Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I will qualify this review by saying that I am not an expert backpacker. I got this pack for a three-day trip in the Smoky Mountains. We started out the trip on a rainy day. The built in rain cover worked really well, although it was not big enough to cover the pack AND a sleeping pad I had attached to the outside of the pack. As a result, my sleeping bag, which was at the bottom of my pack, the region left partially exposed, did get a little damp. It actually didn't get as wet as I'd expected, though ... it was pouring that first day. Had I been a bit more experienced a backpacker, I would have put my sleeping bag in a waterproof bag. All this to say that the rain cover works well for the bag, but won't necessarily accommodate extra things attached to the outside. The bag has a compartment in the lower section for a sleeping bag. I was eager to try this out (to avoid unpacking my entire bag every night), however, my sleeping bag did not fit through the opening. It is not a super-compact sleeping bag, but it's also not bulky. The compartment was able to be opened to the rest of the pack, though and I simply put the sleeping bag in from the top (as it turned out, I had to unpack almost my entire pack each night anyway to get food and a change of clothes). The bag is set up to be used with a hydration bladder (although it doesn't come with one). I was able to get one before my trip and was really pleased with the way it worked. The pouch for the bladder is inside the pack, so does require unpacking (or rearranging) to remove or replace the bladder, but as I said above, I was doing that each night anyway. It easily accommodated the 3-liter bladder I got, and it was nice to have water so easily accessible while hiking. The only other thing I have to comment on are the external pockets. It has two mesh pockets on either side, and one on the lower back side of the pack. It also has two enclosed pockets on either side and one on the top of the pack. The mesh side pockets were too small to hold a Nalgene bottle (that would have been nice). I also think a couple extra pockets (or larger pockets) higher up on the sides would have been nice for more quick access options. Overall, I thought this pack was great, especially for the price. It did very well for me on my trip of 3 days / 2 nights. I would definitely recommend it for someone like me who wants an affordable, reliable pack for occasional trips.