REI XT 75 Pack - Women's

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

I've owned several packs before this one, including an Osprey Ariel 65. I needed a larger pack for multi-day backpacking and mountaineering. At first, I balked at the cost of this pack, but after trying it on in the store, I knew I had to have it, as it fits my short torso well. The pack is well padded (no sore hips or shoulders), carries weight well (no sore back), and is lightweight but tough.

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

This is my 3rd BP in 20+ years. I love pockets for organization, this pack has plenty, but is still very lightweight and adjustable from overnight to long haul. Small design features really pay off such as the shove it pocket and the built in straps on the bottom for wet gear. Disappointed that the top pocket doesn't morph into a peak bag. I needed the large hipbelt, which the clerk was willing to change. It looked like she was wrestling a bear to change the belts. I got home to find that the frame wasn't in the proper pockets (it makes an X). My turn with a bear. Then I tried to readjust the back padding. This is attached with velcro. I ended up with badly skinned knuckles (wear gloves if you try this at home). So make sure to have it adjusted (if needed) in the store, and that each point of the frame is in the proper pocket before you leave.

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

I am very short so I have a hard time finding packs that adjust to my size. This backpack is highly adjustable, and it fits me comfortably. However I think the shoulder straps may be too long for someone 5' or under with a short torso. This pack has great pockets without being excessive or overly heavy. It is a perfect blend of lightweight backpacking and comfort/convenience features.

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

Easy to stay organized and find things. Quality durable materials, large capacity. Stong zippers. Adjusts for customized comfort. Lite. Great color and style! Has all the bells and whistles. Couldnt ask for anything more!

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

I took a lot of time figuring out what I wanted in a pack. I'm a definite "bring-it-just-in-case" hiker/camper, so this this is pretty much perfect for my needs. I love that there are a bazillion pockets in easy-to-get-to places. The external front pockets are great for the stuff you need to get to quickly (I like to put snacks and TP in there, mostly). The side pockets are ideal for water bottles, but since I like to use my hydration pouch, I only had one water bottle and used the other for additional snacks, matches and duct tape. I kept my water filter in the top, along with my first aid kit and toiletries, and clipped on anything that it made sense for me to clip on. I clipped my sleeping bag to the outside, too, though there is a sleeping bag compartment if you want to use it as such. Personally, I liked the side zipper, but I can see how it might not be the most useful for some.

Once I got the pack adjusted how I wanted it, it was great. No sore spots, felt good on my shoulders and hips...I feel AWFUL for the other reviewer whose hips sounded like they were in pretty rough shape after a couple of weeks on the AT! Hope you were able to work through this or find another solution...and safe journeys, no matter what!

Overall, great pack for me. Might be for you, too!

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

I am thru-hiking the AT this year after 35 years of extended-trip backpacking. I am 4'11 with a very short torso, but I carry up to 12 days of food at a time, so my packs are heavy. This is my 6th pack in my life, and all I can say is, it's torture, much worse than my old external frame packs (which actually were very comfortable)or my Kelty Red Cloud. The hipbelt and shoulder padding is stiff and the hipbelt doesn't curve enough for a small woman's body and so has to be constantly tightened.

For the first two weeks of walking it was fairly comfortable. But as I lost weight, it began to dig into my hipbones. There is no padding to make up for the loss of natural padding. As my pelvis protruded more and more, the hipbelt rubbed both the front and back flaring points, which swelled and bruised. I now have sacks of fluid and purple bruising on my pelvis, and the points of the bones protrude more and more as they swell. I may have to get off the trail because of this pack. You'd think REI has had enough years to make a soft, comfortable hipbelt...maybe even a heat-molded one such as the Ospreys...or at least one that is made for a woman's flaring hips, and a hipbelt that easily conforms to a small-circumference hip.

I have duct-taped some padding from an eggcrate z-rest around the hipbelt interior and cut out holes for my bruised and swollen areas. This has helped but has not solved the problem or taken away the pain.

If this is a woman's pack, it needs to be made smaller, not in capacity! but in the fit of the harness and belt; and it needs to be made much cushier. I am severely disappointed, especially because I love the configuration of the pack itself, with the outside pockets and generous space.

What I like: Great organizational pockets! Large capacity!

Other things I dislike: Way too many bells and whistles that weigh the pack down. I agree with one of the other reviewers that the side zipper is so much extra weight for no benefit. There are also too many unnecessary straps all over the thing, which I cut off. And those of us with short arms cannot reach the water bottles in the pockets. I'd like to see a pack designer come up with a creative solution to this problem, too.

