Ortovox Free Rider Pack - 1464cu in

I ordered this bag and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! However, I am a female 5'7" tall and I weigh 115 pounds, and I was really hoping there would be a little more back support on the bag. After one saturday when I did a 14 hour round trip hike, my back was absolutely SCREAMING, and I feel this could have been avoided somewhat with better support (i.e. a stiffer panel that is in contact with your back). The bag was actually a very good size for my height and weight, I also had plenty of room to store extra layers, snacks/meals, stuff for my dog on hikes, etc. So, I guess this may be personal preference, but if you experience back fatigue easily, try looking for a different bag with more support.

Although designed for the skiing/boarding crowd, I selected this as a compact day pack for winter mountaineering. I can fit a down sweater, fleece pullover, shell and 2.5L bladder, still with some room to spare. Not much, but I wanted a smaller pack and I love the low profile shape. The snowboard carry straps work well stowing snowshoes, and it'll cleverly carry a couple of ice axes. Cons: A bit heavy with the internal frame and the front hip belt pocket is very small. Otherwise an excellent pack, and I'm picky.

What a great backpack. It has met all of my expectations and then some. I have tried several packs and this one rocks. The quality is second to none and the features area great. You will not be disappointed.

back protection makes it heavier, but after landing on my spine while trying a backflip the rock that should have cancelled my ability to walk never ever touched me! It flexes with my movements and carries the weight correctly for skiing. I love it's access to inside stuff and it's simplistic design. This is a very, very good pack for anyone who is serious about skiing, alpinism and the mountains. The features that aren't there are not there because they aren't needed. This pack rides well and will keep you from harm. A serious yes for those looking for a better pack.

For the best spine protection you might have to choose the larger pack. Check in detail, there is a relationship between pack size and your length!

Pros: Great pack, excellent weight distribution and support. Storm proof zippers and a better helmet attachment system than Osprey (the osperey wont fit large helmets, fatheads like me are out of luck) and the most comfortable/secure waist straps of all the packs I've worn Cons: Not as much storage as a comparable pack, such as the osperey 26. The Orto is low profile but at a cost. Also camelback is on the panel that opens out for back acess, this means that it drags your hydration hose across making getting into your stuff a hassel. No insulated sleeve for the hydration hose and only 1 small hip pocket (Osperey has 2 big ones.) All in all, a great pack, but has a few small things they could have fixed. Perhaps in a future model. Still, I would recomend it, the Orto has features that the others dont, such as the SPS which is REALLY nice.