Arc'teryx  Aerios 45 Pack - Women's

I found this pack to be comfortable. No digging in at the back, hips or shoulders. At 5'8" I ordered the tall. No regrets. The cinching mechanisms have held well for me. Frankly, at my age, my bones are grateful for every pound I can leave behind. I do wish it had a bottom zipper to access those hard to get items. No matter how well I plan, it seems what I need is on the bottom! The one thing I don't like are the chest straps. Those stretchy strings across my bust line are not attractive at all. I also had a hard time detaching them sometimes. Finally, I recommend securing a rain cover on it when throwing it on a plane or in a dirty pickup. The light color shows everything.

Having owned multiple running vests, the vest straps are what initially caught my eye. They are really great for transferring some of the load to your shoulders and having quick access to snacks and phone. I find this pack is great for scrambling as it doesn't bounce and move as much as other packs would, it is also very abrasion resistant. The material feels pretty durable and I'd say overall it is not a heavy pack. My only concern with this pack would be the straps they use for the sternum strap and load lifters. I find that I have to retighten them constantly and that is what I wish they could improve in the next version.

This is such a uniquely designed pack! Just when you thought there couldn't really be much that is different, this pack comes along. It combines the best of lightweight and usability. What I love: the roll top closure, all the extra pockets and rip cord, no need for a rain cover, strong supportive straps fit comfortable. Not only is this great for backpacking it is my go to bag for air travel since it is not as bulky and doesn't have the extra straps hanging everywhere that my more traditional framed backpacks have. Overall a great product that does not sacrifice design while sacrificing weight.

I would only be repeating the other excellent reviews below -- but yes, this backpack is so roomy, and works perfectly for a weeklong trek, as well as travel. Fits just fine in the overhead bin, as well as in beneath the seat in front of one on an economy airplane. My only qualm is the noise it makes as I am walking with a full pack. There is a low frequency "squeak" that comes from some moveable parts rubbing against each other. Hours of that can be bothersome, but otherwise it is a perfect pack. It is a spared down refreshing response to the Ospreys with all their bells and whistles; if you're more minimal and fine without all the separations and extra zippers and cords some bags have to offer, this is the bag for you.

This pack sacrifices too many features for minimal weight savings compared to a Deuter SL 45+10. Straps are minimally padded and synching systems are not good - do not hold tension. There is no bladder pocket, just a tab to hang the bladder from inside the pack - not sure how that even qualifies for "hydration system compatible". It does hold lots of stuff, but the weight most certainly digs into the shoulders without substantial chest and hip straps to balance the support. Bought this thinking I would save 1.7lbs over my Deuter SL - no thanks!

This pack offered a surprisingly comfortable carry thanks to great adjustability features. I took this pack on a trek in the Dolomites, and it exceeded my expectations. I expect top quality from Arc'teryx product, and this pack holds true to that standard. The external side pockets can fit bottles, snacks shoes, poles, or a tent. They synch down so the contents don't spill out. The vest pockets are well designed and comfortably fit snacks, phone and sunglasses. A surprise feature was the was the open-top stretch pocket on the left hipbelt. This fit a larger phone well. 12/10 would recommend this pack!

This pack is freaky-light, yet robust and feature-laden. The waist belt is better than adequate, and the back panel allows air flow onto your back. The shoulder straps have load levelers; and instead of one rigid sternum strap, you have two bungee straps, like an ultra runner's hydro-vest. The roll dwn top gives you about a 30% variance in load capacity. There are small storage pockets on both the shoulder straps and waist belt. The ONLY thing I am "concerned" about is an anemic bladder pocket inside and no real sleeve for a water bottle on either side outside. Yes, you can place an ultra-lightweight bottle in one of the side compartments, but you'd be wise to put a carabiner into the front daisey chain and affix the grab loop of the bottle to it. All in all, I really like this pack = more than I thought I would. Plus, I think it's quite attractive. My wife has given me an ultimatim: Buy HER one or she's going to make off with mine. LOL.

I am generally a light packer, and currently use a 15L rucksack that I use each day to and from school, which allows me to carry the minimum amount of items. I figured a 45L pack for a multi-day trip wouldn't seem much larger...and, WOW! This Arc'teryx 45L pack is super light and has the capacity to hold sooo much gear. Actually, when I first pulled this pack out of the box and opened the top, I almost felt like I could fit inside -- it appeared that big! (I couldn't *actually* squeeze in it, though!) Given the various straps, and folding top that locks into place (you fold it down similar to the top of a dry bag), it can be tightened and packed down to a minimum. The pack itself is very light, even with the back panel (which is very breathable) and padded shoulder straps/harness. You load all of your gear from the top and can organize the space because of its very wide opening. There is a bonus long zipper on one side if you need to access gear without opening the bag from the top -- it's very handy! The 2 side pockets easily fit my large Nalgene bottles; it's just a different type of pocket to get used to, where the water bottle is almost hidden, yet, easily accessible. There are also bonus zippered pockets on the shoulder harness to use for soft water flasks -- for me, I used those pockets to put snacks for quick access! The one thing I did miss was having a cushioned bottom of the pack. While the back panel is breathable, it is not cushioned. In my first packing of gear, I did not deliberately place softer items on the bottom, choosing to place heavier/bulkier items at the bottom. However, these items would hit my lower back as I walked, which was not ideal -- but, easily resolved. That is definitely something to plan around if you opt for this item, and make sure you check to see where gear might hit your lower back (I think it also depends on your individual height). Overall, this is an amazing product, with a variety of straps and clips that I'm still getting familiarized with -- it's a very well designed and light pack for carrying a big load for multiple days of trekking!

I really liked the overall design of the bag but found that no matter how I packed it, the bottom frame dug into my lumbar section. I liked the shoulder straps as it reminded me of a running vest. I would have liked it to have had its own hydration sleeve as well.