Great pack with all the right features. . . zippers are shot after about a year and a half of sweating and cinching em back and forth. Still works, just compromised, don't want a bike yard sale after a wreck, lot harder to pick up all your mtb bits than your pole and planks! Armor carrying I've usually strapped the leg pads underneath, FF as shown, and the elbows are either worn or stashed inside the FF helmet. The sunglass pocket fits just that, not goggles. Nalgene make a superior reservoir in my opinion, and if you get the wide mouth you can throw a beer or two in the bladder for when you reach the top. Just wash the can first.

Only downfall is storage. . .If I have an extra downhill tube, you can kiss carrying anything in the main compartment goodbye, especially if the bladder (3L) is full. Plenty of stash pockets for tools, etc. Killer pack, but when she dies I think I'm gettin' the new Amp. . .

5 stars would be the zippers still working and slightly more room.

This is on the top of my list for when my Nomad dies. . .

Easy to set up, nice and strong, nice and heavy. I thought I would be getting something of a lesser quality as it referred to it as a "home mechanic" stand. It's perfect. I can hang the 38 pound sled on there and wrench away. Paint has come off from tightening where the clamp attaches to the bike. Does not look like any stress on the metal, just the beautiful Park Blue. Im confident that if there were a problem, Backcountry or Park Tool would take care of the situation. I saw the PCS-9 and it looked a lot flimsier especially with the clamp for the bike. Would give er' 5 starts but Im going to wait and see if anything more comes of the paint stress areas.

The mesh vent line down the front of both legs is killer. Nice and drafty for the goods. Material is tough as nails. Took a good digger down a rock face and not even a scuff. The chamois is really comfy as well, probably better than the one I was previously using. Nice size and length. They dont move around on your waist or hike up either. I think thats a huge plus. They have some sticky lining on the interior of the waistband that gets the job done. Only compaints? Would like a back pocket and even two normal pockets, thought it would of had them, it's only got the two cargo pockets. Additionally the zippers on the cargo pockets are finicky and catchy.