Black Diamond  Distance 15 Pack - Men's

Unfortunately these packs have a design flaw. The shoulder-straps are made of a thin mesh that tears very easily, and all that protects them is a narrow glued-on hem. If the hem ever separates then the rest of the strap will tear all the way through. I've had two of them and they've both failed in the same way. Black Diamond offers a "lifetime" warranty, but apparently they consider that the lifetime of these packs is only two years.

I wanted a light bag. So I don't regret my choice. It's light and has good storage. It will be useful when hiking. This bag is very famous. There's a reason why it's loved so much. I'll find out by using this bag.

Really great day pack both for trail running or hiking, the front strap water bottle holders is great for a soft flash. Fit everything I needed it to on my Mt Whitney summit.

Still in the early stages, but lots to love about this pack after a few long runs. It sits really comfortably on my back and the size is a great balance between fitting enough for a long adventure and not weighing yourself down. My only critique so far is that (when running solo) I wish it was easier to put running poles back into the side sleeves without unclipping the front straps and swinging the pack around to your chest. I can manage to take the poles out of the pockets alright while keeping the pack on. Not a big deal on personal adventures, but might come into play when racing. I'm 5'10" 155 lbs and a medium fits well.

The Distance 15 Backpack is a stellar choice for both trail running and mountain biking. Its design ensures a perfect fit that stays in place, eliminating any annoying movement during activities. The front zipper pocket is thoughtfully sized to securely hold a phone measuring up to 6 inches by 3 inches, providing easy access. Additionally, the backpack accommodates a CamelBak seamlessly, with a convenient pocket to tuck the valve away. With a 15-liter capacity, this backpack is ideal for a full day of exploration, offering ample space for all your essentials. The combination of practicality and comfort makes this backpack a must-have for outdoor enthusiasts. Highly recommended!

I bought the distance 15 primarily as a running backpack and chose it over traditional running vests because of its versatility for other activities. I’ve fitted it with a 2L Hydrapak bladder and two 600mL Hydrapak soft flasks. The bags quality feels really good and the vest pockets are very nicely places. My only complaints are that one chest pocket is open (does not have a zipper) making it pretty useless when running because I don’t want anything to fall out. Also hydration sleeve hold the bladder pretty loosely causing the bladder to bounce quite a bit during running; so far it’s holding up but I worry the constant bouncing will eventually wear out the clip that suspends the bladder.

I owned the first generation Distance 15 and it was a game changer for my mountain running adventures. Especially those which required a light ice axe or were in inclement weather (of which there were quite a few). The only problem was the water flask pockets were too short to hold a standard 500ml flask and so narrow it was a struggle to get the flask in the pack. the gel pockets were also very hard to get ones hands into for similar reasons. The generation 2 Distance 15 solved both of these problems creating the perfect solution for mountain running/light and fast mountaineering objectives

Can someone please explain how to use (or remove) the Z pole carry system? There’s a big dangly thing at the top of the pack that’s not intuitive at all, and I don’t see the bottom part of the system either.

I've used this pack for a year now. It is my daily commuting pack for biking, running, or skiing to work year round in Anchorage. I also use this pack regularly for scrambling and climbing in the Chugach as well. The build quality is excellent and despite having probably 340-350 user days it shows no significant signs of wear. It will bounce a little with running when I have more than 10 pounds or so in it, but this is minimal and manageable. Holds enough gear for a layer, foul weather gear, and some minimal technical gear for a day in the mountains. The water bottle pockets in the front fit a can of bear spray nicely, especially appreciated when negotiating dense alder thickets in bear country. Highly recommended!

Using the bag since one week. Very usefull for commuting every day. The both pole storage are ingenius. I love it.