Osprey Eja 58 Pack - Women's vs REI Co-op Flash 55 Pack - Men's

I don't want to be on a 5 day trip with a pack that causes issues. I was sad to have to return it. I will add that I had a similar issue with the Arial 65 but the REI sales associate was able to swap the straps from a different sized pack. This pack didn't seem to have that option

Low on the back pad is some foam padding that for what ever reason kept digging into my back on the hike. I kept talking off the pack and readjusting the load but couldn’t get it to stop. Some other concerns were some of the materials seemed a bit cheap like the mesh on the exterior pouch on the back. Not the worst for the money and REI stands behind their products

The lightweight aluminum frame mixed with the tensioned mesh back panel contours to your body, and it sits on that natural shelf of your lumbar and hi...

Straps work the best and it's definitely not as padded as my osprey atmos, but on a recent 40 mile trip up at standing indian, i found it to be really...

This pack is super light! They partially achieved this by getting rid of some of the convenience storage spaces, which is fine with me; HOWEVER, the straps are pretty thin, and dig into the front of your shoulders, even if you get all the weight onto your hips - and the little bit of padding on the straps is at the top of the straps, so if you're properly adjusted, the best of the padding is in the wrong place. Whoever designed it seemed to believe that a woman is going to carry the weight of all her equipment on her shoulders? Tempted to return it..

Oh, that's shaky video holy cats um, so this little carabiner i put on now. This is supposed to work where you take this loop it through like this, an...

There was more than enough space for all of my equipment, and the pack cinched down tightly to keep my pack snugly in place, well balanced, and comfortable. The only thing I wished was different, is that I would have liked to see more adjustability in the chest and shoulder straps. Even when adjusted correctly, the chest strap still sat a little higher on my chest than I would have liked. But overall, I this was a lightweight, spacious, and comfortable pack

Some tips: go for a pack with well cushioned shoulder straps and hip straps. Make sure it has weight loaders to adjust your load.

The brain I took off and chunked in the closet...it is too big and heavy for real use IMHO

Use a bic lighter instead of the fire starter, invest in a quality sleeping pad with like a Nemo alpine (can use in winter) it’s way more comfortable than what you selected. Go with the Tungsten 2p tent, it’s a quality tent that will last. You don’t have to be ultralight but you should seriously take into consideration the weight of the items and more importantly the size of the items in making your decision on what to buy. You won’t need that whole cook set, it’s going to take up a lot of space