Got this with some Christmas money and I have been super pleased with it. Even though it doesn't have a "belt," it does have does have a waist strap. If you cinch it down it stabilizes enough, at least for me. The pockets are well thought out and the straps and back panel are incredibly comfortable. I forget I'm wearing it when descending

Love this pack. Use it for college (with laptop and books inside) as well as snowshoeing, climbing and other outdoor stuff. It works perfectly for all of them. You can attach pretty much anything to the outside in a comfortable way. I think some of the other reviewers have gotten too used to overly cushy, padded packs. I love the simplicity of this one better.

Niiiice pack. You really appreciate the pack's shape when you are a moving hard and fast -- your arm-swing is not hindered and the balance and center of gravity from the shape (and your smart packing of course) complements forward (especially downhill) momentum. The pack's well engineered shoulder harness and overall light weight means you forget it's behind you. Materials as all Arcteryx are top-notch so no durability concerns. All in all a great pack.

One of the main purposes of a winter pack is carrying skis, even if you are doing a short bootpack, you would move faster if the your pack is comfortable. If you are carrying skis, you need a hipbelt. Arcteryx forgot that even if the pack is 18L small, the skis are still heavy. Bootpacking with skis on a backpack is sooo much more comfoprtable if the pack has a real hipbelt... Without it the straps dig in your shoulders and the whole thing sways from side to side. Not comfortable at all.

I bought this as an all around pack. Something I could use for school as well as day hikes. It was not as big as I thought it would be based on previous reviews but it still is a great pack. I can fit my 15" MacBook Pro, a Nalgene, and about 3 books (not large hardcover books) in the main compartment. With those in the main compatrment there isn't any room in the front smaller pocket for anything substantial.

If I lost this pack or could buy any other pack I wanted again, I would buy this pack without thinking twice.

Loads of space for day trippin'. Well thought out for high-speed decents after hiking with your boards strapped on.....tried it out and is so easy a caveman.....
I don't miss a thing about my old Kelty 1900, especially the useless mess pockets, also my friends can now carry their own stuff, or maybe I'll sell it to them.

Just received this pack- so far I've noticed very nice build and quality control right out of the box. I am surprised at how much gear this pack holds! I keep stuffing things into it, and somehow it keeps accommodating-all while maintaining its comfortable, secure feel. I'm very glad that I took a chance on this pack, as I was not able to inspect it before purchase.Since I have $0.00 for anything but work these days, I will be trying it out as my carry on/laptop/general all purpose bag for a 3 week, 4 city consecutive trip for work( trade show A/V tech). It replaces a medium Timbuk2 messenger bag. Confidence is high.As for laptops- my 13" Macbook fits with ease. I am sure it will fit a 15", but with a little less lateral wiggle room. Just to give you and idea, the bag can hold my Macbook horizontally (12.78"), albeit WAY stretched. Obviously not recommended, but should provide a sense of what the bag can do in a bind. The laptop does not fit in the hydration pocket (I have the Fall'09 version).Top pocket easily holds a 32 oz. Gatorade bottle. Front pocket very easily holds a Timbuk2 large clear zip pouch, with room to spare(I was able to stuff a rolled up pair of jeans in there with the pouch, but it was tight). I fit a 16 oz. jar in the internal zip pouch. With the above three pockets filled as described, I was able to fit my laptop, Alpha M1-A jacket with room to stuff plenty of other soft items(t-shirts, socks, etc.) in the nooks. For a visit to a friend or relative, this bag could serve me for a weekend, no problem. And who knows? Maybe I will even get to enjoy some outdoors activities w/this pack at some point.

I bought this pack after borrowing a friend's for a day-long backcountry ski tour. The pockets are really well designed and the pack is very comfortable. I love the light green fabric on the inside, which makes it very easy to find things without digging around. I also like that it's not a silo - the zipper runs all the way around so it's easy to find what you need. While the hip belt is pretty basic, it is comfortable and does what it needs to. The shoulder straps are also very comfortable. I frequently wear this when I am telemarking at a resort but want to carry equipment for a quick skin up a nearby mountain. It holds the basics (shovel, probe, skins, water, snacks and a few small things like sunscreen and an extra layer) but that's it. If it's a hot day and you want to store the extra layers you wore, you'll have to strap them to the outside. I find this pack very comfortable to ski with, and I ski expert terrain almost exclusively. I have also used it for longer ski tours and it has likewise served me well. I also found it slightly awkward to strap skis to the outside for boot packing it up a mountain. The skis were a bit unsteady and swayed. Possibly I just haven't found the right system yet. My only complaint is that I wish it was slightly bigger. It's always nice to have the option to cinch down extra, unused space than not to have the option at all. I'm sure i"ll use the pack for day hiking trips in the summer too. (And my MacBook pro fits perfectly inside the shovel pocket, as does a hydration system.) Overall, I'm happy with this pack but not raving about it.

This is such a sweeet backpack. It held all my gear, as well as all six of my PBR's......It has plenty of pockets inside and out, for all of my stowables. I highly recommend.