One of my first impressions of the backpack is how solid it is. This backpack certainly passed the eye-test on quality.

This pack has everything you can ask for when it comes to features. There are more than enough pockets to perfectly arrange your gear in the most comfortable way. I particularly love the pocket for a portable water pouch (pretty much essential in today's backpacking).

But what about the trail test? The first time I took this out was on an 8-mile day hike to Silver Lake in the Uinta National Forest. I carried a heavy inner-tube to the lake, which was a great way of simulating how it would be in a real wilderness situation. The straps are extremely comfortable and the waist-belt tightened quite well and didn't loosen even when exposed to heavy body movements. I had a great experience with this the first time I wore it. On another occasion, I was wearing this pack in a river crossing that had the entire bottom half submerged. Though the gear in the bottom was wet, they certainly were not drenched like they would be with any other pack I've used. On top of that, the pack was dry within a few hours.