And just to throw a curve ball into this discussion.
I recently upgraded from my Berghaus Wilderness 65, to a Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 40-60 Litre pack.
It's currently on sale on Massdrop, for US $129.99 + shipping of $24.50 to Australia. (The considerably discounted price is painful for me because I just bought one and paid a lot more, although mind you this Massdrop drop doesn't ship until 30th December so it wouldn't have arrived on time for my Overland Track hike.)
Viewable here:
http://dro.ps/b/8vEXWO3CWxIO/lThe reduced price at Massdrop works out at around AUD $211.70 (on today's exchange rate, converted from US $155).
It was co-designed by Andrew Skurka, famous adventurer, with Sierra Designs. It's "very lightweight", weighing 1.12 kg in Small-Medium, and 1.2 kg in Medium-Large size.
It expands from 40 to 60 litres and everything in-between. And it has an amazing weight-carrying capacity, if you've not at an ultralight set-up yet. It can carry 35 - 50 pounds weight capacity. (Which is 15.8 kg to 22.6 kg weight capacity). That's significant because most lightweight packs don't have a very good weight carrying capacity. This pack is very light and can carry a lot of weight and equipment.
The real benefit of this pack is that it's suitable for overnighters, through to multi-day hikes. The one pack will do it all. As you can just expand it to the size you want with the compression straps.
And I love the top zipper access. There's no separate brain clipped over the top. You open the zip and you're in. Which is great when you're taking off layers while hiking.
And it has good airflow / ventilation on your back so you don't get a super-sweaty back.
Good water carrying abilities, with bottle-holder on the shoulder strap up front on your chest, and side pockets on either side to fit a 1L bottle. And a hydration bladder bag within the pack which is detachable.
REVIEWS
It's had "very good" to "excellent" reviews. on every site and every review I've found.
Outdoor Gear Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya8V2y5GvVMHiking Nerd Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=206s&v=om5Jf1eMy6w Section Hiker Review:
https://sectionhiker.com/sierra-designs ... ck-review/I can't yet speak to it long-term as I've only had it a few weeks. However everyone that's posted on Massdrop in conversation has good things to say about it, and it has good reviews in every forum I've found.
I'll be able to post a more thorough review after my 6 day hike, but by then the Massdrop drop will be over.
Andrew Skurka's own comments are here:
https://andrewskurka.com/tag/flex-capacitor-pack/ and then he went and did a critique of the pack and who it best suits and doesn't suit here:
https://andrewskurka.com/2016/room-for- ... 0-60-pack/About the only "buts" I can think of are:
1) It's firm on the back, compared to some other packs like Osprey. Although everyone who has one says they get used to that quickly.
2) There is no back pocket to shove a wet tent into. Andrew Skurka recommends you have a trash compactor bag for putting a tent into within the main compartment, to avoid get anything else wet.
Best,
Emma