Great backpack. Wished it came with a rain cover.

The only reason I give this pack 3 stars instead of 2 is because this pack is best suited for an adult with a smaller frame, or a youth to early teen. I also do not believe that it is worth the $110 price tag. And I would not recommend loading more than about 20 lbs. into it. I surely would not recommend it for anything more than a day pack or maybe an overnighter. I recently purchased one of these packs and had the left shoulder strap break away it's stitching from the harness where it fastens to the support stay with only a 25lb. load of gear in it, and I wasn't even hiking with it, I was just testing it in the house and making adjustments. Also, once the pack is full the zippered pocket on the front of the pack is pretty much useless for stowing anything except maps or documents. If you have a thick chest and substantial shoulders I would stay away from this pack.

I just purchased the Talus 2700 backpack from Teton Sports and couldn't be more thrilled. You know we tend to think and believe the more expensive the product, the better it is. But, this very reasonably priced backpack debunks that rationale. When I pulled it out of the box, you could immediately tell and feel the quality. The backpack I replaced was falling apart after just four years and it cost me 2x times as much as the Taulus 2700. I travel quite often for work and gave up the carry on suitcase a while ago in favor of a backpack. This pack has all the room you need. I've even stored my Canon 5d Mark 111 inside ( I never have jumped on a plane without it stored in my Pelican case) and felt comfortable with it stored in the overhead bin. As for the great outdoors, the daisy chain is a great addition. If you plan on hiking or traveling and need to squeeze more gear or stuff inside, I highly recommend buying two stuff sacks. As a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan, I just love the color scheme.I would my Talus up against any other and more expensive back pack on the market!

Let me start off by saying that I'm not a seasoned backpacker, but do have some family members that are, with whom I went backpacking this weekend. This pack was mostly perfect all around. We did an overnight backpacking hike in Zion National Park that required something that would do well with water, stay light and also carry everything I would need for the 2 day hike and overnight camp.

This pack has a really nice adjustable lumbar support which helped size it perfectly for my torso on a 5'7" body. Once on and straps were adjusted, it was very comfortable on both hips and shoulders. It's internal water reservoir pocket in the back of the pack will come in handy one day although I did not use it for this trip. I did see some packs this trip with 2 hip pockets and did find myself wishing I had a second, perhaps a little larger too. The one hip pocket was a perfect size for fitting sunscreen, lip balm and a knife. I was able to keep any and all electronics dry in the top pocket as it was far enough away from even the deepest parts of the water on the hike. There is a front pocket that served nicely for easy access to snacks whenever needed. The 2 side mesh pockets fit my water bottles nicely and they could be strapped in with the lower compression straps. The bottom gear straps fit my sleeping mat perfectly and everything else (sleeping bag, inflatable pillow, tarp/poncho (that comes with pack), flip flops, sneakers, change of clothes, 3 freeze dried meals, lots of granola bars, jerky, toiletries, 2 water bottles, headlamp and camera) fit well inside without any type of stress on the pack or its enclosures. I didn't really use the external loops for any gear, since the trip didn't call for it, but I'm sure I will some day.

Side-note:
I also did use some other accessories made my Teton Sports. I used a self-inflatable pillow, sleeping mat and XXL dry sack/mat pump. The tarp/poncho that came with the pack served as a tarp that I used for my sleeping set up since the weather was perfect for sleeping under the stars. The sleeping mat was small and lightweight, but very comfortable. The self-inflatable pillow was one of the most comfortable pillows in camp, although a little larger when deflated than one might want for a long backpacking trip. The dry sack and mat pump was one of my favorite accessories since it fit all of my items that needed to stay dry and kept them bone dry even when getting into water up to my chest and also easily and quickly filled my mat by simply blowing a little air into the sack and then rolling it into the sleeping mat.

TL;DR: This pack was awesome in all aspects (size, weight, comfort, access and adjustability) and the only thing I might add would be a second, possibly slightly larger hip pocket. Very comparable to other well-known brands like Osprey. Other Teton Sports camping gear is also AWESOME.

I do have a couple of Teton packs, and I love them. I have two bigger packs for longer hikes, and one smaller hydration pack. I was looking for something in the middle to bring on day hikes, hunting, and even use in my RV on trips and found what I needed with Teton. Being 250 lbs, and 6 ft tall, it is not always easy to find such an easily adjustable pack (it fits me...with some slack) and we can easily adjust it to comfortably fit my 5ft tall wife. I was looking for a pack for my longer day hikes that lets me bring some essentials, food, water, stove, and maybe a small sleeping bag, as well as the DSLR and some tools. This pack does it well. It has straps on the bottom on the outside, that will let you attach a small sleeping bag. I also love the loops and storage pouch on the waist strap, lets me put the GPS and other little things in a convenient spot. The shoulder straps are comfortable, and like always there is plenty of loops, hooks, and D-rings all over the pack for extra external storage. The one thing I truly love about this pack compared to many of the other packs is the way the main compartment opens up. The orange zipper goes all the way around the pack from one side to the other, letting you lay it flat and access anything inside without having to pull everything out. It makes packing easier as well as accessing the one little thing that always falls to the bottom. I also love the color black, with minimal orange. Normally I go for the brighter packs, but in this case I love how well it hides. As always, Teton pays attention to the details, including a little whistle, and in a separate small compartment on top a orange rain cover that converts into a poncho, that converts into a emergency shelter. It has a spot for a hydration bladder with a hole stitched in, but does not come with one.