Arc'teryx Naos 70 Backpack - 4270-4640cu in - 2007 BCS

I have nothing bad to say about this pack. The AC2 straps are super comfortable and the load transfer disk is great for carrying heavy loads. The construction on this bag is amazing and I easily plan on having it for a good 20 years. It is made in Canada with very close attention to quality and detail. I have left it outside overnight in a few downpours and everything stays bone dry. There is one little tiny drain hole in the front pocket at the very bottom to allow for the release of any condensation build up on the inside. So as far as being perfectly waterproof, I doubt it, but it will keep everything dry short of submerging it in water. There are two front pockets, one a little bigger than a CD case, and the other the full length of the pack. The top of the pack has two pockets, both with taped seams and are very roomy. One thing to consider might be a holder for your GPS or something for a Nalgene bottle if that is what you use for hydration instead of a bladder. There are no hip belt pockets on this back. Think Tank makes a few accessories that would hold these things nicely and fit the color scheme of the Graphite pack. It would be nice to be able to access everything in the pack through a zipper rather than pulling everything out, but then again this is more a dry bag with a minimalist approach than an organization freak's paradise. I can fit my tent, bag, pad, stove, and a week's worth of clothes and food easily in here and never worry about the elements. If you want a very versatile pack that will take you anywhere, get this one.

As a side note, in the picture for the Graphite pack, the adjustment straps on the shoulders and waist are gray. In real life they are orange.

I've been looking for a pack that fits me well for a few years now. My recent move to a town in the Cascades sped up my decision making process that coupled with rainy hiking (a thing we know well up here) lead me to the Naos line of bags.

This is the first part of a longer 3 part review . I have had the pack for only a few days. I "Settled" on the cobalt color as it was the only pack in my size on sale. I was not to stoked on the color but when it arrived I actually found myself liking the color. The Cobalt is actually close to a vintage pack look.

My first impressions when unpacking was WOW, this material is very tough. It has a sort of rubberized kevlar feeling. It feels like a pack the Swiss Army would have made if they had "Future Technology" in the 60's. It's a very attractive pack indeed. Because of this thicker 420ACT "Fancy" material it lacks the "saggy" look most packs have. This definitely will be a durable pack when hiking through brush or against blowdown.

I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon fitting the gridlock shoulder straps. As I mentioned in the title I am a rather large guy and understandably most outdoor gear is designed for athletic builds. So finding the perfect pack has been a challenge. I'm 6'1" and 290lbs. I have a long torso so I decided to go with a tall. With most packs the belt goes right around your midsection which tends to cut my beer gut in half. 4 miles into a hike this becomes extremely uncomfortable. So, with my test run with the Naos 70 I kept this in mind and kept my pack looser than I would with another pack. What I found was pretty cool. The load transfer disc actually allows you to run your hip belt a little looser than with a traditional fixed hip belt. This takes pressure of of my love handle and allows the hip belt to move with me. Very very cool. I ran it with about 25 lbs in it so a little over half of what I plan to have in it for a 3 day hike but It felt crazy comfortable. I have a number of trails behind my house which has mixed rock and dirt pathway. I did some pretty steep scrambling up the large sandstone rocks and to my surprise the pack just flexed with me. The hipbelt is really an amazing thing. towards the end of the 3 mille it became apparent that this pack was a really good fit.

I'm really impressed with the build quality. People seem to criticize it for the price point. For me, $575 is not too much for something as critical as a pack that will fit me comfortably as well as keep my gear dry. I only paid half of that, but I would have paid full price if that was my only option. I will continue to update this review as I spend more and more time with it.

This is an awesome pack. My new favorite. It is waterproof and it has a roll-top like a dry bag. It is very well made.

Within months I tried a lot of different backpacks but fell in love with the Naos. When the '07 model went half-price I had to invest the money. It is the first 'expensive' backpack I owned and ever since, all my friend's backpacks feel saggy and uncomfortable on my back. It is true, the packing needs consideration and good planning, but I think this is always important when going into the outdoors. I only encountered medium rain with the pack. BUT: when hiking in lots of sand and dust recently i realized, waterproof means dust-proof and even insect-proof too. my gear stayed perfectly dry and clean. /// Once i carried 15 Kilos (33 lb) with my backpack and surprisingly long it felt comfortable. I don't have a hyper-strong back but could handle the weight well.

In Switzerland one hiker called my Naos the 'Porsche' of the trekking-packs. I started to believe him already.
If you consider this extraordinary backpack, be sure to get it on your back first, loaded with i.e. sandbags to simulate the trekking-feel. If it feels right, I can highly recommend buying it.

I have taken this pack to Havasu Falls last year and I loved it. Although it's not as comfortable as TNF Catalyst 75 (heavier), It was good enough for me carrying about 45 pounds of gear for over 10 miles.
Personally I think 70 liters is the best size backpack if your budget calls for only one pack. I've tried 55 liters, but it seemed a little too small even for a weekender and I am not even one of those "pack everything but the kitchen sink" type of a guy.
I've also used Naos on a canoe trip and it worked well since it's waterproof.
I've taken it into airplanes without the hip belt since it fits into the overhead compartment (barely :).
Bombproof pack! Super strong! A pack that Superman would carry!

I know it's expensive, but this pack will last you decades if you take good care of it.

I think I was one of the last holdouts in the world on my external frame pack. I loved the rigidity of the frame and the ability to tie things to the frame. When I finally bought an internal frame pack I knew it had to be a good one. When I saw that this one was water proof and had the disc system for weight dispersment I bought it. I no longer get the aches in my joints that I used to and the pack very waterproof. Only thing I will say negative is that there is not much air ventilation to your back. Overall this is worth the money!

Expensive? Yeah, but this is an investment you cannot afford to miss out on. Arcteryx packs are rivaled by no one when it comes to comfort and suspension. The pack itself does run a little heavier than other packs --- but the suspension makes it a moot point. You do not fatigue from a poor fitting pack or a load that transfers all over your torso.... I've had that happen with other packs. You'll need to get used to a top loader if you have not used one -- but they force you to simplify and put thought into the way you pack. This pack is an all around winner. You cannot lose with it. It will run you some dough --- but you should have it forever.

I was fortunate enough to find an Arcteryx Naos 70 on steepandcheap.com last year. It is a fantastic pack. Everything they say about the waterproof fabric is true - you can dunk it under water or float it down a river and everything in the pack will remain dry. The best thing about the fabric in addition to its waterproofness is its durability. It is definitely not going to tear when rubbed against a rock or when passing under a down tree.

The pack is however too heavy for my tastes, so I am going to switch to one of the smaller Acrux packs, but other than that I have nothing bad to say about the Naos.

I love this pack so much. It feels so comfortable to wear. There's so much area to pack as much as you want. With practically no restrictions on packing, save what you can actually lift, it really affords one plenty of backpacking options. For me, it's mountaineering. Here, there's ice ax loops on the back. I love the pack's red color, which will stand out easily on a snow-white mountain.