Kelty Redtail Backpack - 1800cu in - 2009 BCS

I bought this pack to replace my old day pack. First thing to comment on is the fit. I put the pack on first thing w/o a load, and the shoulder straps fit great! the sternum strap is well placed. The waist belt snugs the bottom of the pack to your back nice and tight. would like to have the waist strap wider as to accommodate a clip-on anything (knife, GPS, Radio, iPhone) but it gets its intended job done perfectly. I decided to load it up to see how it feels with weight. It can hold a ton, more then you might need for a day hike. It will be perfect for when me and the GF head out, I can hold all our stuff. The front pockets hold a ton of gear as well, and keeps it organized. There is a gear loop, and lash points on the outside. a handle on the top on outside pocket are convenient as well.

My only negative (hence the 4 stars) thing would probably be the two side mesh pockets. My Nalgene bottles don't make a perfect fit. But once the pack is strapped on, they stay put due to the fact that the waist belt pulls the pockets tight. I tested it by bending over with both 1L full and they didn't move.

All in all, a decent pack for under $100. I will be field testing it this weekend. i would recommend it.

I bought this because i thought the design was pretty cool and it looked low profile. one of the most annoying things is having water bottles always falling out of the mesh pockets. mostly due to them being very wide. even too wide for a nalgene bottle i think. basically if u dont carabine ur water bottle to the side strap it will fall out if u even slightly bend over. also with the way the zipper for the main pocket is designed it kind of folds up and gets in ur way if you have even light things in the front pocket. somewhat troublesome when tyring to get to the bottom of the main pocket. i also dont like the oval shape of the main compartment. there are many things out there that are square and rectangle shaped and dont quite fit.
about the only good thing is it sits tight on your back and is good for bike rides. assuming ur water bottles dont fall out while riding =0

the side waterbottle pockets suck. my water bottles and umbrellas that I keep in there always fall out. the north face backpacks have side pockets that are much better designed.
the front organizational pocket also gets very heavy as soon as you put anything in there. the pocket is also very deep, so things tend to get lost.