Mountain Hardwear Solitude Backpack - 4800cu in

Second trip to Alaska Dall Sheep hunting was to much for it. Loaded down the rivets between the yoke and the back frame ripped apart. Luckly I had a shoe lace to tie it back together, amazingly enough it fit very well on the hike back, to this day I have not had it fixed and it works just as good. Mountain Hardware needs to fix this problem. Other then that great pack!

great backpack! If only it came with a bathroom. Very durable, frame work is awesome. Great for heavy loads. I recommend this to anybody. " Built mountain tough"

I have owned my pack for about 1 year. I have hunted fished and camped everyplace in the Rocky Mountains with it and all I can say is where was this pack all my life. Well designed once you get it assembled. At first I thought it should come assembled, but then realized it is so you become familiar with the components. You can jam about anything into this pack and still find load management easy even in very steep country. It is simple to attach weapons and spotting scopes to the outfit with the generous attachment points. The zippers are top notch and keep out moisture very well. I like being able to remove the lower divider in the pack to make a huge tube, if you will, when it is pack out time. There may be a better pack out there but I have never seen it. Weight distribution with the yoke system make huge loads of meat easy to pack with no low back strain. Don't delay buy one today.

Who ever designed this pack spent too much time trying to make this pack fit. The idea behind the design is awesome, but it's just too complex. There are adjustments on the adjustments. All the adjustments sound dandy in theory but when one gets messed up you have to re-do the entire process. The irony of the whole thing is that with all the design put into making the pack fit and reducing the amount you have to adjust things like the hip belt, you really just end up adjusting more things more often. When the pack is fit, the foam and padding are very comfortable but keeping it that way is just way to hard. Although the design and fit are some what flawed, the construction of the pack is awesome. Very very well made. Mountain hardware just needs to take it down a notch with the design. Save your money and buy a Bora or a Naos

Well-made pack; the pack bag is well-thought out, and seems to be of good quality. The frame supports a load very well, and it distributes it to the hip-belt. I found the hip-belt very uncomfortable, but this would likely change as it became broken in. I returned the pack because I found the yoke unpleasant; I could not get the degree of adjustment that I can with load lifters. Some people might like the yoke, but I did not.

WOW what a great pack. Fits snug and once you get it adjusted it never moves. I spent 8 days hunting Dall's Sheep in the Alaska range and never once had a problem with the gear. I really like the whole system and once I figured how to pack it in a duffle bag It traveled well on the flight from Texas to Alaska. The pack was great when it came to stuffing it in the Supercub we used to get to the bush. If you have a bad lower back as I do this is the pack for you. Down side: be very carefull fitting the collar and belt to your individule size. I had a medium collar a lager frame and a large belt. But once I got the pieces together it was GREAT. It does take time fitting but the manual is good and can help you thru the process.

The Mountain Gear Solitude Backpack was the worst. I used it for Mt Blanc, The Matterhorn, and The Eiger. I hated it so much, I returned it. First, putting it together was a huge pain. Then, the fit was awful. The function of the pack was awful, it's hard to believe they actually did any real field testing. The pack kept separating from the frame which was a huge pain. I would say, stay away! Thanks JoeF

The frame is very rigid and flexible, all the loads hang to both sides of the waist. I walked throuth the Northan Alps in Japan for five days, started with 22Kg load. I recommend this pack for serious backpacker who walks steeper mountains with heavy load. This is a revolutionaly designed backpack. To our regret, the agency in Japan doesn't sell. So, I recommend this pack in my HP (http://psycho01.edu.u-toyama.ac.jp)