Feb 05, 2015

As you many recall from my first post about this, my struggle with finding the pack of my dreams was quite the task. Unfortunately, I have yet to find that perfect pack.
 

Where I left off, I had ordered a Women's Gregory Sage 45 liter...

This pack is a great fit for a small woman. It was really comfortable to wear with its smaller straps and short length. It has a built-in rain cover, a front access zipper on the bottom, a dump pocket on the front, and lots of random hidden pockets. I thought for sure this was the one. I even spent the first 8 months of the trip using it. But if there is one thing that I learned from that 8 months of traveling with a top loading pack, it's that I EFFING HATE TOP LOADING PACKS!

Even with the "front access", which is really not as helpful as it seems like it should be, it was a huge pain in the ass anytime I needed anything that wasn't right on top. I wound up unpacking pretty much my whole bag all the time because I couldn't stand digging around in it. Some people are not bothered by this, but I sure was. I decided I couldn't take it any longer, and since I was taking a trip home for Thanksgiving, I was going to get me a new fully front loading pack if it was the last thing I did.

Man oh man was this process awful. The same problems that I found the first time around remained, obviously. There is no such thing (as far as I can find...please let me know if you have found differently!) as a woman's specific, small sized, front loading pack that is less than 55 liters, doesn't weigh a million pounds on its own, and has an even remotely comfortable back padding situation. It just doesn't exist. However, I did find something that is working quite nicely until someone wises up and creates the kind of pack that I actually need...

Enter the Deuter Transit 50 liter. This is not a women's specific pack, but the back is adjustable. While this back in actuality doesn't fit me perfectly, the front access has eclipsed this problem. It is just. so. much. easier. I've also realized that I'm not hiking with this pack on. Sure there are times when we walk some distances with all our gear, but for the most part, they are small distances. So I'm throwing caution to the comfort wind and going with this.

Some other great things about this pack are that it has a detachable day pack, separate bottom compartment where my shoes and dirty laundry live, it has hide-away straps, and also a shoulder strap option which is lovely. This pack is essentially the same thing as the Osprey Farpoint, but with slight differences. I also find the Deuter much more comfortable than the Osprey was. Unfortunately, this pack is lacking in outside pockets and rain cover, but for now, I'm just so happy to be able to open my bag and see all of my shit at once. 

So there you have it folks, I'm forever in search of my perfect pack, but content for now in Deuter.

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