The incredibly versatile Odyssey Packs from GoLite will hold tons of gear for your trek to base camp (5500 cubic inch capacity) but will compress down to only 1600 cubic inches for your assualts on the peak. You no longer need 2 backpacks for your next expedition. Plus, in spite of its huge size, the Odyssey only weighs 3 pounds 9 ounces, a featherweight among expedition packs. The front pocket and waist-belt pocket hold small items that you want easy access to. The sleeping bag compartment has a removable interior shelf, and two angled side stretch mesh pockets allow for convenient storage. The Odyssey comes in 4 sizes, 2 Women’s sizes (small and medium) and 2 Men’s sizes (medium and large).

GoLite has set a Retail Price of $200 for the Odyssey Backpack

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Lowe Alpine has always stood for value, comfort and durability. With the brand new Lowe Alpine Summit 65+15, they continue this tradition with a best of breed expedition pack. This Big Backpack has just what you need for your long trek. It features Lowe Alpine’s TFX fit system, which offers unparalleled adjustments, fit, and movement, translating into superior comfort. The TFX back uses a simple, strong, intuitive system to adjust back length. The hipbelt allows the hips to move relative to the spine, while maintaining stability. At the same time the internal frame is designed to flex and rotate with the natural motion of the torso. The Torso Micro Adjust facility on TFX back systems customizes the back profile to the individual’s lumbar curve. This may sound complicated, but the adjustments are very simple and not as complicated as with many other large packs.

Aside from a great fit, the Summit also offers great organization and load balancing features. Too many features in fact to list here, but here are some of our favorites: There are 3 internal and external zippered lid pockets, and the main compartment has a zip-out divider. The extendible and removable lid has an elasticized insert and converts into a beltpack. Lowe Alpine has strategically placed the compression and attachment straps to not only help control your load and create stability, but to also allow access to the inside of the pack even with stuff clipped on. And possibly our favorite feature is the Noggin Notch at the top of the pack that allows you to move your head comfortably without banging into the top of the pack.

The Summit 65+15 fits torsos 16-23 inches long. It weighs 7 lbs 3 oz and has a capacity of 4900 cubic inches.

Lowe Alpine has set a Retail Price of $300 for the Summit 65+15 Backpack

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The Arcteryx Briza line of backpacks are the little sisters of the famous Arcteryx Bora series of packs. The Briza’s are made with the same design elements and quality materials as the Bora’s, however, they are fashioned specifically to fit a women’s body.

Arcteryx backpacks are known for quality, and the Briza 62 is a multi-day pack of the highest quality for the discerning female backpacker. It will carry your load in comfort with its women’s specific suspension system that uses dual aluminum stays and Thermoformed shoulder and hip-belt straps. The large front pocket, sleeping bag compartment, full-length side zipper and internal laminated pocket keep everything organized and accessible. WaterTight zips and coated 420D fabric add toughness and repel the elements. Like a lot of other big backpacks, the top lid comes off and doubles as a fanny pack for day hikes away from base camp.

The Briza 62 comes in 2 colors, red berry or lime and 3 sizes: Short, Regular and Tall. With interchangeable dual density shoulder straps and interchangeable thermoformed hipbelt, you can dial the Briza 62 in specifically to your body type. The specs of each size are as follow:

Short: Weight: 6 lbs, Volume: 3540 cu in, extends to: 4150 cu in
Regular: Weight: 6 lbs 3 oz, Volume: 3780 cu in, extends to: 4390 cu in
Tall: Weight: 6 lbs 6 oz, Volume: 4030 cu in, extends to: 4640 cu in

Arc’Teryx has set a Retail Price of $350 for the Briza 62 Backpack

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The Gregory Deva 60 has been Gregory’s best selling backpack for the past 5 years. This women’s specific pack is designed for multi-day trips and hauling loads up to 45 lbs. In 2006, Gregory gave the Deva a face-lift to make it even more appealing, with a new female specific suspension, loads of organization and increased capacity.

