Which Pack to Choose?

So impressed I have ordered 2, now all I have to do is find an avalanche.

thats exactly what some owners of the avalanche bag packs are doing, trying to set off avalanches so they can use their bags, and they dont always save their lives

2 ways to die in an avalanche and this only addresses one of them. The other way is only ever going to be down to luck

Love the reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Arcteryx-VoLtair-Backpack-Black-Regular/dp/B016JRHP6E?psc=1&SubscriptionId=AKIAIJQOLMEHAHYV4K2A&tag=outdoocom-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B016JRHP6E "great for commuting to work in miami. hopefully will never need the airbag" :)

I had bought an ultra light pack of the year Ospray and it was crap (it ripped appart very easily and wasn't comfortable of carrying even 10 kgs). What I've been happy instead is another pack of the year, the Gregory Baltoro, for the last 10 years 65L for longer treks: https://www.backpacker.com/videos-photos/2015-editors-choice-gold-awards-gregory-baltorodeva https://www.rei.com/product/880999/gregory-baltoro-65-pack I use it even for small weights such as 10 kgs, it is much more efficient in the long term then the lighter backpacks, although the Baltoro weighs 2.3 kgs itself. For day treks a very light, no skeleton, Gregory Advent.

I know a lot of people using Osprey packs with no issues at all. You might have had a model we dont get here. I note the ultra light comment. There is very little ultra light clothing or packs etc sold in mainstream shops here plain and simply because our conditions are too hard on ultra light gear.

yea well ultralight gear is a case of buyer beware and treat it with kid gloves, that stuff is made for tracks where you dont have to come into contact with foliage or branches when walking on the track, not for NZ tracks.... Osprey make a lot of good gear, you need to buy an appropriate weight pack for the conditions

True, only us North Americans are stupid enough to believe reviews that an ultra light pack (Ospray- the model I got) was "Back Pack of the year" for real, similar to how the sturdy Gregory Baltoro was.... Basically that Ospray become "Editor's choice" of the Backpacker magazine, b/c it was ultralight (and hence ripped apart on branches and rocks) and had an external frame for you not to sweat (hence being uncomfortable like hell).

some online sites just blindly promote whatever brands advertise with them complete with the "buy now" button.... accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative. years ago i bought a "highly water resistant highly breathable" rain jacket that was highly rated on various US sites. well that doesnt mean anything in NZ, if its not completely waterproof, you're going to get soaked eventually...

Sighs ... just try an Aarn. With an open mind. https://wild.com.au/gear/tried-tested/aarn-natural-balance-bodypack-review/ Or check the comments below this one: "I bought an osprey a few years ago… Backpacking Light staff tried to talk me into an Aarn though, they were raving on about them. I just couldn’t bring myself to looking that dorky though! Anyway, I used to get a sore back and shoulders with the osprey so eventually I toughened up and went and bought an Aarn and sold the osprey on eBay. BEST thing I ever did. I find the Aarn so comfortable to wear, no soreness at all. Good on you guys for making the purchase! The more people wearing these packs the less dorky we’ll look lol." http://ourhikingblog.com.au/2014/10/aarn-featherlite-backpack-review-best-pack.html Or if you want some sciency: "On average for the whole protocol, the oxygen consumption associated with the AARN rucksack was 5% lower than that associated with the traditional rucksack" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10774872 OK I get it that not everyone will click with them, that's fine and perfectly normal. But at the very least give one a fair go. It's not my back and neck that will thank you for it. :-)