REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

I bought this pack for day hikes. I'm 5'4" and weigh 120, and I bought the large. I measured my torso following instructions on this site. I've used it on 1/2 dozen hikes so far and really like it. It fits like a glove. The ventilated padding is comfy and really does keep me from sweating underneath the shoulder straps. The back ventilation really rocks. The back of my shirt has never been wet, and one hike was in AZ in 90+ degrees. I have not used the water reservoir pouch only because I'm used to carrying bottles in the side pouches, but it looks like it's well done, and I am going to buy a water bag. I do find that the side pouches are situated a tad far back and make it a bit difficult to grab the bottles but still possible.
The little mesh pockets on the hip belt are very handy - perfect for cell phone, etc. The hip belt adjustment is sweet - pulls from each side to the center. So much better than the old one side pull adjustment.
The front pouch with the vertical zipper easily fits rain jacket and pants.
On a side note, I've also used it twice to fly and was surprisingly able to get everything I needed in it for 5 - 7 day trips as a carry on - but mostly summer clothes. Wouldn't work for a winter trip.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

Bought this pack for use for day hiking, per recommendation at the Seattle flagship. The small version fit my torso the best - I'm 5'2". As a newbie hiker, comfort was an important motivator in continuing to hike all summer, so I splurged a little with getting a pack with good ventilation - the mesh did a fantastic job keeping me cool (~70 mi. of trails 2008 summer to early fall). The backpack is well-padded and adjustable, and even with about 15 lbs of stuff loaded, it felt pretty comfortable and balanced. Pack also has a handy hydration resevoir bag inside w/hooks. I've also used this for riding the bus to/from work - waist straps are easy to wrap around backwards and tighten down. Downside - per the earlier review, the side mesh pockets on the pack are a little too far to reach while it's still on your back. The pockets on the waist straps are a bit too small to put anything really in it, except chapstick or a tiny snack bar. Would've wished for another zipped pouch on the pack or two to carry small items, but that may be due to my overpacking-for-emergencies tendencies than as a minimalist dayhiker.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

I bought this pack on Tuesday and tried it out today. Hiked up Granite Mtn - a hot and steep hike. The mesh kept the pack off my back and allowed a nice breeze to pass through. The pack felt very well porportioned to my 5'5" frame. The straps are comfy and wide. Love the little mesh pockets on the hip straps - perfect for a small camera and cell phone as they are easy to reach. My pack was pretty full and it still felt really good on my back. Can't say that has always been the case when hiking! On the down side -it's hard to reach the outer side pockets to grab water bottles without being a contortionist! There is a pouch inside the pack to add a hydration sytem which I will do. Can also keep the water bag in between the frame and the mesh for more storage space inside the pack. This was a very worthwhile purchase. My thanks to the employee at the 'flagship store' that strongly recommended this type of pack for me. I look forward to many more fabulous outdoor adventures with this pack!

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

Purchased the Venturi 30L pack for a 107 mile hiking tour in the Alps, the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB). This is a "hut-to-hut" hike on mountain terrain with serious, though not technical descents and ascents every day.

One must pack rain gear, cold weather gear, a second set of hiking clothing and minimal "hut wear." With my hydration bladder filled with just over 1.5L of water, trail snacks for the day and all the clothing and misc. equipment needed for the duration of this hike, my pack ended up weighing in at just under 15 pounds. The Venturi 30L pack allowed the load to ride comfortably all day long.

I am a 5'3" and 125 pound female with an average to athletic cut. My torso length is 18" and I found the size medium to fit me very well. The adjustment straps on the pack are excellent in that they are easily adjustable, comfortable and minimal. That is, straps and buckles don't end up hanging all over your pack. The ventilation design of the pack does a great job allowing airflow on your back. This was a very nice touch.

I found the belt pockets to be perfectly sized to allow room for a Snickers bar (yum!) and Swiss Army knife in one pocket and an adequate first aid pouch and lip balm in the second pocket. One could easily fit in a small digital camera in the pocket as well. I attached my digital camera's carrying pouch to the front of one of my shoulder straps (near the hydration mouthpiece loop) for easy, quick access. I'm not really sure how much more one would need to carry in hip-belt pockets?

I used the outer side pockets to stash a guidebook, an extra pair of socks, a trail lunch and other misc. items one might want easily accessible on the trail. As others have said, the positioning and angling of the side pockets do not allow for easy walk & grab access that most would want. This includes access to water bottles that one might store in the pockets. That being said, in fairness the Venturi pack was designed to utilize a hydration bladder for ones water source. When hydrating in this manner, I found the pack to perform excellently.

My Marmot Precip rain jacket and pants fit easily in the outer-middle back zip pocket of the pack as did my lt. gloves and golite hat. When taking off my rain jacket and/or pants I found the elastic, cinchible loops on the outer back of the pack to be a great place to affix the rainwear as it dried out.

All-around, this is an excellent, user-friendly pack easily capable of hauling 15-20 pounds of gear (and perhaps even more?) day-in & day-out on the trail. If the side pockets were angled forward to allow for easier "walk & grab" access, I would give this pack a resounding 5 stars. As it is, I feel the pack deserves 4.5 stars.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

I bought this pack to use for my Peace Corps service in West Africa. The backpack was to be used for traveling within country, day trips, and as a small weekend backpack. It fits everything that I need for about 3-4 days, easily! It has a good capacity for everyday uses also. The mesh in back is nice and cool for longer trips.
But the zipper seams on the outside pockets started to rip after 4 months of use. A few more pockets or compartments on the side of the pack would be helpful. If you are not looking for a framed backpack do not get this one! I thought I'd be able to make due with the frame but it's an inconvenience, and makes the backpack hard to handle.
Overall, nice backpack if the pockets didn't rip. Now I'm down to the main compartment only.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

[...](packed it with 15 lbs worth of stuff, and adjusted all the straps so it was sitting right), and it is EXTREMELY comfortable. I've taken it hiking and snowshoeing now, and I forget I even have it on. The mesh in the back helps my back breathe when I'm sweating, and the instructions I received about proper packing help me distribute the load so even a heavy pack seems light as air. I highly recommend this for day trips. My boyfriend has the men's pack and he has the same opinion of it.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

Used this pack for a week's worth of day hikes this past spring. Had purchased a small at the suggestion of store staff. The pack size was right for me, but seems that "small" size meant that things like the waist strap were also small. Ran out of strap when I needed to layer up in cooler weather. Also, the elastic loop intended to secure the water hose gave way by the end of the week. Returned the pack because of these reasons. With minor improvements to issues raised above, I'd purchase again.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

I originally purchased this pack for 1 or 2 nighters but quickly learned that it was better suited for day hikes or just 1 overnight stay. I don't pack much (as my Boyfriend carries the tent, food and stove :)) and I was very sad at how little space I had. In the main compartment, my pack fits a small expandable pillow, my sleeping bag 2 layers and socks and a shirt for the following day.

This pack is very comfy...the mesh at the back allows for lots of breathing and keeps you cool and dry. I have only used my pack a few times to its not quite adjusted to my body so it requires you to re-sinch all straps quite a few times to get the right fit.

The pouches are very useful to keep TP, Clif Bars, lip gloss, and a first aid kit. The designers of this pack were very smart when they desinged in all these storage spaces.

Overall, I love the pack; I am just going to get the bigger size so I can stay overnight 2 or 3 nights at a time.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

The twin hipbelt zip pockets looked like a great idea at the store, but when hiking it is really interferes with the hands. And if you don't want to close the hipbelt, it interferes even more.
Ended up taking it back.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Women's:

Great little backpack - perfect size for a day hike.