Deuter  Aircontact Core 65 + 10 Pack - Men's

I took it to Philmont Scout Ranch where it failed. The veri slide feature to adjust the belt to the shoulders didn’t work. It wouldn’t hold in position. I found myself constantly and uncomfortable carrying all the weight on my shoulders. Finally I got it to hold by tying the top to the bottom with 550 cord. I actually found someone else on the trial with the same problem. I’m very disapointed with my purchase and wouldn’t recommend this bag on the trail. I understand from other users that the brand has a very reliable record, but for me, I’m going to purchase a backpack similar to what I purchased for my son.

I bought this pack a couple weeks ago and have since put nearly 40 miles on it. Although I haven't had the bag long enough to speak for it's durability, I can speak on it's comfort. My first trip with this bag was a 23 mile trip through the mountains in Alaska with a ton of elevation incline and decline, as well as some challenging terrain including river crossings. The whole time I was carrying extra gear that my friends couldn't carry which left me with a very heavy and tightly packed bag. Even then, this bag was extremely comfortable and gave me no issues. If your someone who packs heavy like me, this bag is a great choice.

This is the second pack I've tried after the REI Flash 55. The flash wasn't tall enough as I'm 6'4". I ordered online and found it didn't fit. Thankfully I was driving past an REI on my way to the trailhead and got fitted for a pack. This is what I ended up with and I love it! I usually go with my S.O. and her daughter, and I end up carrying the extra odds and ends until they build up some leg strength, so having the expandable area is awesome. Not to mention the plethora of attachment points on the outside. Again I've only tried two packs, but on the couple trips I've taken this pack on it has been fantastic.

In 40+ years of backpacking I've used many packs-- this is my favorite. I had to replace my old pack and found the Deuter to be a reasonable compromise between rugged construction and weight. Just returned from a 9 day hike in the Sierras and can report that the Deuter is expandable enough to hold all my gear, packs it all neatly, is extremely comfortable to wear for long hauls, and is durably and intelligently constructed (though it did get slightly torn on rocks when I put it down haphazardly-- the outer material is on the thinner side in order to save weight).

I tried this pack, the Highly praised Gregory Baltero, and the REI Traverse. The Deuter was the most simple pack of the three. I really wanted to like the Traverse because of price and features and really really wanted to like the Gregory because of features and high praise. Ultimately the Gregory was a no for me because the zippers, especially for the sleep system compartment were not closing smoothly even before I packed my gear in it. Maybe I got a dud. But it was annoying enough during testing to dq it. Anyway the Deuter zippers are silky smooth, the sleeping compartment space was bigger than the Gregory as well. I also appreciated the overall compartment sizes and the +10 adds some versatility for me. I like the lack of external pockets compared the Gregory. This will depend on the person. But my partner has the Baltero, and tends to lose things in the numerous external pockets. For me simple is better and my packing system incorporates packing cubes, which I find easier to navigate. I also appreciate the retention straps on the Deuter doubling as a way to strap any and everything to the pack, especially once at camp, and the pack is hung on a tree. The loaded comfort was about the same as the Baltero for me, but that was just walking around the house vs an extended hike. We did about 20 miles in 90+ degree heat and the pack stayed as cool as I could ask. The Gregory may have an advantage there. Overall the material and build felt highest on the Deuter, and I’m happy with the purchase. Both other packs came with a rain fly so I’ll drop a star there. Otherwise great pack.

The original description said this pack came with a rain cover. It did not and the description on the website has since been changed. I'm not a fan of the VariSlide system as it doesn't seem to stay in place. The VariQuick system from the old model kept the back length in place. IDK I'll take it into REI and maybe they can see what they think about the adjusting the hip to shoulder length issue. There is a lot to like on this pack. Being able to open the pack to get quick access to gear is very cool and being able to remove the top piece is cool as well to save weight on shorter trips. I also like that the new version has straps to latch a tent to the lower portion of the pack. But I took this out on a trial run and because the shoulder straps slide down instead of staying in place there was way to much weight on my shoulders which makes this a deal breaker if REI can't help me make since out of this. I'll amend this review if I get that issue resolved.

I bought this bag after deciding to upgrade to a modern bag. I used an REI traverse than this year I tried an ultra light bag.. the flash 50 air and let me tell you.. after 30 miles and 72hr of supplies I hated the flash air. So luckily rei has an amazing return policy and I steered far from ultra light into ultra heavy lol. I packed this bag up to 40lbs with gear,food,water and I felt as one with the bag. The features and all that are amazing but the handling alone was great. I like to veer off trail sometimes and climb around and this bag is solid. Handles the weight great and the material gives you enough confidence to toss it around or lay on it. But here’s the most important part of this review.. if you read the reviews about the adjustment slipping I think they’re setting the bag up wrong. All the weight should be on the hip belt. On every bag you need to cinch that belt tight as can be and after a couple miles guess what you’ll have to cinch it again bc materials stretch.. if you do this correctly you shouldn’t have a lot of weight on your shoulders. And on this bag that means the adjustment tensioner won’t see crazy weight. Like the whole weight of the bag. All this saying that I did not see any slippage. But I’ll update this review after I hit 100mile mark on the bag.

Roomy pack for multiple day trips. Waist straps cinch down to 27" on my slim teen. Other brands won't accommodate that small sized waist.

It did the job of getting my stuff on my back from A-Z, but I was routinely frustrated with it. Particular the top pockets or 'brain'. Just felt like it often had the idea of what I would want out of it, but just would fall short by some feature being too small or awkward. Did appreciate the side zipper, until that zipper started to open while hiking. No cord or convenient cord holding locations to hold a sleeping pad included either.

I had the old Aircontact 65+10 for a while and I decided to "upgrade" to this lighter pack. Overall I think this pack is a winner. I feel like they talked to a lot of "regular" people, got rid of stuff that were not needed, added stuff that was. For instance, I personally find ice axe loops useless and I have to honestly think the majority of people do. This pack gives you the option to remove them and replace them with sleeping pad holder straps. The sleeping bag holder straps come about by relocating the side compression straps which again not sure how useful those really are to real people. My pack is generally full enough that compression straps don't really make much difference. This pack also removes the daisy chains which I don't like using because I don't like things bouncing around and replaces it with the shovel pouch similar to what is on the old Aircontact 50+10. Wet tent/clothes shove it in and keep the rest of the inside dry. Just about everyone has to deal with that. Also, all of the zippers, buckles & webbing with the exception of the hip belt is scaled down. The lid is also truly floating an no longer permanently attached to the main pack making the "+10" easier to use. The only general drawback this pack has is that is does not maintain fit during use. Some have remarked about the VeriSlide sipping. I've not been able to confirm that is an issue for me. What is without a doubt an issue that I've experienced is that the shoulder straps slip under load / long hikes. I think it was a good call putting the thin webbing / small buckles everywhere else to save weight but putting them on the shoulder straps doesn't seem to provide enough surface area to maintain a strong "bite" between the webbing and the buckle. With a 50lb pack I find myself fiddling with these straps/buckles every 30 minutes or so. Overall the pack is good, I've had it since 7/28/2022 and I've used it just about every Sat/Sun traveling 5-12 miles training for an upcoming multi-day trip. If the should straps on this pack were redesigned to address the slipping this would be the most perfect backpack I've owned yet.