REI Stoke 19 Pack

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

Walked into REI after a day of hiking Mt. Tam, still wearing my trusty Osprey Stratos 18.

The Stoke 19 is about the same capacity as the Stratos 18, yet 13 ounces lighter. The belt pockets on the Stoke are deceptively large, big enough to easily fit a Canon A650IS on the left pocket and Garmin 60CSx GPS in the right pocket.

The mesh side pockets are large enough to hold a 16oz bottle of Gatorade.

Shoulder straps looked comparable to the straps on the Osprey Atmos series, but felt softer and more pliant.

Overall, the Stoke 19 felt like a very well designed daypack for small (less than ~10 lbs) loads. Keep in mind this is a minimalist's pack, of lightweight materials and reduced padding.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

The worst thing about this pack is that for some reason, the design does not allow the sternum strap to adjust very much. It was impossible for me to adjust it snugly. Also, this premium pack should have a bungee cord or some other means to attach a jacket/sweater to the outside. And there are no lash points that can be used to improvise anything.

Because of my inability to get a snug fit in the shoulder straps, the pack, for me, was unusable.

The sternum strap problem could be cured with just a couple more inches of nylon webbing.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

This pack (along with a Stoke 9 for my wife) was purchased for a recent family vacation to San Antonio. We wanted something that we could carry gear around for us and the kids while touring the city and visiting the amusement parks but we wanted something small and unobtrusive. This pack fit the bill perfectly.

When it first arrived I was amazed at how light the pack was. However, it holds a surprising amount of gear. Fully loaded, I was carrying a 2 liter water resevoir, 4 REI multi towels (2 large and 2 extra large), 2 ponchos plus sunscreen, a first aid kit, aspirin, camera, wetwipes, hand sanatizer, neosporin, a tide pen, some dry cases for the water park and various other small items.

Even fully loaded, the pack was still small enough to fit into the ride lockers (along with my wife's Stoke 9) at Six Flags and Seaworld and it was unobtrusive enough to keep on while sitting for short periods and to navigate through crowds on the Riverwalk without fear of it jostling or bumping someone else. Carrying 4 liters of water between us was a life and money saver since water cost $3.50 a bottle at Six Flags and the constant supply of water helped us make it through long days in hot humid weather.

The ventilation on the pack was the best of any pack I ever had. Carrying the pack was never a burden and my back never felt hot or excessively damp.

This is a great pack for carrying just the essentials and will be well used for Cub Scout hikes, sporting events and urban adventures as well as for family car camping trips.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

I'm using this pack for bicycling. It's very light weight and carries a good amount of cargo. I can even fit a Macbook Air inside the pack WITH the water reservoir filled up and the small pouch filled with items.

The straps are very light weight and breathable, they don't drag on our shoulders. Also, the chest strap comes with a very cool whistle where the buckle meets. The waist straps are wide and solid and also include two zippered pouches. They're spacious enough to fit an iPod Touch on one side, and a large pepper spray in the other. A very cool feature is that behind the pouch is a sleeve type pocket where you can put smaller, flat items like a bus pass or IDs

The back is awesome and has an egg crate type padding with a breathable meshing. It really helps to whisk away heat.

I wish the inside had more compartments. The smaller pouch has two mesh pockets to put coins and such and a plastic clip you can attach keys too, but that's about it. The larger pouch fit a sweater and a few other items. It might be good to point out that once you have the hydration pack in (I have the 1.5L) it creates a bulge in the inner larger pouch reducing the amount of space.

The two side bags are pretty cool too. They hold a good deal of items. My only gripe with them is that they're hard to stick your hand into, and I don't have large hands.

There is also a big ol' draw string that you can pull on at the top that compacts the bag up a bit, distributing the load better.

I really love this pack, aside from it's smaller size, it has replaced my other bags. Currently I'm carrying an iPod touch, pepper spray, a compact bicycle repair kit and spare tube, a foldable knife, change, business card holder, keys, laptop and other random accessories.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

After three years I finally had to replace the backpack/hydration pack that I use for Geocaching. I carry my pack around with me just about every day to work and while out caching. The old pack was made by The North Face and the only reason that I needed to replace it was due to the main zipper starting to give out. I am very sad to see it go but I did put many miles worth of wear and tear on it and it held up well beyond my expectations.

But on to the new… I was excited with the prospect of going to REI to pick out my replacement pack. After much deliberation I decided on the Stoke 19 for a number of reasons. Perfect size, can take my hydration pack and adequate storage for all my caching essentials all played a part in my ultimate decision. When I got the pack home I transferred all my stuff from the old pack to the new Stoke 19. With the small mesh pockets inside the little front pocket, organizing my caching supplies was easy. The hydration bladder fits perfectly in the pack and the tube routes easily to either arm strap. A nice upgrade with this new pack over the old one are the two waist strap storage pockets. Perfect for the first aid kit and a tube of sunscreen. The main pocket sports plenty of room for Travel Bugs, sweatshirt, hat, snacks and other miscellaneous day outing supplies, even with a full hydration bladder behind it. The side pockets accommodate my camera and GPSr nicely. Not enough junk in there to fill the pack? No problem, the “synch down” compression feature is nice. This pack is by far much lighter than the old pack and it has better ventilation with the padding on the back and shoulder straps. I have not had this pack on while out adventuring in the rain so I don’t know how well it repels water and will protect the contents of the pack. (My old pack would keep the stuff inside dry during a downpour) And on a side note, this pack has plenty of room for any patches that you may want to sew on and display, I know that I have a few.

