lbs load. I purchased this for 8 days on Kilimanjaro and I think it will do the job (porters carrying most gear). Some may criticize it for not having a rain cover, however, I find that rain covers don't really keep packs dry and prefer to use a trash compactor bag as a liner to keep all contents dry.

Comment on this review

Mar

2013

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great Lightweight Pack!

By T Miller

from Charlotte, NC

About Me Casual Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Good Suspension
Lightweight

Cons

Needs More Compression
No Roll-top Closure

Best Uses

Extended Hikes
Light Loads

Comments about REI Flash 45 Pack:

The pack is designed well. The features are not over-the-top, but also not minimal. I have no reservations about the materials. Of course, if you go bushwhacking, the mesh on the outside panel could potentially tear...but that's not a negative IMO, because this pack isn't made for that.

The front mesh pocket is great and holds things fairly well, but the open design makes it a little more susceptible to gear shifting around...but not much. The pocket is continuous from the sides, to the front. This gives you more room, but like I said, can make it a little easier for gear to shift around. On the side, the pockets are deep/wide enough to fit a 1L nalgene, or two smaller ones. It shouldn't have any problems keeping any bottle secure. I do wish it had another compression strap underneath the mesh pocket, like the Osprey Exos packs. (REI, take note!)

The foam backpanel feels solid as well. It is double-layered and seems like it would breathe well.

The load lifter straps are excellent! The buckle in the middle lets you adjust the angle of the strap to optimize the lift. This is perfect for getting a custom fit.

The webbing on the belt is floating, and not secured 100% to the padding. There is a sliding buckle underneath the pocket that helps it distribute the load between the padding and the frame of the pack. So when you tighten it up, the sliding buckle pulls on the second set of webbing, which then transfers the load effectively to the frame of the pack. Both the waist belt and the frame get pulled toward your hips. This result could also be achieved by securing the frame directly to the hip belt. Yet the way they have done it here seems to remove the need for waist belt stabilizers.

The waist belt is where I am probably the most excited. I have a 31" waist, but a 22" torso, making most packs impossible for fitting. Though the large is said to fit waists of 34"+, the large Flash 45 fit my 31" waist fine, with a few inches to spare. I think what allows this is the previously mentioned belt webbing attachment system. While most packs attach the webbing to the belt padding, this system allows the buckle to slide over the padding a little further. When I have the pack loaded and secured to my back, the buckles are not overlapping with the belt.

And lastly, while you can remove the lid, the closure on top is messy and leaves too much of an opening. The lid weighs ~100g, so I think it's worth it to keep it. A few ounces isn't going to make or break your trip. Plus, the extra storage is worth it for rain gear and other small items that are best kept separate. (REI, take note again - add a roll-top closure!)

This is a great pack, and there are only two things I would change: a lower compression strap under the side pocket and a roll-top closure.