The Deva 60 has been stocked with great storage/organization options. It seems as though there are exterior zip pockets everywhere - one on the front of the pack, two on the left side of the pack and one on the right side of the pack. There is a stretchy mesh open pocket on the left side with two zip pockets and another stretchy angled bottle holder on the right side with the one zip pocket. Twin gear/ice axe loops and quick-release sleeping pad straps finish of the exterior detail. Inside the pack, a “pouch” can be formed via an internal draw-string on the top of the pouch. This is a great place to stash your rain gear. There is also a removable hydration pouch with a hydration port tucked under a small flap on the right side of the pack. Towards the bottom of the pack, there is a false “bottom” which covers the middle portion of the pack interior and creates a partial separate compartment at the bottom of the pack. Accessing the interior of the pack is a snap with three different ways to get at your gear. There is a two-way dual zipper which zips from the center at the front bottom of the pack, another front two-way dual zipper which zips from the center about 3/4 way up the pack and lastly, a draw-string opening at the top of the pack.

Let there be no doubt that the Deva is designed for carrying your gear in comfort. The women’s Response Suspension System pivots to self-adjust its waistbelt to your hip angle while simoultaneuosly pivoting to mirror your body as it moves. The precurved shoulder straps and waistbelts are cushioned and supportive, and obviously cut for a women. The narrow ventilated back panel, also specifically designed for women, helps move moisture away and keep you cool. The Deva 60 comes in 3 sizes: X-Small: Volume: 3500 cu. in., Weight: 5 lbs. 0 oz., Small: Volume: 3700 cu. in., Weight: 5 lbs. 3 oz., Medium: Volume: 3900 cu. in., Weight: 5 lbs. 6 oz.

The Gregory Deva 60 Pack for women is Gregory’s best selling pack for good reason. Order one and you’ll soon find out why for yourself.

Gregory Mountain Products has set a Retail Price of $250 for the Deva 60 Backpack

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I first bought a Dana Design Terraplane pack back in 1990. It was a load hauling beast that fit like a glove. Fast forward now to 2007. This classic backpack has been improved upon nicely by the namesakes new brand, Marmot. (In 2006, the Dana brand became Marmot)

It’s as if Marmot took the original Terraplane and put it on a diet to create the 2007 Marmot Terraplane. It’s at least a pound lighter than the original pack, has well placed pockets and is possibly even more comfortable to wear. The Terraplane uses Marmot’s Arc Flex framing system. The shapable aluminum with carbon fiber reinforced fiberglass stays support your back while distributing the weight of the pack to your hips. There are two front pockets for increased storage and side zipper access to the main compartment. Sleeping pad straps secure a pad under your pack and the Trampoline Bottom Increases long-term durability of pack bottom. Just like the original terraplane, the lid converts into a lumbar pack to facilitate short day hikes.

The Terraplane offers a great array of fits with three sizes (S, M, L), seven sizes of backpanels, five sizes of shoulder pads, and five sizes of contour molded hip belts. The hipbelts even adjust vertically on your lumbar for a micro fit. At 5300 cubic inches, you can load the Terraplane down with enough gear to last you for a week long journey. Even with an up to 80 pound load, this pack will carry your gear in great fitting comfort.

Marmot has set a Retail Price of $350 for the Terraplane Backpack

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The Gregory Palisade has the capacity and feature layout ideal for those seeking comfort and superior load support at a great price. This classic internal-frame pack features a slim fit for comfort and mobility on weekend or weeklong backpacking trips on or off the trail. New for this year, Gregory complimented the top and bottom entry points with a zip-through front pocket that provides additional access to the main pack body. They also modified the packs top pocket with a split skirt, allowing the lid to form over the pack and fit better.

Gregory equiped the Palisade with their patented “Cant” systems; contoured shoulder straps with the Auto-Cant system adjust automatically to varying trail conditions and the Adjust-A-Cant waistbelt offers 3 angle settings for a truly customized fit. The Palisade comes in 4 sizes, the specs of which are as follow (fits torso / fits hips / base volume / weight):

X-Small: 14-15.5 in. / 22-28 in. / 4,350 cu. in. / 71 liters / 5 lbs. 12 oz.
Small: 15.5-17.5 in. / 22-28 in. / 4,850 cu. in. / 79 liters / 6 lbs. 3 oz.
Medium: 17.5-19.5 in. / 28-34 in. / 5,100 cu. in. / 84 liters / 6 lbs. 7 oz.
Large: 19.5 - 21.5 in. / 34+ in. / 5,550 cu. in. / 91 liters / 6 lbs. 14 oz.

