I purchased this pack 4 years ago... paid full retail and dont regret it one iota. It's performed flawlessly. It can be cinched down to carry 20lb loads or expanded to carry 75 lb loads. It's an extremely adaptable bag. I admit, I'm old school and relish the external packs. I like the having a rigid frame and support system. This packs has everthing I like and isnt a glorified verticle duffle bag like most internals. I like having multiple pockets and access points. This pack is cooler in the summer months because it rides slightly away from my back (less sweat). This pack isnt for the Ultra-lite crowd. It does weigh a few pounds heavier than most packs, but then again, it's solidly built last a decades. To my suprise, I cant believe Dana is discontinuing manufacturing externals frame packs. What a shame. I guess the fads win over function in this war.

Customer Service

Dana sent me larger shoulder straps within a week after I ordered them. A+

Similar Products Used:

Kelty Tioga,

Didn't know much about the Dana when I first saw it on NM.com, but for $99, seemed like good buy. Recently went on 4 day trip in Linville Gorge, down the pinch in trail. Pack performed flawlessly and I carried 65 lbs in it. Swallowed a huge amount of gear and I felt like I was glued in that harness. Suspension system is great, moving weight from shoulders to hips. My friends had Kelty externals and internals, and most agreed that the Dana was a better designed pack. If it has a flaw, it may be that it is TOO big, makes you want to carry more than you need.

Customer Service

No problems with the pack yet, it seems to be bullet-proof.

All I can say about this pack, is that it's the best pack I have ever used! Oh, and "Casey" (BELOW) must work for Kelty. This pack is more comfortable than any I know of. I am 6'3" and 270lbs, and this external frame is all I will use.

Customer Service

Northern Mountain Supply is one great company to deal with!!!

This is by far and away better than any internal I have. I like to have loading options-not just top loading. Just did a section of the AT this was a dream. Pack tipped in at 50 lbs. Carried well even scrambling over boulders. Ran into bad weather and it was easy to get to everything I needed. If you can still find this pack-get it.

Similar Products Used:

Internal frame packs from Alpine and Kelty.

I am an old-school backpacker:Still prefer external frames for load-carrying capacity and ease of packing (ie:throw the gear in and put the pack on). The Dana suspension is the most comfortable I've found on a frame pack and the ease of adjustment is the best. Lots of pockets makes me smile, too. Now if they could only steal Kelty's great Shearer cinch belt, it'd rate six stars.

Customer Service

No contact with Dana, but the vendor, Ore. Mtn. Comm. is the best I've ever dealt with.

Similar Products Used:

Kelty Sonora, Tioga, Super Tioga.

Well the Gear Guy at Outside is just wrong on this one. No way is the DD Longbed as comfortable or useful as the Kelty Thru-Hiker series of modernized externals. The DD is a good external but its design is dated and it doesn't conform as well as the Kelty, which is narrower too. The Dana is WAY too expensive for what you get.

Similar Products Used:

Kelty Continental Divide

I have had My Longbed for three years. The longest trip was 5 days in the Smokies. I mostly do weekends.I have been backpacking for 25 years. This pack is a dream come true. I have missed the big-load comfort of externals since I was first wooed away by a Jansport over ten years ago. Well, there is no looking back now.

Others have said it- " carries like a top-of-the-line internal, with big load comfort of an external". Backpacker gave it a rating so high that it's nearest competitor's highest score was lower than the Longbed's lowest score!
It's all true. If I ever hear that they are discontinuing it, I will buy another to last me the rest of my life. Hate to give a perfect score to any commercial product, but the dana deserves it.

Similar Products Used:

Too many packs to list - or remember!

I completed a six day backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon in the first week in April. The pack handled the ~40 pounds with no hot spots on the hips. The shoulder straps required some minor adjustments. The gear is well organized in the array of pockets. We decended the rough Boucher trail and the pack was very snug on the back compared to other external frame packs. I never felt unstable due to the pack shifting on my back. The open top pocket on the right side was the perfect size for my 70oz Camelback water bladder. My only minor complaint is that as you eat down your food and the pack volume decreases accordingly, it is rather difficult of tighten down the load within the pack without adding straps. My hiking partner was impressed with the pack and is considering using the pack on his AT through hike.

Similar Products Used:

None

It still amazes me the bias backpackers have against external frames. They are the bread and butter for carrying large loads over moderate terrain. Mind you I wouldn't suggest one for scurrying over rocks or cramming one into a Kayak--but most of the general public has been swayed by the internal pack--by elite prices or slick marketing.
With that said, The loadmaster is by far the best external frame I have ever had on my back. It carries the load closer and with more control--much like an internal. Weight is totally carried by your hips with enough air volume against your back to feel as if you were naked. I have experienced no fatigue in my shoulders and have never felt so comfortable carrying a 50lb load. It is cavernous--perfect for family backpacking--if the kids still aren't strong enough to carry all their weight. The only drawback are the mesh water pockets--they take some getting use too. It has all kinds of lashing on options--there isn't a load it can't tackle. If you aren't going to be scrambling over rocks with hands and feet--this pack is for you.

Similar Products Used:

None

I may be biased, since I generally favor internal frame packs. But I found the Longbed to be rather stiff and uncomfortable (as I find all frame packs)i. It makes a squeaking noise when walking that drives me up a wall. It does ride more like an internal frame pack than any other frame pack that I've tried, so that is a big plus. It has a lot of well thought out pockets, making it easy to organize your gear. The waterbottle pocket isn't easy to reach without taking off the pack, but it is rather large, so it can fit a Camelback
or other water bladder, negating this negative. If I were an external frame pack enthusiast I would probably love this pack. However it has many of the shortcomings that I find in all frame packs, although it does address
a number of problems inherent in frame packs.

Customer Service

I had problems with the hip belt chafing. I called the manufacturer who said the belt was probably too small (I have a 36 " waist). THey said they had stopped making the belt that came with the pack and recommended that I use the "better" "Arc Lite" hip belt. They sent me a free adapter and gave me the name of a vendor that carried the belt. Cost me $50 and the chafing problem was resolved. Anybody need an extra hip belt for the Longbed? Size medium.

Similar Products Used:

MountainSmith Elite 5000, Camp Trails Catskill, North Face Snow Leopard