REI Flash 18 Pack

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

Overall, this bag exceeded my expectations in every way possible. It holds a lot for its size, is very comfortable and it folds up or coverts into a stuff sack.

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

This makes an excellent "flight bag" to go along with a "one bag" carryon bag for a longer flight. It's great for this purpose because it isn't oversized or overbuilt. It doesn't look like "too much pack" to be carried as a "personal bag" together with your wheelie or duffel or soft-sided luggage. That's critical. In this regard, the playful colors help to make this bag look like a travel bag not a "backpack."The "back hugging" shape also helps a lot in this regard. It is a taller, narrower tube of a pack, rather than a thick, lumpy pack that sticks out far. You should be able to navigate airplane aisles a lot easier than with a squat, fat bag.I made two modifications to my pack as soon as I got home:1. I cut off the waist belt. I don't like waist belts on fast and light travel bags, they dangle, get caught on things. The sternum strap is GREAT since it makes the waist belt unnecessary to stabilize the bag from shifting or to keep it from falling off. The built-in whistle is great - no more hollering for my kids (or wife) should worse come to worse. More seriously, a whistle is a life-safer if you fall off the path on a side-hike....2. I added a piece of old foam sleeping pad, cut down to size, to the water bladder slot to give this bag a little structure. Doubles as a "sit pad" for a bench and keeps my water bladder from getting warmed up from my back. Steals a small but acceptable amount of pack volume, though.I am pleasantly pleased with the new cord lock design. At first I couldn't figure out how to use it, so don't feel like a dummy if you are puzzled too. You'll either figure it out, or get some help from a sales clerk. I like the new design because it opens and closes smoothly, in a ... Flash (ha ha).There are a couple of pockets on the compartment side of the water bladder separating panel. I use one of them to hold my eyeglasses, and the other to hold a fabric pouch which holds my toothbrush, floss sticks, BIC disposable shaver, extra contact lenses.There isn't much more in the way of internal organization (the benefit of this is the light weight). So put SMALL items in a silnylon ditty bag/stuff sack or something that won't slip out of the neck of this pack, in case things get turned upside down. The neck cinches down pretty tight, just remember this is a drawstring, not a zipper, bag. On the other hand you'll never have to worry about a zipper jamming or breaking.It's funny - by designing a good "peak" bag, REI seems to have hit a home run with daily users and a few travelers as well. Bag seems well made,[...]

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I first learned of this pack last year and was stoked with the release of this new version. My first use of the pack was last month. I used the daisy chains for my climbing helmet and shoes and quickly learned that they would not hold the weight (four of the daisy chains came loose). Thought the pack might've been poorly stitched so I exchanged it. Recently I clipped my helmet, distributing the weight across the two rows of daisy chains and again, one of the chains came unstitched. :-/

This pack is great because it has so much versatility, but I admit I am bummed to find out that the daisy chains are of no real use (since they become unstitched so easily).

I feel like the grinch being the only one to give this a less than 5 star rating. No one else has experienced the daisy chains failing on them?

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I got this for the price and the multi functionality. It's essentially a day pack that becomes a stuff sack. The reservoir pocket works great with my camel bak bladder, two little pockets on the inside to organize essentials, and def holds some snackage as well as any layers you have to peel off. It balances comfortably on your back. I personally like the waist strap because it keeps the pack from shifting side to side on your back. If you flip it inside out and use it as a stuff sack, it'll hold more than you need for a few days trek!
Off the trail, it makes a great carry on. I used it crashing at a friends place for a couple of nights in L.A.; it held 3 shirts, 3 pair of socks and undies, a hoodie, my toiletries(including a pack towel), an inflatable pillow, and an REI mts bagliner. Oh, and a book.
I also keep a shock cord in one of the pockets inside the bag just in case I need to lash anything through the daisy chains for extra storage. As a side note, my gear style is actually 'comfort driven minimalist' (I know I know, kind of an oxymoron!). I HIGHLY recommend this bag, you will absolutely find a use for it!

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

Saw this in the store today. I have last year's model so I was wondering what the REI designers would do this year. Observations:

Pros:
- same basic shape, straps and internal pocket system as previous models. I was glad to see that they didn't change a great design.
- cool new colors (no more pea soup)
- the drawstring closure has a new and innovative design that allows single-handed opening/closing of the pack. No other pack (including other packs in the Flash line) has this.
- there is a new hydration tube port
- the two rows of tie-downs on the pack front should make it a lot easier to attach extra things to the pack. (Last year there was only a single row down the middle.)