When fitting the Palisade pack, remember that Gregroy offers 4 different sizes of shoulder straps and waistbelts so that you get the absolute best possible fit. So even if your torso size falls in the medium category, your waist may be a small, and so on. Although on average, you’ll be fine with the default sizing.

The combination of comfort, durability, functionaility and price have made the Palisade one of Gregory’s all-time best sellers, having been on the market now for over 15 years. If you’re on a budget but still want a great pack, you will be more than happy with the Gregory Palisade.

Gregory Mountain Products has set a Retail Price of $299 for the Palisade Backpack

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The Bora was one of the first packs ever made by Arcteryx back in 1994. The Arcteryx Bora quickly became a legend in the expedition pack category, winning the Backpacker Magazine’s editors choice award. 13 years later, Arcteryx has updated the Bora 80 pack, making it even more comfortable and functional.

The Bora 80 isn’t the biggest offering in the Bora line from Arcteryx (that would be the Bora 95), but it is a great size for weeklong plus trips. It will carry your load in comfort with its dual aluminum stays and Thermoformed shoulder and hip-belt straps. The large front pocket, sleeping bag compartment, full-length side zipper and internal laminated pocket keep everything organized and accessible. WaterTight zips and coated 420D fabric add toughness and repel the elements, allowing the Bora 80 to last for years and years. Like a lot of other big backpacks, the top lid comes off and doubles as a fanny pack for day hikes away from base camp.

The Bora 80 comes in 2 colors, deep blue or mercury (grey) and 3 sizes: Short, Regular and Tall. With interchangeable mens/womens dual density shoulder straps and interchangeable mens/womens thermoformed hipbelt, you can dial the Bora 80 in specifically to your body type. The specs of each size are as follow:

Short: Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz, Volume: 4390 cu in, extends to: 4940 cu in
Regular: Weight: 6 lbs 13 oz, Volume: 4700 cu in, extends to: 5250 cu in
Tall: Weight: 7 lbs 1 oz, Volume: 5000 cu in, extends to: 5550 cu in

At right around 7 lbs, the Bora 80 is certainly not the lightest expedition pack on the market. However, if you’re looking for comfort and durability, you can’t beat the Arcteryx Bora 80.

Arc’Teryx has set a Retail Price of $375 for the Bora 80 Backpack

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The Crescent 85 Pack from Osprey is an incredibly versatile full-featured men’s expedition backpack. This pack is built for the mission of carrying heavy weight in a comfortable, organized way. Osprey offers 5 frame sizes, six standard harness and hipbelt sizes. With easy torso adjustability, the ReCurve Suspension can be tuned to fit just about anyone perfectly. The ReCurve suspension is made from stiff aluminum stays and extra struts that help distribute your load as evenly as possible. The BioForm harness comes in multiple sizes with gender specific cuts, as does the BioForm CM hipbelt, which also happens to be heat moldable. The harness and hipbelt feature spacer mesh surfaces with no sewn seams for smooth body contact. Osprey continues to strive for maximum pack to body contact which gives even load distribution for maximizing comfort.

Now the Crescent 85 isn’t just a comfortable pretty pack. Its well organized big backpack too. Gear organization is a piece of pie with vertical zip panel access, wide mouth sleeping bag access and a built in stretch mesh pocket with zippered panel. The clever vertical zip access to the main compartment hides under the right compression flap, so you don’t have to dismantle everything to unzip. An included hydration sleeve sits in its own pouch on the back of the pack, and can detach to become a small self-contained hydration pack. There are 2 side and 1 overhead external pockets. The pack is of course stocked with plenty of well placed compression straps, allowing you to carry a snowboard or skis (diagonally) on your next winter expedition. Just in case you have questions about the packs durability, rest assured that the combination of twill nylon, plain-weave nylon and ripstop nylon will hold your gear securely. Osprey is confident too, thats why they’ve backed the Crescent 85 with a lifetime warranty.

Osprey Packs has set a Retail Price of $380 for the Crescent 85

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