Mountain Hardwear  Alakazam 60 Pack

Just received the size sm/med in the mail, and loaded it up with my gear. The capacity and fit are good (so 3 stars) but there are some significant shortcomings that will have be returning this bag, given the price. 1. The chest pockets look like those found on a running pack which had me very excited. The reality is that they do not fit a standard 500ml hydraflask soft water bottle. The zip pocket is actually deeper than the bottle pocket so only have the water bottle fits in the pocket. 2. The hip pockets are barely big enough for a clif or hornby bar. They are sized to fit an inReach mini. They should have more volume which can be achieved without adding much weight. 3. While the side pockets are very generous in capacity, it is very hard to get a tall smart water bottle in and out.

I really wanted this pack. The design looks brilliant. It appears to do sooo many things other packs do not. Unfortunately, I returned it. TL/DR - the hip belt is too inadequate for a 60L pack. This pack became extremely uncomfortable over 25 lbs. It became excruciating above 30 lbs. This means you can only fill the 60L capacity maybe 2/3rds full before it becomes too uncomfortable to use. If you make a 60 L capacity pack, it should have a hip belt that can comfortably carry at least 35 lbs but more like 40 lbs. What looks really good * A full suspension system but still uses light weight materials. It seems in this industry if they put a good suspension system on, then they use super heavy duty materials, add 500 pockets, zippers, and compartments. Or, they make a simple pack, with ultra lightweight materials and then put NO suspension system in. This pack attempts to do take the good parts of both words * ultralight materials without fussy extras AND an adequate suspension system. * The back panel is really nice. The metal stiffener allows the pack to keep its shape. The mesh design keeps in comfortable on the back. Really nicely done. * The flat, wide shoulder straps distribute the weight really nicely (as opposed to same light weight packs that use an extremely narrow strap to hold the weight and then just put a pad under it.) * The double sternum strap is brilliant. * The roll down top with a very tall collar. The cottage company brands figured out this was the best design years ago. More mainstream companies need to move to this design. The not so good * Hip belt needs a wider strap for 60L pack. Tiny hip straps are okay on smaller / lighter packs but not on a big one like this. * The cushioned part of the hip belt circumference seems rather small. I have 40 inch hips and the padded part doesn’t reach my hips bones. 40 inches isn’t skinny by any stretch but it’s also not fat by a long shot. * Orange over strap should be a quick release buckle. * Sternum straps are nearly impossible to adjust. It took me 20 minutes, with a headlamp and two sets of pliers (one needle nosed) to move the first one. After I had a technique down, it was 5 minutes a move. With 2 straps/4 attachments, it took me over an hour to figure out the settings that worked for me. I don’t think I could do this on trail without heavy tools. It should NOT be this hard to adjust. * Shoulder straps need daisy chains so we can attach other stuff to our shoulder straps per our preferences * Hip belt pockets are a joke. Beyond tiny. You might be able to fit a single clif bar in there - max!!