The North Face Catalyst 60 Backpack - 3350-3950cu in

The Cataylst pack is fantastic and performs exactly as advertised. Loaded with 55lb, for the first time I was able to walk rather than plod up a 30 degree pitch and with absolutely no hip stress (I currently own an Osprey Cresent). I would love to have this pack. So what is the problem? The North Face refuses to provide dealers with different size hip-belts and shoulder harnesses for a proper fit. The large torso pack has a 36in minimum waist hip-belt and an overly long shoulder harness which together probably fits about 1% of the backcountry public. I have a 33in waist and need a 20in+ torso length pack. This arrogance on the part of TNF typifies a company in decline.

I have been a avid backpacker for over 25 years. Most of that time was with an external frame pack, so this was my first experience with an internal frame pack. I must say that I was some surprised at the difference. After some time getting used to all the fine tuning adjustments of the Catalyst 60, I found it to be most useful and comfortable. The most surprising thing was the Pivital Suspension System, which makes moving with the loaded pack a real joy. All in all I find it to be a very comfy and useful pack! Highly recommend! Well worth the money! Thanks, Deane

I recently purchased the Catalyst 60 and took it on an hike through some pretty rough terrain. I barely noticed I was even carrying full pack. It's extremely comfortable. Also, I had plenty of room to carry my camp gear and 80m of climbing rope.
However, it does have a few downsides. First, the internal water reservoir sleeve is too small to carry a 3 Liter Camelbak pouch (or a 2L insulated Camelbak). So if you want to use a large reservoir, you can't use the included sleeve.
Second, the hip belt sticks down a lot farther than the bottom of the pack and so you always have to lay the pack down or prop it up against a tree when you stop. This may seem minor but I noticed that after only a few stops, the hip belt was getting pretty dirty.
Third, and speaking of the hip belt, I too am too tall to use the hip belt included on the large Catalyst 60. I'm 6' 2" with a 32" waist but the large hip belt only cinches down to a 36".
The North Face says that it has interchangeable belts and so I sent them my large one and they sent me a medium one. BUT, they didn't send me a medium Catalyst 60 belt; just some generic pivotal hip belt. I called TNF about this and it turns out they don't have any in stock but said they'd send me one as soon as they got one. That was back in 11/06. I have called them numerous times since then and have always gotten the same response, "keep waiting."
Finally, I called them yesterday and they said they'd have one made for me in their factory but that I would have to wait an extra month....
I mean c'mon, what kind of company offers a product and a service that takes five/six months to fulfill? In the meantime, I'm using the crappy generic hip belt. But even with that belt, the backpack feels pretty good.
All in all, the backpack is great, especially when you can use the Catalyst 60 hip belt. I just wish TNF would get its act together.

Agree with most of the positive aspects mentioned by other - Pivotal system, capacity, comfort. I could easily fit my sleeping bag, tent, Stove, Utensils, Lamp, Climbing rope, water sack + food and some beer too and still had room left.. Surprisingly i got a hip belt that was not too bad. Fits me pretty good and i'm a 32'. Downside is adjustments, there are too many and lucky for me i got somehow got it right in the first few minutes. Takes a lot of weight off your back, i had almost 35 pounds on me and yet felt very light. Only if i cold fit a bigger water reservoir.

It offers really nice back support, adjustable to different heights. Enough pockets to put all your gear and lots of straps to get everything else you need tight to the backpack. Good enough for long hiking trips.

I recently used this pack while ski touring in the Tetons and it worked well. There was plenty of space for everything I needed (sleeping bag, shovel, probe, camera, puffy jacket, food, cooking supplies, camera, extra lens, skins, helmet, goggles and a few other odds and ends). I really liked the side and top access features. I must admit though, this wasn't the most comfortable pack I've worn and it took quite a bit of adjusting to find an ok fit. If you're going to spend the money, you might as well buy a pack that has aluminum stays and more personalized adjustments. Aside from that though, this pack served me quite well.

I tried this pack out when it first came out with the name Pivotal. It is a good pack and at the time it was revolutionary the idea that the pack would move freely from the hip belt. It felt great and I could twist my body to match. I bought one of these from The North Face and love it.

good overall backpack with lots of un-necessary but cool features. The pivot system is neat and the first time I wore it on the trail, I leaned over laterally every once in a while just because it felt liberating.
It took me a long time to get this to fit right and feel comfortable, however. Once i did, i was good to go. I could see how this pack wouldn't fit every body type however. I had to take extra care when I filled it with my bear container, a 2-liter reservoir, and all my other gear because it didn't fit any more. Shuffling stuff around fixed this, but I never had to do this with previous The North Face packs.
Overall a great pack with lots of extras, but just make sure it fits you. If it does, you'll have all the bells and whistles.

There was a lot of gadgets on this pack, but the bottom entry was nice. I gave it 2 stars for day climbing.