REI Co-op Ruckpack 40 Pack - Women's vs Rei Flash 55

It has these pretty big, thick backpack straps, there's a lot of buckles and straps and attachments on the outside of the bag that caused this thing t...

After much deliberation and no real limitation on budget I ended up with the REI Flash 55 for my JMT thru hike. Couldn’t have asked for a better bag. I was impressed with the weight and and functionality compared to the rest of the market.

I am small framed through the shoulders, so this may not be an issue with larger builds, but it would keep me from using this pack on long hikes.

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. Rei flash 55 backpack is a great pack that’s affordable and carries weights up to 30 pounds really well.

I'm a light traveler and do not travel with any checked luggage. For more, comfort, versatility and the ability to travel through airports, ferries, cabs, trains quickly and ease is absolutely critical. I need to carry my bag and run around without any impediments.

I love my REI Flash 22 (and an REI Flash 18 before that). Very comfortable and surprisingly capable - have flown with it as my onebag on a budget airline with personal item only. The Flash 22 doesn't fold, but would lie flat in your luggage.

) There is just a bit of space, enough to let some air flow between the pack and your back. Now to the negative. The torso straps are huge, way longer than needed. Granted I'm on the skinnier side, but I had to adjust them all the way down and now there is about a foot of extra strap hanging on both sides

All of the straps and attachment points on the pack are girth hitched to the daisy chain instead of being sewn into the pack seams. This lets you detach them, move them to a different location, or change their angles, as needed.REI even includes a mesh sack with the Flash 55 so you can store the straps you’ve removed between uses, and not lose them. Directions for attaching the straps are printed on the outside