Just finished a week of hiking in Ireland, and came away really happy with this pack. It carried about 15 lbs. very comfortably, even in some pretty miserable Irish winter conditions: mud, rain, sleet, wind. The adjustable suspension makes it one of the few daypacks that fits my long torso without riding up. Depending on the terrain, I would have the weight ride on my hips or my shoulders -- the on-the-fly adjustability was pretty simple. Not a lot of pockets or outside features, but the beaver-tail was perfect for stowing raingear and a hat. A nice, streamlined, simple pack, and Northern Mountain Supply had it for half the retail price.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use it.

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Lowe Alpine Mountainsmith

Dana panel loading day pack. Infinitely adjustable and great for everthing from day hikes for adults to overnight packs for young kids. Great quality and good simple suspension

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Terraplane, Mchale, Astraplane, EMS, Kelty, Madden

This is a great little packs for running down to the local crag for a day of climbing. There is enough room for a change of clothes, harness, gear, shoes, and some food. The Beaver tails is great for holding your rope in place. The sholder starps fit like a glove, but the waist belt leaves a little to be desired. This pack is a great size of day trips and rides nicely when jogging or working your way up to your favorite climbing spot.

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None

There really isn't a lot to say about this pack. It is very basic and stripped down with very few bells and whistles. What it does do is give you a very comfortable and perfectly sized day pack for long day hikes, climbing, trail running, adventure racing, mountain biking, photography, or anything else you need a good daypack for. The pack is perfectly sized @ around 2000ci and infinitely adjustable. It rides really well and feels great. The beaver tail (shovel pocket) makes it usable in the winter or with a camera tripod. You can even attach a snow board to it if you want.

The construction is typical Dana. BOMBPROOF. I love this pack. I liked it so much that I got myself one after I got my girlfriend one.

Customer Service

You probably won't need any but they were quick to send me a Terraplane book when I needed help with fitting my Terraplane.

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LOTS OF OTHER PACKS. Including, Terraplane, Jansport Alpine Trek, EMS 3000, TNF Tomahawk, Kelty's, and mountain smith.

The Spire packs are great within their genre: day-backpacks (as distinguished from lumbar packs--I carry my Jefferson as often as I carry my Spire). It's stripped down to the minimum necessary. It has no padding on the hipbelt, because it's unlikely to carry loads large enough to need padding. (If it had padding, it would be more difficult to get out of the way.) There are no frame stays--just a sheet--for the same reason: limited load. It has a compression pocket, which is a virtual necessity on any climbing pack, because of the potentially messy loads.
The pack rides either low on my back whereby the load-lifters become extremely superfluous, or high on my back, whereby the belt starts to ride up my belly. This isn't really a complaint, as no pack this small can truly fit a torso as large as mine. (I'm 6'2" and 200 pounds.) Just a comment for those who think it might be possible for a day pack to ride like a Terraplane. Considering the size of the pack, it still carries heavy loads quite well.
I have only two complaints, and they're relatively minor. I wish the compression pocket extended a little higher. With a normal load inside the pack (and nothing under the compression pocket) the compression straps are already angled downward away from the back panel. With something under the compression pocket, that angle becomes even sharper. Plus, there's a concomitant limitation on the quantity of gear that can be squeezed under the compression pocket. (Even with this fault, however, it's still a great compression pocket.) My second complaint is merely that it seems Dana could strip down the shoulder harness without any real damage to performance. It makes little difference outside of a little streamlining. On the other hand, Dana's shoulder harnesses, while not perfect, have always been wonderfully adjustable and form-fitting.

Customer Service

There's never a need to deal with Dana's customer service. Their packs don't break. (Actually, I once saw a broken Dana. The Carbon stays were starting to poke out at the bottom of a friend's Terraplane. That pack had been horribly mistreated for thousands of miles, and the load had typically been 70-80 pounds.)

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Dana Bridger
Dana Jefferson

The Hoodoo is GREAT for dayhiking or hitting slopes. I've also used it for an overnight pack for riding my motorcycle. Very comfortable - I loaded a max of 20 or so pounds.