I have been gearing up for some extended day hikes, and I have been looking for a good starting pack to get me out there. I've read alot of reviews and looked at packs in shops, trying to get a "feel" for both what is required and expected from the equipment. One of my dismays when shopping online as a first-time buyer is the lack of specifics in product descriptions and/or reviews. They are no substitute for having the product in your hands.
I haven't given this pack an ultimate stress test, but I wanted to provide some of the info about it's structure, hopefully giving a clue to others about its functionality.
Visible in the picture provided, this pack has two zippered compartments, both large. The exterior compartment has a mesh pocket spanning it's width on the inside, rising to 2/3 of the space. The larger interior compartment also has a nylon(?) pocket which is pleated to expand, rising to 3/4 of the space. By design this compartment is made to accommodate an hydration pack, and this pocket should cradle and shield the hydration pouch from other contents. at the top of the compartment is a flap-pocket with a zipper for storing small essentials. Directly under this flap is a carabiner-style hook designed to suspend the hydration pack into the compartment. Both of these are affixed to the back wall of the pack. There is a small flap at the center/top to extend a drinking hose outward. As far as the internal storage goes, this is it...
As can be plainly seen from the image Amazon provides, the compression straps do pass over both zippers and they must be passed under when unzipping either space fully. You might have to take your glove off. Maybe. Mildly annoying, but not a ruinous design. In fact I am not sure this isn't a gnat other packs have overcome. Is ignorance bliss?
The base of the pack is of a different material than the body, seemingly very water-tight from the inside and rough on the exterior. At first blush I would feel comfortable placing the pack on muddy ground although I wouldn't want to test the seams in standing water. I've found the material to be vaguely water-resistant but I can't make any claims on an extended soaking from rain etc.
All zippers are heavy with thick teeth and large runners. All seams and stitching have the solid look of quality construction. The mesh pockets on the sides are very expansive and have elastic bands at their heads to hold water bottles etc securely.
I've loaded this up with an uncomfortable amount of weight and taken a few extended walks (like I said, no ultimate stress test yet) and am quite pleased with the hip belt and shoulder straps. Shoulder straps allow you to adjust the weight on your shoulders, transferring them to your hips and vice versa. A dense padding runs top-to-bottom between your back and the pack, allowing for some air flow and rigidity. The padding on the shoulder and hip pads is sufficient and comfortable, sufficient for the pack's capacity anyway. The chest strap is adjustable both in girth and position. The position factor gives me pause, although I haven't had a problem with it. It's basically a plastic clasp gripping a plastic runner surrounded by material, allowing it to be slide up and down the length of each shoulder strap. Under extreme duress I could see this assembly popping off and being very difficult to get back into place. It's not exactly a load-bearing point though and my curiosity was not able to find a weakness in it.
Lastly, I wondered about some of my existing equipment and how it would load into the pack. As a day pack this holds just about everything I could imagine needing, but I tried stuffing my current tent in there to see what I got. It's a 2-man and rolled it ends up being about 7"-7 1/2" round and 22" in length. The length turned out to be the limiting factor, but I was able to barely get zippers to close over the the thing without risking breakage (This was the Coleman Hooligan 2-man btw). This verticle stretch limited what else could be put in. I wouldn't be using this to haul overnight gear going solo. Luckily that is not my intent. If someone else carried a tent I could fit a self-inflating pad and sleeping bag, some clothes and other items packed correctly. But it's not designed for more.
Hopefully this gives a clear representation of what you are getting. The integration for a hydration pack is probably the signature feature of this item and I'll be using it in that manner, which is part of it's flexibility of usage.
Get more detail about High Sierra Cirque 30 Pack.
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