ALPS Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - 90 Liters - Special Buy

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

This pack is very well made and expertly designed. It has every feature you would want, including a built in rain fly plenty big for extra gear--which everyone needs anyway. It is very comfortable and adjusts easily. I was able to put nearly all the weight on my hips exactly how I like it. Everyone wants a great pack. I was looking at packs 3X as much and then I found the Mojave. I liked it and my wife bought it, but I wanted a bigger pack. The Denali is the perfect pack for me and I bought it without ever seeing it. Save yourself some money and buy from Alps Mountaineering--you will be glad you did! Oh, and the ugly green in the pics is NOT how it looks. The pack is a very attractive olive color and looks very nice.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

I bought this from the REI outlet with the additiona[$] off back in January for my trip in Nepal trekking to Everest Base Camp. I just got back from Nepal and the pack performed flawlessly. So for[$] you can get a pack that has all the features of packs 3-4x the cost and that is comfortable and durable. I trained with 40-60lbs loads on the AT and trails around Wash DC, probably put 200mi on it in training and another 100mi in Nepal (carried 43lbs), so I can say I used it and it performs well. My only three relatively minor issues are 1) the sleeping opening needs to be 1-2" bigger to make it easier to get the bag in/out; 2) the arched zippers for the two front outside pockets are a bit of a hassel to use, is a two hand job, can't do it with one; 3) the shoulder straps use a plastic "free floating" design to attach them to the aluminum backstays and the plastic at times squeeks VERY loud, can be quite annoying when all else is silent in the woods and that's all you hear. Could usually quiet it down through readjustment. You might think the thin waist belt would be uncomfortable but it is not, I have boney hips and with 60lbs load I never had pain or hot spots. My friend used an Arc'Teryx Bora 80 Pack and also tried mine, he liked it just as much. So go for it.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

Great pack, don't be misguided by the cheap price. Alps is a great company. I have a tent and now the denali by them, both have performed extremely well in adverse conditions. The customization of this pack is wonderful. It is easy to adjust and fits almost anyone perfectly. The hip pads are very comfortable and pull in snuggly. I can't say i would ever use the top pack as a day phanny pack though, it's much to large but is still a nice feature.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

i have only a few gripes with this awesome value pack. first, the sleeping bag opening at the bottom could be larger. it was difficult stuffing my bag into the area, but once it was in, there was plenty more space for other items. second, the belt can only accomdate a maximum waist size of 34 with a couple of layers on.
so i'm gonna replace the synthetic zero deg bag with a 15 deg down and do some situps. then i can come back and give this pack 5*

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

I got this bag before my trip to Africa. It arrived in Africa in great shape but as the week went on inch length slashes started appearing, and i wasn't doing anything to it other than putting it in the trucks of out jeeps. after about my 4th hole i gave up on saving the pack and returned it. other than the soft swishy fabric ripping it was a great cpmfy pack with lots of room.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

I've taken this pack on an extended backpacking trip through Big Bend National Park and an extended trip through the Weminuche Wilderness in Colorado.

The pack is comfortable and offers many nice features...multiple access, top cover converts into a "fanny" pack, and a rain cover (tucked away in the bottom) but on both trips the back constantly squeaked. I made a few adjustments that seemed to help for a mile or two, but again it started to squeak. It started to drive me nuts! One of the other guys I was trekking with even backed down the path because the squeaking was starting to get on his nerves as well.

There is also a plastic rod that bends around the back of the pack that ended up poking through the seam. I had a small sewing kit with me and did a quick repair, but by the end of the trip it had broken through the seam a second time.

I guess you get what you pay for.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

I really enjoyed this pack. It was the most comfortable I have used. I did one 12 mile hike, it was loaded with 60 to 70 lbs. The pack was stable on my back, adjustments were easy to make as required. The zippers were stiff and jerky in movement.
Alps uses a removable plastic rod that starts at the base of the pack, and forms a large upside down U around the support system ending at the base on the other side of the pack. I believe this is for lateral stability. It does a great job, the pack does not move side to side at all. However the plastic rod is constantly moving across the packs fabric which creates a loud squeak. It became so loud others did not want to hike to near to me. I believe if you made up a cotton, or Lycia sock for the rod it would still function but eliminate the squeak. I never tried it, I just returned it.
It was a very comfortable pack.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

Awesome volume, the quick access pocket on the hipbelt held my camera and gorp, the sleeping bag pocket held my 15 degree bag, therma-rest, cocoon, pillow, and down booties! Built-in raincover came in handy for a blizzard, but after getting to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, it developed a horrendous squeak...so my peaceful hike was punctuated with a squeak with every step. Maybe it was unique to MY pack, but just try it out before your big trip! The fit seems to run large for a smaller built person such as myslef (5'6" and 145#) so if you are near my size, the fit wont be very good.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

Being almost 6'3" I had a hard time finding a pack that fit me well. I tried on just about every pack at REI and came up empty. I found this pack online and bought it thinking I could always return it. Well, it fit great. I used it on many training hikes over several months with no trouble. During a 5 day trip to Paria Canyon in Utah/Arizona, the pack worked flawlessly. I carried about 45 lbs during the trip without any problems. This pack has all of the features of many high end packs: a top pack, a built in rain fly, load adjusters, lots of room for adjustments, plenty of room and many extra straps for hanging stuff on the outside of it. By the end of the trip, our trip leader was very impressed by the pack and thought it was as good of quality as his Gregory. Of course it costs about half what a comparable Gregory costs. Another guy on our trip liked what he saw and plans to buy this pack for his next backpacking adventure.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Denali 5500 Pack - Special Buy:

I used this pack for a full week in the woods. I found it to be really comfortable. My only problem was that the clips have a tendency to "unclip" themselves if they are really tight. A really awesome pack for the price