REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

Incredible pack built so well. I used for the first time while at Mt Rainier National Park. I carried a tripod, camera and lenses, lunch, extra clothing, a 3 liter camelback, and other odds and ends. It was extremely comfortable and worth every penny. The frame is built to provide air movement at the back and is well engineered. I like well designed items and find that this is ergonomically designed and works effectively. I look forward to many more miles with it.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

This is a great backpack for a day hike, the suspension and the tight fabric is good at keeping your stuff at their place and not moving around. If you are sweating a lot, then this is a pack for you.

The not so good part is the space looks a bit smaller for 30L backpack.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

This pack had all the right things going for it. Decent size for day hikes or maybe light overnight, back ventilation (a must for a heavy sweater like me) hip belt pockets and deep water bottle pockets on the sides. However, once I got it on there were a few things that just didn't work. The suspended mesh back panel makes all sorts of creaking and squeaking when moving. I was going to use the pack for bike rides to work and then hiking on weekends, but it just didn't fit well for riding (probably my own fault for hoping it would, doubt it was made for that) Also, the design of the suspended back seemed odd, as the sides and top of the pack curve in to meet my back, which pretty much kept any air from getting in or out of the pocket it created. The zippers on the upper of the two main compartments were too close to the second compartment and they kept getting zipped up in it, making it a hassle to keep things working smoothly. All that being said, there were some great features I liked. The bag seemed made of sturdy material and finishes like it would take a lot of abuse. Zippers were large and sturdy (other than issue noted above), pockets were well sized and easy to get to, the waist belt felt great and the whistle built into the sternum buckle is a neat touch. I ended up returning the pack but really wanted to like it, I may try another REI pack without the suspension to see if that fits the bill better.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

Loaded this pack up with 29# of gear and went hiking. Transferred weight to hips quite well, with just a bit of pressure noticeable on the large pad in the middle of the hip belt. Plenty of room in the water bottle pockets for 1L bottles wrapped with reflectix insulation (adds a bit to the diameter of bottle and makes for a tight fit with some packs)

All in all a great pack for day hikes or solo outings!

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

I just took this out for the first time on a day hike - normally I'd wait longer to review but who knows how much longer this will be available.

I really like the suspension, it's comfortable and other than a bit of pressure above my tail bone, I barely know it's there. The cutouts on the belt prevent it from pinching my hips and it breathes very well.

I'd say this pack may be a bit overrated in size, when I compared it to others, it seemed equal to the 26L packs. As other reviews state, you lose quite a bit of space to the curved frame.

There is a zipper inside the pack that might be used during assembly or it could be to allow hanging a water bladder between the frame and mesh. I was able to hang about 2L of water there, but you'd have to leave the zipper open to use the built in hooks - I can't tell if that would damage the pack.

This pack is great if you are carrying heavy gear or a lot of water. If you are only bringing 5-10lbs, you might be better off getting a lighter pack with a plastic framesheet. That being said, while this pack is on the REI Outlet, there is almost nothing in this price range that compares, you'd have to spend twice as much to get a better pack.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

I recently purhcased the Venturi pack but had to return it because the zipper was jammed. I was fortunate that the zipper jammed because I wanted to return it - the pack does not work for me on many levels. I purchased the pack because I need a big backpack that I can use on a daily basis - one that fits a laptop, books, and other sundries. I wanted a pack that I could also take with me on day hikes. This was the first time I purchased a pack without seeing it firsthand. Big mistake. Problem 1: The main compartment doesn't open all the way. It only opens half way. This means if you are searching for something and you want to unzip and peer a the contents of your bag you cannot. Annoying. Problem 2: The REI designers tried doing some fancy waterproofing on the zippers, but the extra fabric around the zippers easily creates zipper jams. Problem 3: even if the bag is fully loaded, it will not "stand up straight." If this were strictly a day pack bag and not a daily use bag, I wouldn't care, but this is not the case. This means the big is always lying on its "tummy" or on it's "back" making the bag becomes unnecessarily dirty. Problem 4: There is one big compartment, one outer compartment, and then a small pocket compartment on the outside. The middle compartment has the same problem as the main compartment - it doesn't entirely unzip, so you find yourself fishing around for what you need. Not very practical. Problem 5:The back is not straight, or even kind of straight. Therefore, if you put something large and flat in the backpack it becomes very difficult to utuilize full volume of the pack.
Pros: comfortable, but at the expense of a weird shape that doens't have a flat back.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

I've been searching for "the perfect pack" for awhile. I wanted something for bike commuting, errands, and hikes. Thus far I've only used it for commuting and loading it up with 15 lbs on our string of 90's and 100 degree days, I was amazed by it's relative coolness (felt air circulating along my back)and comfort. I had returned the REI Traverse pack because it lacked the pockets I needed and was quite warm and a bit wide. The Venturi fits me well, has functioning load-lifters, comfortable belt and shoulder straps and has a nice mid size pocket on the front that makes it work well to divide my work supplies/food etc. While it nears perfection, shorter straps or a garage for the exceptionally long straps, and a daisy chain or bungy on the front may just have achieved that lofty goal. I am very happy with it.

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

I use this backpack mostly to commute and, having biked some 100+ degreeF days, the suspension has been a lifesaver. I have also taken this to hike some 14ers. It's a very stable pack, but it's also a bit heavy. It has a GREAT hipbelt design as a compromise to the weight of the pack, so it feels very light. I feel as if some room is "lost" because of the curved shape of the pack, but I'm perfectly fine with that, considering that it's shape is due to the suspension.

I also bought the CamelBak Rain Cover YELLOW M/L for the pack and it fits very well!

Comments about REI Venturi 30 Pack - Special Buy:

I searched for quite a while and tried out several packs before I found this one and I love it. I wanted something very lightweight, comfortable, with convenient access to gear and usable pockets and with a suspension system that kept the pack off my back so I could stay cool and dry. This pack really fit the bill. The belt and support system work so well and the pack is so amazingly light that I hardly notice that I have it on. Great design, nice pockets on the belt for quick access, nice straps and zippers (which are covered when zipped closed) nice pole carriers and compartment for a water bladder. Compacts very nicely but will also carry quite a lot of gear if needed.