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I really wanted to like this pack, and I do, but I had to return it because I felt like it just could not take the weight. I bought it for an upcoming Denali trip and had high hopes for it because it is big enough and weights in at 3 lbs lighter than its competition. What I discovered was a pack that was not comfortable (to me at least) when trying to carry its max suggested load (60 lbs). Turns out that weight savings comes at a cost and that cost is a less than adequate suspension system.

There is no rigidity to the hip belt and so it is hard to keep weight on your hips without tightening the belt super tight. The hip belt straps are also insanely long which was just strange. I would have cut them down if I didn't return it. As another reviewer pointed out, the waist belt webbing tends to slip as well which I think is due to the sleek and lightweight nature of the strap itself.

The hip belt is easily removable which is nice but the straps were sewn in such a way that I had to pop some stitches in order to remove the brain, which is a silly over-site in a pack that is built to save weight. Once the brain and hip belt were removed however, the bare bones Terrono made for a nice summit pack.

The ice ax keepers are just silly. Once you learn them they work but it takes a while to figure them out and a strap of velcro would have worked better and probably have been lighter.

On a good note the adjustment features are fantastic and you would be hard pressed to not be able to get a good fit with this pack. The layout is simple but well thought out and I really like having hip belt pockets to have chapstick, sunscreen, camera, a energy bar, etc at hand(a small feature but pleasant none-the-less).

I ended up buying a Arcteryx Bora 95 and the extra 3 lbs are worth every oz. I am all for going light but sometimes saving weight ends up costing you in the end. I also checked out the Gregory Denali Pro and the Osprey Argon 110.

To sum up, this is a neat pack that would be really good for lots of lighter weight stuff. If you have low to mid weight in a large volume, and if you need a pack that adjusts really well, this is a good bet. If you need something that can comfortably carry a lot of heavy stuff, go for a pack with a heavier support structure.

I just replaced my old flash 2 that I lost on a backpacking trip. For the SAC price it was a no brainer. Some helpful info from the SOG website for the weight conscious backpacker: the aluminum handle model is 4.2 oz. The plastic handle is 3.1 oz. I have never used the aluminum handle model which may be a bit more solid, but I re-bought the plastic (zytel) version because although there was a little side to side blade-play, the locking mechanism is great as is the weight vs size ratio of the plastic handle model. Some say it feels cheap but regardless of that opinion, you will be very hard pressed to break the zytel material. You can tighten the handle to eliminate the small blade movement but that causes the handle to press down on the blade and restricts the assisted open design. If over time the blade loosens up too much, just tighten the one bolt down a tad to find a good balance between fast opening and small movement when locked. Overall I think this is a great knife for most situations especially because it is light for its size and how easily it opens with one hand, even with gloves on. Oh, and it is really, really fun! If you think you will be cutting cordage or ropes, get the half serrated blade.