REI Co-op  Trail 40 Pack - Men's

I was eagerly anticipating this pack and really appreciate the extended waist strap. I’m a tall woman with broad shoulders and broad hips. As such I needed the wide spacing of the men’s shoulder straps but always found the hip belt on the previous men’s trail 40 to be too narrow. I also liked that they replaced the mesh front pocket with a sturdier fabric. My greatest wish now is to be able to order a custom pack with the torso length of the small medium, but the hip belt of the large-XL. Then it would be a great fit. I’m high waisted so as is the torso is too long on the L-XL but I can make it work if needed.

Picked up this pack for use as a carry-on mostly (bigger then I like for a day pack and smaller than I need for a weekend backpacking trip with my other gear). Works great! Just got back from a 10 day overseas trip… traveling by train through multiple countries, Lot of great features (ex water bottle pockets big enough to securely hold a Nalgene, and easy to access the bottom of the pack. It’s also easy to tie all the zippers together with a carbines… nice imo when on the metro. The only thing I wish is that the waist belt was removable (great for on the trail, but more then needed for moving around a city.

Great little value 4.5/5. Only knock is I'd prefer a full stretch panel for the back (cheaper too) rather than the one that is mostly pack fabric. The fabric panel makes it hard to stuff a puffy or light rain jacket back there when shedding layers. Also, side stretch pockets a little floppy for a Smart style water bottle. The top edge needs elastic, or better yet, a compression strap to keep a full water bottle in place during scrambles or on rough trails and other items well inside. Hard to beat as compared to other premium makes for the size.

Having owned the last two generations, my thought is that this is undoubtedly the best Trail 40 Pack yet. It's sturdier and more comfortable. There's more padding on the hip belt. The top interior pocket is no longer upside down and is larger. The top exterior pocket is larger with larger access mouth. The storage pouch on the outside of the closure flap is now much sturdier and useful and easily holds a rain coat. The old pouch was a thin mesh that tore easily and it was too small for a rain jacket. And finally, the water bladder storage is now more functional, ditching the hook for a more secure velcro loop. The only reason I'm not giving this pack 5-stars is because the zippered pockets on the hip belt are now smaller. They no longer fit my bear defense of choice. And they no longer fit my Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max phone.

This pack is hands down the best pack I have ever owned for travelling. I know others have issues with it but I will say this, my wife and I take usually 1-2, 2 week vacations a year. Most of them being international. We don't like to check bags so we carry everything in carry ons. I have used competiors from some lesser known names to the big names you see hanging right next to this REI bag. When it comes to comfort, this bag beats them all. I do have an older editon and I am planning on upgrading to the new one but this bag has lasted for years and numerous hours being used. My only, and I mean ONLY Con to this bag is there are some with just a little more capacity which is always nice but 40L still gets the job done. I'm 5' 8" and weigh between 215-260 while traveling.

Light, durable, and very well thought out. I usually overpack for hikes/trips and this bag is def an enabler; tons of little storage compartments and tie downs. Main compartment has 4 zippers, making it very easy to access only the top or bottom as needed. Rainfly compartment is far roomier than others, making it another storage compartment for something small. Great bag.

Comfortable and nice fit. No problematic pressure points even when loaded completely. Only thing better would be front strap pockets for smaller items (phone etc)

Great pack. It's comfortable and roomy. Getting the 40 over the 25 was the right choice. It holds two adult beavers and blood washes out pretty easily. It dries quickly, but don't forget to remove the rain fly when washing/drying.

This backpack perfectly accommodates the Peak Design large photo camera cube. The backpack is much more comfortable than a typical camera backpack. Plus, the two items together cost less than a photo backpack.

Overall this is a solid pack, with one major issue. I use it for hiking and bike commuting, and I've logged countless miles with it full of stuff, often with heavy loads. It fits very securely with the waist strap, chest strap, and contoured shoulder straps. It has held up very well, with one exception: the buckle on the waist strap broke after a couple years, along a thin plastic part of the buckle (see pic). Looking at it now, I'm surprised the designers opted for this buckle, given that the whole thing relies on these thin plastic pieces to secure it. I was able to get a replacement buckle from REI, but this required cutting out the original buckle on both sides, because the strap is stitched around the buckle (so you can't just slide it out from the end of the strap, like in previous models of this pack). The replacement buckle has a slightly larger footprint than the original. It's just too bad given that the rest of the pack is great. It's disappointing because I have a previous iteration/model of this pack (or its precursor, however the evolution has gone) from 2009, and those strap buckles are still fine. But this one broke after a couple years. The fabric/material of this newer pack is also thinner, so I doubt it will last as long. So, it's cheaper material for higher cost - par for the course with many mass produced goods these days. Oh well - still works well enough, but don't expect a bomb-proof pack that will last years and years. This is likely made to be replaced after a few years.