Mountainsmith Day Lumbar Pack, Heritage Black, One Size

I needed a pack to hold camera gear, water. Etc., things needed for a day hike.This seems well made with a thick material. It is comfortable on my waist but also has a good shoulder strap. It will actually hold my camera with 600m lens which surprised me. This makes it easy to get everything to the car.I have used it for a couple of short birding hikes and found I don’t notice it is there until I need something and it is easily at hand. All the various pockets make it easy to reach what you need.This is lightweight and gives me more than enough room for day hikes.

I bought this article not for hiking, but for daily use. I am a mail carrier and this pack sits behind the seat in my mail vehicle and manages my drinks, my tools, extra pens, lights, miscellaneous weather gear (neck gaiter, cleats, and gloves in the winter, cooling kerchief in summer), and my smaller hats. It goes to and from work with me every day, five or six days a week. After most of a year, it's still holding its shape, zippers still secure, bottle holders still cinching tight.This is a "tardis" container for me, holding more in its space than it seems it should. I found the original price a bit high, but it was worth every penny for the long-lasting quality.I cannot speak to the comfort as worn for hikers, but I use the shoulder strap in and out every day and it hangs from the shoulder strap in my vehicle.

Needed a larger lumbar pack for long hikes. This pack has ample room for food, water, and other items you wish to carry. Recommend strapettes for pack which keep it close to your back and make it easier to carry the additional weight. Has many uses other than hiking such as fly fishing or day hunting pack.

This is the perfect day pack: plenty of room in the large areas of the pack, even for a water reservoir, if you prefer that over water bottles. I like keeping the heaviest things I carry (like water) closer to the center of my body, so I put lighter things (rain cover for the pack, xtra socks, rain jacket, sandals, etc.) in the secure water bottle holders on the outside of the pack. Anyway, there's generous room in the main compartment for extra clothes, first aid kit, and a meal, plus things like binoculars, journals, etc. Plenty of secure/zippered areas for must-not-lose-on-the-trail items (car keys, wallet, etc.) The drop down outer flap is great for a mid-weight jacket, or rain jacket, that needs to be readily available depending on the effort/heat I'm putting into the hike. The belt: come on! this is the best day pack belt on the market. Wide and lots of smooth hip padding and two additional external compartments for smaller items (though the zippered pocket does hold my iPhone 15, so it's not small!) on the belt at the front of the body. And the very best part: I have to wear NOTHING on my mid and upper back, where I generate a big percentage of heat while hiking. Also, my upper body can move without being encumbered by a pack--sometimes required on rock hops and in forests. When I travel by air to places I'll be hiking, the pack is my under-seat bag. My other good-hip-belted day packs with the same capacity could not fit under the seat. Very high quality craftsmanship mean my first one only finally wore out after 25 years of hundreds of miles of travel/hiking. (It's still in good enough shape to be my dog's travel bag.) I almost forgot: the bottom straps can hold a bottle of wine, a tarp, a pad for sitting, additional light shoes, towel, bathing suit, or many of the trail-specific things you like to take depending on your destination (baguette, anyone?)

Great bag, comfortable carry, giving it 4 stars because a tie on one of the side-pockets ripped after few months of use, but overall love this bag

Very large bag, I would classify it as a mini backpack, good padding lots of pockets.

Not sure why there are not more options for lumbar waist packs, but this one is exactly what I wanted to replace the 40 year old LL Bean pack that took me through part of the AT and all of the New Hampshire 4000 foot peaks. It's a little bit bigger than needed, but it's light weight, has a lot of pockets, will work nicely.

Good pack overall, but a totally useless shoulder strap. It does not get short enough to fully tighten and lift the load off of the back. Poor design. I had a mountainsmith lumbar pack that lasted for 20 years and it had a good shoulder strap that could tighten easily. Disappointed.