Macpac Cascade

How new is the new Cascade? I purchase one a few years back, its a good pack for carrying heavy loads. I like to pack lightly, so I consider my Cascade a niche pack.

Not that keen on the post fairydown cascades. Seemed like a whole bunch of change to little purpose. The old design was tried and proven. While there is a bit of a trend underway towards lighter packs, i dont think theres much if any difference there, they are both reasonably heavy. The new cascade/esprit etc, have notable weak (designed to fail) areas. For instance thinner nylon around the top pocket, lighter zips etc. My advice if you want a pack of that size, and durability you look for a second hand cascade from the previous generation.

The new cascade meaning the new one that came out this year? I quite like them, I mean as far as I like any pack that heavy. They've shaved a lot of unnecessary bits of it so there's quite a bit less stuff hanging off it. This has also made it quite a bit lighter, about the same weight as the equivalent sized Torlesse pack (also macpac). But the major improvement is in the method for adjusting the harness and the hipbelt. It's become MUCH easier to tighten the hipbelt on the go. The back length is also significantly easier to adjust and it reputably won't slip as much (not that I ever found this to be a problem).