Ultimate Direction

Scram 20L Backpack

Interesting, Good, One Odd Flaw

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

Size Bought:

M/L

Height:

5' 11"

Weight:

225

The Good News: First, this pack is LIGHT, scarcely weighs a pound I think. It does have a stifffener, so it does not collapse along its longitudinal axis. Second, the pack seemed LONG compared to the Osprey Hikelite 26, over which I chose the SCRAM. But when I put it on, it cleared my waist by an inch or two, so I guess the length wasn't what I "feared". The Hikelite might be shorter and wider; but the SCRAM feels great once on your back, and you can get it in S/M or M/L versus OSFM for the Hikelite. Third, there's plenty of room to dump gear in the main compartment: a pair of pitchtop shoes/sandals, maybe a puffy, some snacks, whatever in it's 24L interior capacity. Fourth, I like the two pockets on the front of the shoulder straps; one to accommodate a 500ML flask and the other for your phone or odds&ends. The Bad News: For some strange reason, there's no hydration sleeve inside. Why not? There is a velcro sleeve within which the stabilizer is located, but you can't have both in there simultaneously. There IS a small nylon loop from which I guess you could hang a bladder rigged thusly. I searched and found several bladders with hangers, so I guess there is a work-around. I guess I'll try one of them and see if they work. If they had included a hydration sleeve, I would have given this pack 5 stars. It's a keeper!