ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy:

I have had this backpack for about a year and a half and I have been on 4 trips with it. 2 of those were only overnight trips and the other 2 were three day backpacking trips in the mountains. I really like the colors on the backpack as I prefer muted colors in the outdoors. It has lots of compartments and quite a bit of room.

I am still figuring out how to adjust everything to where it is comfortable for me, but I am 6' 2" and one of the bars on the frame sometimes digs into my upper back.

I think it's an issue with adjustment rather than the backpack's design. The straps can be attached to the frame at multiple points so I might have to adjust the straps higher or lower to make it work for me. On the plus side, the waist strap works great and tightening that helps A LOT with taking pressure off my back. Overall I like the backpack a lot and I would recommend it!

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy:

This was my first backpack- bought it cheap with an Alps Zephyr 2 tent on my first week long trip in the Olympics. I am a large guy and found the pack easy to adjust and the waist belt could probably make it around someone with a 46" waist. This pack is easy to handle, put on, and take off, and it holds a lot of gear especially because it is easy to strap items like a tent or bear can to the bottom part of the frame. I love the looks of the pack and the feel of the materials. The zippers are strong and do not snag. The frame is a little cheap and most of the hardware including the rings/pins are very cheap. Compared side-by-side to a similar pack by Kelty, I could really notice how cheap the hardware was. Also, the top bar that goes behind your head has a very shallow bend and you may find it hitting the back of your head- the Kelty bar bends back at least another inch.
The main design flaw is in the shoulder straps, which dig in and don't have perfect placement, as well as few options on height and width adjustments. They rotate freely around pins at the top, and they move a bit while you hike, making metal-on-metal sounds. And speaking of sounds, my frame creaks quite a bit when I get a heavy load in, and I am tired of all that noise. Also, the pack tends to sway back and forth if you are moving quickly unless you have it fitted very tightly around the chest, but when I did that, the shoulder straps dug in. The water bottle pocket (fits a wide nalgene) is on the top right and it is nearly impossible to put your water bottle back without the help of a friend, which gets old.
Overall, this is a decent beginner pack that looks good, but you can find something much more comfortable. The weight is decent and if you want to shed some pounds from it, the side pockets are easy to remove if you cut the stitching- they are not that useful anyway.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy:

My wife & both bought backpacks last year as we wanted to backpack. My first experience was backpacking around Falls Lake with Boy Scouts.

The backpack performed well to all my expectations. The pack was balanced & rode well around my body. The pocket & storage areas were sufficent for my trip, but at times I was wishing for more pockets. I attribute this to my lack of experience backpacking & will strive for less in the future.

My only recommendation for this pack is to pack light & compress as much as possible in order for all of your gear to get into this pack.

This pack is perfect for a two or three day trip, but I would recommend a pack with more volume if you are thinking about a trip more then three days on the trail.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy:

I have long been a fan of the external framepacks for ease of packing, balance and sturdiness.
I am a tall woman (5'11", 185#, 19" measurement for backpacks) When it was time to 'modernize' my gear, I originally switched it up with a North Face internal frame pack, I measured as suggested, but the balance felt all wrong, the waist band and straps hit me funny. No amount of adjusting yielded in a comfortable fit.

So I exchanged it for the Zion 64 L external frame pack (and some money back). My next trip was a weekend hike in the Upper Hoh, Olympic Natl Park.
This pack felt balanced, loaded well, and held everything I needed with a good amount of room to spare.
I packed: 1.5 person tent, sleep pad, sleeping bag, bear can, mess kit/stove/kitchen stuff, water bottles and filter kit, toiletry items, clothing layers, fire start kit, first aid kit, maps, journal, even luxury items like wine and glasses. All the stuff!

We were rained on pretty good the 2nd day, but the inside of my pack stayed dry. I like the double top closure of the main compartment, and also the metal stay-open frame that holds it open while you look for stuff inside.
The top part of the main compartment is plenty big for your bear can, with still room to put all your other junk in there too.

Upon inspection, the seams, zippers and attachments all appear well done.
This pack exceeded my expectations for the price.
I am not a fan of any gear or clothing having the manufacturer's name or logo on prominent display, but that's me. I sewed a patch over it- problem solved.

This would be a great choice for someone who is an occasional user because of the low investment, or for who likes to bring lots of stuff.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Zion Pack - 64 Liters - Special Buy:

Well, I've never owned a pack, this is my first one. I decided on external frame because it was the cheapest high quality pack I could find.

I took it on an overnight, 8 mile hike trip at Henry Coe State Park and was really impressed with how much stuff I could fit in here. Lots of pockets and ways to tie stuff to the outside.

I don't know how it compares to other packs but it seems good enough for me!

I'm still tweaking the way it fits on my back but when I had it fully loaded it was pretty uncomfortable at times.