This is well made and comfortable but didn't really meet my needs, which are a bit specialized, so I returned it.

Thought this may be a viable, cheaper, alternative to a Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer. Not even close! I guess you get what you pay for. Very uncomfortable pack. After fiddling with it for an hour and not getting it to fit, I gave up in frustration and returned. I know, it's a portage pack so it stays in the canoe most of the time, but a pack this uncomfortable would make even short portages a miserable slog. The yoke digs incessantly into your back while the torso length (there is only one setting) is too large for all but the tallest. FYI, I'm six foot with a 20 inch torso and the length was way too big, causing the shoulder straps to separate from my shoulders and the pack to pull away from my back. Another annoyance is that, when you get the pack on, one or the other of the two straps lashing down the front tend to move off to the side, throwing the pack off to one side or the other. On the positive side, the closure system works well and I'm sure your stuff will stay dry in a dunking.

good on the river, sturdy

I've had one of these for years and it's a great excursion pack. I ordered a new one for an upcoming trip. The new bag is a thinner material than the old version I have. I hope it holds up as well in the long run.

Worked like a charm. No issues with the bag. It was a little hard to look for stuff because my shirt sleeves kept sticking to the sides as I dug into it. I would hardly call that an issue though.