Deuter Futura 32L Backpack

I've owned this pack for the last two and a half years and have logged more than 600 miles of day hikes in mountainous terrain and in all types of weather. Because of the length of some of my solo day hikes, I go out fully prepared to spend a night out if I get into an unforeseen situation, so pack loads are at about 15 lbs which includes 3-4 liters of water. This pack feels so comfortable it seems like it's not even there. In the warmest of summer days, the open back mesh allows air to freely flow across your back and keeps me cool and dry, both of which are important to me. While it's not the absolute lightest of day packs, it's not among the heaviest, and the degree of sheer comfort this pack offers when hiking mountainous miles is well worth a pound of weight to me. My estimation is that this pack could hold up to the stated 24 lbs, but I'd not want to push it past 20 lbs for comfort for an overnight trip.

There are 5 compartments in the pack; 2 in the lid (one accessible to the hiker behind their head, one accessible from inside the pack; 2 internal to the main compartment (really one large main compartment with a removable divider that has separate outer access on the lower portion of the pack; and an external zippered "map pocket" that is good for maps, permits, perhaps a pen. There are two, 1-liter water bottle pockets on the sides which are not very accessible when hiking, at least to my arms, and finally a 'two CLIF bar+one chapstick'-sized zippered belt pocket on the right side of the hip belt. Not big enough for a small camera, nor my iPhone 5S and have them be easily removable while moving. There is a good rain cover stashed away in the bottom of the pack in its own compartment and the rain cover has done its job keeping the water out for hikes in moderate, blowing rain. I've never had any water get into my pack, but I have not kept hiking in the weather when the rain turns to hurricane strength.

The mesh back attracted me to the pack initially, but the comfort and how well the pack has stood up to the many miles has been its greatest asset. There's not a loose stitch on it and all zippers are functioning perfectly. The compression straps keep the load snug against the frame. There are no water sources in the desert mountains where I hike, so carrying enough water for a day of hot 8000+ft hiking was a big factor when I was selecting a pack. There is an internal slip pocket for a 3L hydration bladder that keeps the weight close to my center of gravity, and the spacing provided by the mesh helps to keep the water and me cooler than if the plastic was in near contact with my back.

I have not found this pack to be cold during hikes in alpine winter conditions. It allows for moisture to evaporate which would normally build up in my down jacket. However, I don't think this would make for a good skiing pack, because if you fell, snow would get stuck between your back and the pack, then melt from your body heat.

What I don't like about the pack:
1) The small hip belt zippered pocket. Neither my GPS nor my iPhone 5S easily fit.
2) The lower side compression straps interfere with carrying water bottles in the side pockets... but I can't reach the water bottles anyway, so I typically just cinch these tight until I need to get at the extra water.
3) It can be hard for me to route the hydration tube though the little slots in the main compartment out to the shoulder straps location.

SUMMARY: While this is a relatively expensive day pack, it has held up to the miles that would have killed the four previous day packs I had costing $50 each. The 3 minor complaints compared to the 100 things I love about this pack earn it 4.9 stars in my assessment. If I ever needed to, I would replace this pack with the same model, and hopefully by then Deuter will add a bigger hip belt pocket.