Cons:
- sternum strap is no longer removable (bummer for me) and has a safety orange emergency whistle built into the fastener (cool, but also not removable.) That's -1 star because on a pack this minimal/light you don't really need a sternum strap all the time, and it is a regression of what the previous pack could do.

Overall REI has improved an already great pack. If I didn't already have one I'd buy it. I'd really hoped that they would add a couple of external mesh water bottle pockets this year--that would have made me upgrade. Maybe next time.

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I have used this bag for everything: travel, hiking, climbing, volleyball beachside, backpacking, etc. When backpacking, you can turn it inside out and use it for your sleeping bag stuff sack (fits a full size NF Cats Meow bag inside). Ran some shock cord between the daisy chains and locked it with a cord lock and it works super great to both hold my flip-flops and to compress the load. Do yourself a favor, get one.

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I have had this pack for 4 months now and use it everyday. I bought it to replace last years model which my wife snached from me. This is a great pack for daily use, hitting the trails or SUL one or two day trips. I have heard about the daisy chain issues but mine have held up fine. I am homeless so my pack has all my daily gear plus my laptop (homless not broke) when I need it. I can fit my 30 degree down bag, pancho tarp sweater clothes and 3 full days food inside including all my cooking gear which is a small ti cup sierra bowl and spoon with room to spare. I insert a small light magazine for back padding and enrtertainment. My pad goes outside on the daisy chains. While I dont think its very water resistant a free grocery bag does the trick. If I could only have one bag, which I do this would be it. I lost my first one, if you want this one you will have to pry it from my cold dead hands. :) Ali

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I love this thing! The efficiency of have a day pack which doubles as a stuff sack is absolutely wonderful. Pack it with all your clothes, then after you set up camp use it as a day pack which holds all your essentials AND a water bladder! The only thing I would change is to make it water PROOF.

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

I have extensively shopped daypacks, hydration packs, and ultralight packs in search of a pack to accommodate long day hikes away from base camp while backpacking. Overall, here were my impressions with what I found while shopping:

1) Many "daypacks" tend to be way too large for a single day. I realize it's good to carry the 10 essentials, but unless you're hiking alone, you can split the essentials with people in your group (or make your own essentials list). REI has an article on how to select a daypack, and they recommend 30-liters as the "sweet spot". I disagree -- I don't think there's really a true middle ground between a single-day hike and multi-day hiking. If you're not staying overnight, you don't need to pack a stove, fuel, tent, sleeping bag & pad, light, etc. There's a significant step down in volume and weight requirements jumping from multi-day to single-day hiking. So to me it makes sense that I'd need a bag significantly smaller than my Flash 65 backpack for day hikes around base camp.

2) Many "hydration packs" I saw were in my opinion about the right size for a day pack, however, most of them were too bloated with padding, pockets, and features that added weight (to say nothing of their inflated price). I had my eye on the Camelback and North Face products primarily, but after trying a few on, it just felt like too much material (padding, nylon, pockets, zippers) for the amount of volume you get. I guess more succintly, the volume-to-packweight ratio sucked.

3) The UL packs seemed to fit my requirements best. I think a daypack needs to weigh less than a pound and hold around 15-20 liters. I also like that all the UL packs I shopped included a sleeve for hydration. These packs are effectively hydration packs but without all the fluff.

When I came across the Flash 18, it looked perfect. The only thing I think it needed were some compression straps to stabilize the load when I'm not filling the whole bag. But actually, just as another member noted, you can easily do this yourself with a few feet of shock cord threaded through the daisy chains along the pack's length.

Overall, I am very pleased with this as my daypack and can't see myself replacing it with any other bag marketed as a "daypack", "hydration pack", or "UL pack". It's simple, has a great volume-to-packweight ratio, and cheap.

Comments about REI Flash 18 Pack:

This product is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted something extremely lightweight that could be stuffed into a school backpack and used as a day bag for minimalist budget travel. I was also looking for a hydration-compatible bag with sternum and waist straps that I could use to jog- or bike-commute to work in. This bag is perfect. It's extremely lightweight, though some UL extremists would probably sniffle at the straps (they can't be removed). The daisy chain is an improvement on last years Flash UL, as are the new, non-puke green colors. I threaded some webbing through the daisy chain to use as a compression strap because there isn't one built in. You could easily thread shockcord instead and add to the capacity of the bag that way, though I've found 18L to be plenty - I can fit two liters of water, enough snacks for 3-4 people, a fleece, rain pants and a rain jacket, a camera, and maps, and still have plenty of room. This was an excellent, excellent purchase.