The missing features: There are only two that I can think of.
First, there should be “strap” mounted horizontally on the shoulder straps. There are elastic straps there now to hold the hydration tube in place but they would be better if they were rigid straps about ¾” wide webbing instead of elastic. This is where I attach my GPSr belt clip and hang my unit while biking and hiking. It is a pain to have to take off the pack and reach into a side pocket every time I need to check my GPS. Having it right on my shoulder is a must. I will most likely sew on a strap myself to accommodate the GPSr.
Second, I am pretty hard on my packs and constantly have to set them down on the ground. For this reason the bottom panel of this pack would be better suited if it were made of a thicker material, like canvas or even better, leather. With items in the pack like a small flashlight, compass, or other hard objects, the bottom could wear through a little quicker when the pack is set down on hard, rough surfaces a lot. Even with the rip stop material it may develop holes quickly. I consider this to be the highest area for wear and abrasion so if it becomes a problem I will sew on a reinforcement panel myself.

Overall, I am very happy with my new pack. Retiring the old one has not been as hard as I thought with the features of the new pack to distract me. Great price, lightweight and plenty of room are all pluses with this pack. Of course, purchasing it during the 20% off anniversary sale and using my dividend check made it even easier on the pocket book. Not like the price of this unit is an issue to start with. Great value for the money, even at full price.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

Wow I love this pack!! I use it everyday for commuting to work 17 miles each way. Now Iam a "minimalist" you cant carry the kitchen sink. I am able to bring change of under thingys(LOL), food, mags, raingear and bike tools. Fully loaded still is great. The pack is very stable against the back while Iam riding hard, I dont even think about it back there. I only carried a h2o insert once and it was fine. I did feel like a Mother Cow when my boys wanted a drink LOL. If you are looking for a great pack to ride to work this is the one. Dont look at messenger bags I see a lot of foks always trying to control those packs because they shift. PS the whisle is a great feature my boys have to blow it ever time I leave on my bike.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

I picked up the Stoke 19 before a trip to the NV desert to climb/camp for a week. It was great! Maximize your hydration w/ a 3L reservoir, and there's still plenty of room for a harness, lunch, first aid kit, guide book, sunscreen, and an extra shirt! The mesh pockets on the outside are great for water bottles/snacks/sunscreen/whatever! An attached strap near the bottom is great for hanging off shoes and a clever little bungee on top can hold anything that's wet or too big to fit inside. Great product, overall!

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

-- I have used it several times from Amusement Park trips to car camping. It has plenty of storage options and is very lightweight. The frabric is durable enough to hold nearly any item - At one time I had eight D Batteries, Maglight and several other items and I didn't notice any shifting or discomfort. The straps take a while to get adjusted to fit your liking but after several times wearing, I was able to find my size.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

I do quite a bit of day hiking. Minimalist that I am, I rarely bring a pack. It has gotten to the point that my girlfriend feels uncomfortable hiking with me because she feels that I never have enough water, clothing, etc... and to a degree, she is right. Although these things have never affected me or anyone in my group, it was time to be more thoughtful and bring a pack with me for an assault on Mt St Helens. I only have a 70(l) pack for big trips and foreign affairs, or my daily travelor pack which is more of a student pack and not at all geared for efficiency. So, I scurried down to REI to check out small packs and for the price and overall need, this was clearly a winner in the store and would also serve well for cycling, long runs, etc., but how would it fair above the timberline? Well, I do a lot of mountain running and the pack cinched down very nicely for me. I should note that I am 5' 11" 160ish pounds. I can see how some might have issues with the chest strap, but it was perfect for me, and the shoulder straps are some of the most comfortable I have ever used. It breathed very well, was stable and quiet, almost like it wasn't there. Starting my climb early meant having to store removed clothing. No problem! The Stoke handled all I peeled off and had room for the water, trail mix, granola bars, camera, iPod, spare socks, you name it! If it's something you should REALLY have on a serious day hike, there is room in this pack for it! (poles perhaps being the exception, but I don't use them). Bottom line! For me this pack is great, and I can't wait to get out and try it again. I wish there were a few outside straps for a few things (like poles if you use them!), perhaps a bit more durable floorpiece; but, this is a lightweight day pack and on the cheaper end of the spectrum price wise. If it had those things and perhaps more internal organization, it wouldn't be light enough or... Make no mistake, this is a minimalist pack, but I for one think it is very well thought out, balanced and practical for many uses. Well done REI.

Comments about REI Stoke 19 Pack:

This thing does not have a coat holder.