Explorer 75L

This turned out to be very comfortable. The adjustablity of the torso size allows you to adjust the pack so weight distribution is better. Where you will feel the difference compared to cheaper packs is that, when adjusted correctly, it keeps the weight from riding solely on and crushing your shoulders. I like the smaller, but still big enough to be usefull pockets on outside that make it easier to keep items organized without everything jumbled/jamned in a single large pocket. It makes locating things like a first aid kit, duct tape, head lamp, etc. easier, without rooting around in the large pocket and having to take out half your stuff to find anything. Further, this pack allows me to carry a camp stool comfortably in a vertical position where it is easily accessed. It also, has small compartments in the waist band that allows easy access to snacks/napkins/folded paper towels. (cold weather always makes my nose run - which becomes highly annoying on the trail. These compartments allow you to easily solve this problem by keeping supplies accessible without stopping.) Durability is good - should last for years. Overall I really like this pack and for the price is a good deal. The only con is the non-adjustable ice axe loops. Which unless you are planning to hike in artic ice conditions are not useful. (maybe carry a wood axe instead?) They would be better if they were adjustable loops that could be utilized for strapping on other types of gear. Update: the ice axe loops actually work to help hold my trekking poles. So I guess I eliminated my only con.

I'm a big guy, 6'1" 260 pounds with a 21.5" torso length, and a 44" waist. This pack fits although the chest strap will be too tight come winter when I have to layer up. This pack is well made and comfortable to wear and it's large size is perfect for multiple day outings with my dog. If you utilize the attachment straps on the top and bottom you could easily use this pack for a camping trip that lasted a week or longer, depending on the gear you take. I can pack a Naturehike 3P 3 person tent with footprint, 10x10 Chill Gorilla Tarp, 3 inflatable pillows, Static V Luxe sleeping pad, food for myself and my dog, Sawyer mini filter, 3 litres of water, cook kit, fire making kit, small first-aid kit, folding saw, Mora knife, 3 headlamps, small LED lantern, battery bank, cordage, collapsible dog bowls, sleeping bag, and two complete changes of clothes with room to spare internally so the rain cover fits. I use the bottom loops to secure my dog's sleeping pad although the rain cover wouldn't cover it completely, it's easy enough to slide it inside of a garbage bag to keep it dry. If I didn't have to dog supplies, I could pack in two weeks worth of food and clothes with no trouble. The side pockets allow you to slide hiking poles, fishing rod, ax, hatchet, folding saw, tri-pod or other similar items behind them to hold it securely to the outside of the pack (although not all of it at the same time). All-in-all, it's a great pack for the price. More importantly, Teton's customer service also deserves 5 stars and reading customer reviews about their customer service was the main reason I chose to purchase a Teton pack. Here's my experience with them. This was my first adjustable pack and my GF misunderstood what I was asking her to do when measuring my torso and we got it wrong the first time. I ordered the Scout 3400 which turned out to be too small so I had to return it. No problem there. That's when I ordered the Explorer and the first one I received was what I would call a factory second. It was obvious that bag was overlooked by QC. It had threads hanging off of it all over the place, one strap was sewn on backwards, the zipper in the lid wouldn't zip completely closed and would work it's way open about 3 inches just from walking around with the pack on and one of the shoulder straps was frayed badly. I contacted Teton again about this pack, provided some photos and they sent a replacement the very next day, no questions asked. On top of all that, I mentioned in the email to Teton that the chest strap is pretty tight and they offered to make me a custom extension for the strap. As far as I'm concerned, this is a company that knows how to take care of their customers and stand behind their products 100%. They've earned my loyalty and respect and I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend them to anyone I know personally. This is one company that you can truly buy from with confidence that they will be there for you when you need them to be. Awesome!