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

So I bought this backpack at the REI in San Diego roughly 70 miles in to a PCT hike last year. The Granite Gear pack I had was a perpetual pain in my shoulder. OUCH! I tried on TONS of packs at REI and used my actual backpacking gear that I had with me to do all my testing. In the end I settled on this pack for comfort. I absolutely refuse to be uncomfortable while backpacking. The sales fella recommended selecting for comfort over looks - which in this case is a big deal - this pack looks like a house - it's HUGE and I don't have big or bulky gear. As a long distance backpacker I tend to have smaller, lighter stuff, but the lightweight backpacks are dreadfully uncomfortable. So, I bought the pack that will always fit a smorgasbord.

The sales guy made an impassioned pitch about how REI staff had recommended to the pack designers that there be a side access zipper to the body of the pack. I wish they hadn't. For one, the zipper is located under the compression straps which makes it difficult to even use when the pack is packed & cinched. Secondly, I always line my backpack with a trash compactor bag because it's the best way to waterproof (and there's never a need for a pack cover this way). Once the pack has the vapor barrier of the trash compactor bag both the zippered access to the "sleeping bag compartment" and the full-length side access zipper are pretty much dead weight that I can't jettison.

Speaking of the sleeping bag compartment: Have you seen it? It's HUGE! REI doesn't even sell sleeping bags that could completely fill that space, do they? I undo the divider between the sleeping bag space and the rest of the pack so I have a continuous cylinder to fill up.

Now that gripe is done I'll give some shout outs to the real strengths of the pack. The extension collar is ample, and I like the way it nests inside the outer closure. I love the four-way stretch pouch on the front of the pack that has the two zippered pockets attached to it. That pouch is handy and designed in a way that stuff doesn't escape. I have mixed feelings about the twin zippered pockets on the front. I like the organizational aspect of them, but the curve in one of the zipper's path has failed me where the teeth have separated from the rest of the zipper fabric. I toy with whether or not I actually need or want these pockets on the front.

The pocket on the hipbelt is handy. As someone who didn't use a water bladder and tube for 1,000 miles on the PCT I hiked I really really appreciated the water bottle pockets on this pack. I could actually load and unload my water bottles from the pockets while hiking without getting assistance from others. ☺ The adjustable tension on the pockets, their angle, and their girth are big pluses.

This pack easily carried the large bear canister I had with me through the Sierras. I could even lay it down rather than having to carry it vertically the way a number of smaller, lighter packs require.

I've tried a number of women's specific packs but they rarely feel good on my shoulders. Either my shoulders are broad or pack designers are making packs for a mini-me type female standard. In either event it is hard as hell to get a salesperson to even let you try on a men's pack much less sell you one. In this regard this pack has a descent span between the shoulder straps so it's not creeping up my neck and giving me aches. I prefer to carry any load on my hips and this pack allows me to opt to do that or to transfer and distribute between my shoulders and hips.

I guess that's my overall impression of this pack. As much as I'd love to see things improved or changed with this pack ultimately it is a great pack. It's comfortable. I can cinch it down to fit my load. It's made of durable material. My head doesn't hit the back of the pack (yay!) leading me to jut my head forward.

Personally, I wish that the width of the pack was narrower. While I have wide shoulders and womanly hips, my middle isn't too big and when I swing my arms they don't clear the pack. So, in short (after all that!) this would be a dream pack if it lost the side access zipper, the sleeping bag compartment zipper, were narrower, and if the twin pockets on the outside didn't have a curve in the zipper function.

Oh, and PS – one last piece of important information – my load. Fully loaded with five days of food my pack weighed in at 32 lbs. (which includes the 4.5 lbs of this pack – without the top pouch that I've never carried).

Comments about REI XT 75 Pack - Women's:

My back is too short for the man's REI XT 85 pack. So I bought this women's pack instead, switching the hipbelt and shoulder straps for men's version of them, which REI allowed me to do at no cost. So provided you don't care about having a green belt and straps on a blue pack, you have a great man's pack too. Will be using this pack when I climb Mt Rainier in June, have so far used this pack on 5 or 6 training day hikes carrying 40 to 50 lbs, found the pack very comfortable. Did one hike in continous rain and the pack did leak a little bit, but then I did not expect it to be waterproof. The locking side pockets fit REI nalgene 32oz water bottles very securely. It is awkard to get the bottles out of the pocket, without taking the pack off, but I am able to do it. Like the arrangement of all the various pockets.