Great Pack!

By Mark Albrecht Ranked #130 - Overnight Backpacks (2000 - 2999 cu in) August 4, 2009

This is my second Bora 35 - the first one I bought in 1998 (yes, 11 years ago) and it is finally showing a little bit of wear. For reference, the pack has been used weekly for 11 years...in some harsh environments (Africa, Asia, South America, etc.) including numerous climbs in all these locations and many more in the US. I decided it was time to find another pack for my adventures. After a fair amount of due diligence I decided that the new Bora 35 was the right choice (again). I have had it for a few weeks now (and have already used it hard) and it is a GREAT pack. A few comments:

1) The pack is well made - clearly the construction is top notch and I expect this pack to last a long time.

2) The floating lid is a huge improvement over the older version - you could easily stuff enough gear in the pack for a week of backpacking.

3) The shoulder straps are very well padded and seem to ride very well. The waist belt is not padded which works fine with the loads that you would carry with this pack.

4) The material used is highly water resistant - I used it on the Knobstone Trail in light rain and it performed well without a cover.

5) Water bottle holder - there is an external (attached) Nalgene holder on the right side of the pack. While this is a nice feature I wish it could be detached for situations when you don't need it and/or want to save weight. Worst case if you don't like it you can simply cut it off.

6) Both sides of the pack have "wand pockets" - great improvement.

7) The side compression straps are also much improved and function very well.

8) There are two "hidden" pockets - one under the lid (which is handy for keys, wallet) and one on the inside of the outside pocket - not sure exactly what that one would be used for but can't hurt.

9) weight - this pack is a bit heavier than I would like for this size. With that said, it performs excellent and can carry larger loads. I regularly carry 30 lbs and have no troubles.

Bottom line - this is a great pack (assuming it fits you correctly which is the most important factor). I am 5' 11'' (180 lbs) and use the "Tall" - it fits me perfectly.

Good luck.

View Details: Arc'teryx Bora 35 Backpack - 2136-2258cu in

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