This is my initial review on the bag. I will add a followup review after a 3 day backpacking trip next weekend. Pros: (Quite a few, generally happy with initial inspection) Lots of adjustments A decent number of pockets and options for storage(example would be a mesh velcro pocket on the face of the bag good for maps, energy bars, etc.) Straps seem to be of decent overall quality, and there is what looks like a sleeping bag/sleeping pad strap near the bottom of the bag. There is also two straps on the very top of the bag that seem like they could be used to strap something down. Nice to have the option to securely strap some gear to the outside of the bag. 2 Mesh water bottle pockets on either side, couldn't tell by the product description or pictures but they are there! Phew. Bright Yellow Rain Cover is located in a nifty pocket at the very bottom of the bag, nice feature. A few loops on the outside for strapping things down. Holds up to a 3 liter bladder with an exit whole and clips to keep in reach. Seems to be of Durable build and quality. Field tests soon. Cons: (Only one real con for me, two cons if you are taller) Sleeping bag compartment is SMALL, well actually its initially more of an issue with it's opening. I have a decently small winter bag that I can't fit in when its in it's stuff sack, at all. If I take the bag out of the stuff sack and stuff it into the compartment, it just BARELY fits, nice to know that it could though. For me, I will most likely use the straps on the outside of the bag to hold my sleeping bag, I have hooked it up and it seems to work pretty well(Almost like it was made to hold a sleeping bag). 4000ci is not that much room for a winter backpacking trip so having my sleeping bag on the outside will create a decent amount of space for say my clothes, sleeping pad, and cooking gear in the sleeping bag compartment. If you are someone who must have a sleeping bag compartment, this will work for summer camping but a winter sleeping bag will be very tough to fit in, the one and only con for me but big enough to deter some people. If you are someone who doesn't mind sticking the sleeping bag on the outside where it would work out just fine in the bag's straps, then this con is not that much of an issue. Not for TALL people. This bag seems to fit me ok but I am not a very big guy. I'm about 5'9 - 5'10 and it is a close fit. I think it will work just perfectly for me but if you are above 6 ft or anything, beware(then again I am pretty new to backpacking and this is MY first pack). Overall: In the end, I bought this smaller bag over the cheaper and larger cuscus bags because of the many reviews those had with cheap build quality. They get a lot of space with their big bag but have a lot of issues with bag quality. I sacrificed some space for quality and extra features. I am a little disappointed by the small backpack compartment but if I have my pack on the outside, this bag should work quite perfectly. I'd say for summer camping this bag is Perfect and for winter camping, if you can stick your sleeping bag on the outside, this bag is near-perfect. I will do an update in about a week after I give this bag a good hard test. 4/5 stars for not being 100% "perfect" but an overall good bag. UPDATE: Went for my November 3 day backpacking trip and this bag performed perfectly. Was comfortable and carried all of my gear with ease. I was able to pack up everything and more. The pack worked as good as I hoped it would and with the sleeping bag in the straps on the outside, it was a non-issue. No complaints, no problems, this bag is awesome. Great deal. Love it.

This bag is excellent quality for the price I paid. It is eminently practical with the many pockets and pouches. Large enough for multiday excisions and it's made of very durable materials. I expect this back to offer me many years of service on my adventures.

I've only taken it on one trip thus far but I can say that it's performed well. Time will tell but the workmanship seems top notch and the attention to detail is good. In fact, all the features of this bag can be a bit overwhelming at first but everything seems so well thought out. It seems infinitely adjustable for various sized folk and I can imagine that it's performance is greatly dependent upon getting this fit right so spend some time on this. Once set up correctly, the pack floats on your hips and the shoulder straps simply keep it in place rather than taking all the weight. I packed way too much stuff on our first trip and I was amazed at how well the pack took the load. I also purchased the Teton LEEF Adult -18c sleeping bag and unfortunately it seems too big to fit into the bottom compartment which, according to their marketing, is supposed to hold a TETON sleeping bag. Perhaps the -7c version will fit? Sadly, I wasn't able to take advantage of this particular feature. It would have been nice if they had paired various products together in their marketing to show what works with what. One of the things that I liked about this version (compared to the smaller one) was that the side pockets are only attached along their sides allowing you to pass something (like a set of tent poles, a saw or an axe?) in behind them. Many bags that I looked at try to add pockets by including zippers on the side of the bag that allow access to compartments inside (perhaps for a more streamlined look?)... or worse, pockets that are not pleated but simply sewn into the exterior of the bag. The result is a pocket that you can't use when the pack is really full. This bag has pleated pockets on the exterior with good quality zippers and flaps to keep some rain out. I found them really useful for keeping gear that I needed quick access to while hiking and setting up camp. So far, I have to say that this bag is everything they claimed it would be and I'm very happy with it.

My other backpack did NOT travel well for a five week trip to South America. The top closing flap did not extend, it made things difficult when my bag was extremely full. I think this bag will be exactly what I need.

It's very comfortable when loaded up and hiking. Lots of space internally. Just love the product.

Very happy with this, spacious bag and very comfortable for long hiking