The North Face Prophet 65 Backpack - 4000-4300cu in - 2007 BCS

One of the lightest big mountain packs out there. You save a lot of weight with the finesse of this pack with its light material and hip belt. It fits and handles big loads- I just used this for hauling up to 100lbs loads up on Denali. It also cinches down much smaller..also with a removable top. A simple, uncomplicated and reliable pack for multiple mountain uses. The A-frame ski carry works great, with enough loops and basic extras to attach what you need externally. There is a hydration back sleeve internally, excellent strap adjustment system, and a comfy back panel. Save the weight, and get the goods!

this is the pack i have used the most of all. i use it for ski mountaineering, backpacking - i pack it very heavy and use it also as a summit pack. there are just enough features without to many. although not a ski specific pack i find plenty of ways to attach axes, crampons, tent, and skis. lightweight but durable. my primary pack.

Overall, a great pack. Simple design and pretty rugged. Towards the end of the summer backpack season, one of the shoulder straps snapped right at the metal ring during a 4 day trip. Seems I'm not the only one with this issue. But, Backcounty's stellar customer service made up for the hassle of dealing with returns & replacements; so, still 4 stars. BTW, I replaced my broken Prophet with the exact same pack...

I used to be a big fan of the external frame pack, but once l was able to afford one of these bad boys l jumped on it and its my go-to-bag for just about everything. although l wish there was a separate compartment for my sleeping bag in the bottom, l have since then gotten over it and love how much space this thing has! Don't get me wrong, l like my other bags but this thing is....friggen awesome.

I have had this pack for about 6 months now, good pack although on the 2nd day into a week long trek the shoulder strap snapped off! I only had about 30 lbs total!! I had some twine and was able to fix it, now it seems to work better than the weird design it had before! Other than that the pack is good, ultra light-weight, but cant handle heavy loads.

THE GOOD:
I bought this backpack in a NorthFace store in Singapore, in 2008. I loved it because it is light and it showed good design. Buckles, the way you have a velcro that ties all the loose straps in, etc. I used it in the alps in 2008, in New Zealand in 2009, in several other places (climbing in Thailand, Malaysia etc). It died on me in Nepal this year, after only 2 years and 2 longer (2 wks) trips.

THE BAD:
It does not have a bottom zipper to create a lower compartment in which one can store a sleeping bag - not a manufacturing defect, but still something one must consider, and I didn't.

THE UGLY:
The shoulder straps are connected to the metal buckle on the backpack using a light, plastic-y material. This material BROKE, i.e. it tore, leaving me with a shoulder strap completely detached from the backpack. The material from the other shoulder strap hangs by a bit, i.e is not completely torn but it will follow. This happened in the middle of the Hymalayas, during the Annapurna Circuit Trek and I had to do some improvisations to ensure i can actually carry my backpack. The sad part is that I didn't even put this backpack to extensive use.

Great Backpack. Comfortable lots of storage and other great things. The only problem is the lack of small compartment and no real division in the main pack which makes it hard on very large trips so i suggest putting one outfit in a large zip lock bag put stuff in it and then through it in the bag.

For ski touring,and ski mountaineering this pack held up to a lot of abuse.
After five weeks in europe riding trains,flying,skiing,climbing,and generall abuse this pack held up!

One of the shoulder straps broke on my first day of a month long trip thousands of miles away from home. I only had about 13kg of gear in it, too. THE FIRST DAY! Maaan...talk about a long trip after that. I know it must have been a fluke, but I'm still apprehensive when it comes to TNF now.

Fantastic, do-all pack that was able to easily hold all of my gear in an efficient manner without looking like some ragtag bum who carries all of their %@$# precariously on the outside of a pack.

I used this for a 22-mile hike/climb for Mt. Adams and was thoroughly impressed with the pack's managibility and mountaineer-friendly accessories (axe-loops, crampon box, removable top, ect.) as well as its surreal comfort as I trudged through a long slog of snow/mud conditions. The support system that TNF uses with this pack is unlike anything that I have ever seen before (comparing BD, REI, Osprey and Dakine) and has great back ventilation in terms of getting space between the pack and your back for breathability.

Overall, I feel that TNF has produced a fine product here that is both user-friendly and well worth the price...

On Aconacagua at 6000m (=cold) the attachment of the main belt of my Prophet65 backpack BROKE with a load of approximately 22 kg only!! The attachment (only about 0.5 mm thin !!) seems to be very lousy to me ... Otherwise the backpack is ok, but this defect is absolutely not acceptable.