Go see my comments under the Bora80. Sorry to use this site for a message board but it is for a good reason as this must be a very popular place to decide what to buy.

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This is not a review. I know the pack is excellent, one of the best. This particular brand is made in Canada and therefore can be purchased direct from Canadian stores at about a third less. REI sells this pack for $400 here in the US! NOTE my purchase price above. You used to be able to buy Arcteryx from MEC in Canada but they stopped selling to US. I found another place and talked to them on the phone several times. They will sell to US (no pun intended). Here is the webb site: http://www.packcountry.com/arcteryx1.htm First talked to them a about 6 weeks ago to order the Bora 95 and they were waiting for more packs. Called me yesterday and it is on the way Air Freight ($20?)plus no tax. They substituted shoulder straps large and waiste large on regular pack for me no charge. These packs are so good and the discount means your daft to consider any other. I did get some mixed messages from Packcountry. When I posted a message about this deal under the Bora80 I got many requests for their web page. Finally I wrote Packcountry and asked them if I could post their address. You see I was concerned if I made too much noise about this deal they would go the way of MEC. Packcountry said it was ok to post but they might stop selling to US after Sept 25, 00. Yesterday when they called to tell me they had my pack and would ship I asked them about the 25th thing and the lady said no as far as she new they would continue to sell to US which conflicts with the email someone from there sent me. Bottom line, I have my Bora95 on the way and may order a smaller pack just because the prices are so good. Hope many of you gain from this information and keep enjoying the outdoors.

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Lowe Countour IV and several external packs

Bought this pack spring of '99 for a mountaineering course. Great suspension, good size (probably TOO big), and good quality. Used mostly for mountaineering. Didn't care for some of the extras - fanny pack, side zip. Would have opted for lighter weight instead. Top compartment tends to come loose and having to re-cinch every time I stop was annoying. Kangaroo pouch was nice, but I think I'd like two smaller pouches (i.e. Dana Designs) better. Never really got a good fit out of it. Arms would go numb if *any* weight was on my shoulders at all. Tried Khamsin 62 and Nozone and they had a MUCH better fit. Load stabilizer rod (between pack and hip belt) popped through the strap that held it in and I returned that pack and they replaced the pack. Paid $245 through MEC for it, but now it looks like MEC only ships a lot of their technical gear to Canada only. May have to drive up to Vancouver myself to get the good deals ! I give it 3 stars because it failed on me after about a year and a half of consistent use.

Customer Service

The load stabilizer rod (between pack and hip belt) popped through the strap that held it in and I returned the pack. It was a fatal flaw, and they said they would replace it. Great customer service. (They acknowledged the problem with the top compartment loosening up). I returned the pack directly to Arc'Teryx since I bought it mail order.

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Three words: Oh my god. This is the most incredible backpack that I have ever seen or owned. It is very comfortable even when overstuffed, and it does a great job of staying in one place on your body. It's huge too; I haven't yet had a problem of running out of space with this pack. Make sure it is fitted to you proporly when you buy it though. Mine is a large frame with medium shoulder straps and a medium hipbelt. This applys to all packs, and it is worth the trouble to fit it well.
As far as I can tell it is constructed to survive multiple nearby nuclear detonations. It is that strong. The zippers are huge, and every stitch is re-enforced. From what I have heard, Arc'teryx has very good customer service, too

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What an awesome pack! Finally, a pack with a hipbelt that cinches tight around my waist without sliding down. This is unquestionably the most comfortable large pack I've ever worn. Although the Bora 95 is probably a bit larger than I will ever really need (a recent 5-day trip on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon didn't even require all of the pack's capacity), I'd rather have slightly too much of a pack than too little of one. I've always had a hard time finding a pack that fit well around my 30-inch waist while still being large enough for my long torso, but the combination of the size Small hipbelt and size Large packbag was perfect. I can't believe how comfortable the Arc'Teryx suspension is -- especially the hipbelt. I never really used the full-length side zippers, but that's mainly because I'm not used to that feature, and I suspect that with some time I'll get in the habit of using them. One of my favorite features is the Kangaroo pocket -- it held my ThermaRest, as well as several other small items that I might want to get to quickly. This is also the only pack I've seen that exceeds the Danas as far as bulletproof and bombproof construction goes (and, unlike the Danas, the price won't give you a nosebleed). One minor quibble: the lower side pockets aren't deep enough to hold water bottles very well; my Nalgene bottle would nearly fall out every time I was swinging the pack back on.

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Dana Terraplane, various Lowes and Gregorys

Love the pack!! The two facets that really drew me to this pack are the interchangeable and sex-specific waistbelt and shoulder harness. I have a small back (I'm 5'3") but am able to use the medium sized pack. I love the waistbelt--finally a belt that rides on top of my hips, not on the sides!

Incredible Backpack! I have used External frame packs for most of my backpacking life but finally decided to try an Internal frame pack. The Jansport, Gregory and Osprey packs did not fit me near as comfortably as the Arc'Teryx and Dana packs. I went with the Arc'Teryx because I found it priced $140 cheaper than the Dana, plus I thought the Kangaroo pocket was a better feature than the two "bullet" pockets on the Dana Terraplane.
The Bora 95 is huge! I did not need to hang anything outside of the pack and I still did not fill it up inside.
The Suspension is incredible. I have gotten use to having soar hips and shoulders after every trip. Not so with the Arc'Teryx. It transfers the weight to my hips extremely evenly. Result= no soar spots. . . period!
I also found the pack to be quite stable even on some steep, snow covered terrain.
The zippers are bombproof. You have to see them before you can believe how BIG they are.
Overall, I am very pleased with the pack and would recommend it highly.
One final note. Try on several packs before deciding on one. And don't by an Arc'Teryx in the states, order it from Canada and you will save easily $100 on the Bora 95.

Customer Service

Not needed

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Multiple Exteranl Frame Packs by Jansport and others

This is an amazing pack. What's even more amazing is that you can get it for about $230 US !!!!!!!!!! (get your attention?) if you order it from MEC (www.mec.ca). The hip belt is fantastic and offers well-distributed, comfy support. The side-zipper is placed properly, and the bag can hold damn near anything, being so big. My only complaint is that the side pockets are too dinky. Surely many backpackers use Nalgene bottles or other similar products? These pockets will hold about nothing. However, it's not hard to set up a hydration system. It might be expensive in America, but it's a bargain without equal if you get it from MEC. (Oh, and it doesn't look hideous, either.)

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Mountainsmith Alpenfire

You can haul everything including the kitchen sink in this pack, climb all day, and still sleep without back or shoulder aches or bruises. I firmly believe that Arc'Teryx leads the industry in suspension system design. The compression straps work like they're supposed to and the exterior pocket has a drain hole for storage of wet gear/clothes. It's pretty expensive, but worth saving up for if you plan one camping more that one or two nights. Be sure to get the correct size.

Customer Service

No need for contacting Arc'Teryx's customer service.

A tad on the heavy side, but this thing is monstrous, and of course that leads to overpacking. I like the top load and I almost never use the side zippers. Lots of straps to play with, and once they are snugged up you are wearing this pack, it does go anywhere you don't ie. stable, no swaying. Although in a stiff wind you tend to get wipped by the loose ends of the numerous straps. It is a little steep price wise, but once you use on any extended trip you'll see that it is all worth it.

Customer Service

I doubt I'll ever have to contact them, it is very well put together. I have had a few close encounters with porcupines wanting to nibble on it but I was there to chase the little rodents off.