I purchased the Dana New World in Oct. 2000, & have been using it regularly for long day hikes. I particularly wanted the capacity it offers for winter hiking where I have to bring rain gear, extra warm clothes for layering, etc. It has all the room I could possibly need; I've never expanded it to its full capacity. The pack has 2 large zip pockets on the back, & a large lid pocket. I prefer having pockets rather than a single sack, as they enable me to organize my gear.
This pack is a simplified mini version of the Dana Terraplane X (which I also own, & use for backpacking). The stay & backpanel fit me perfectly from the start, & the harness & waistbelt are excellent.
The New World comes in 2 sizes...smaller, and bigger. I'm six ft. tall, and chose the bigger. The waist belt & shoulder straps are interchangeable if need be. The pack has 2 side mesh pockets that accomodate Nalgene water bottles easily, & the side compression straps don't interfere with the mesh pockets as they do on some designs. The pack is very comfortable to carry for extended periods; I may carry 20 -25 pounds at times. My pack was made in Mexico, and the workmanship is excellent...I've scrutinized every seam & zipper, and can find no flaws. All straps & buckles are mounted correctly, etc. I tend to constantly be looking to improve my equipment, but with Dana packs I feel that I don't need to look any further. For an interested buyer, if the pack fits I recommend it highly.

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No need so far.

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Over the years I've used many packs...North Face, Gregory, Ski Hut, Sierra Designs, Kelty, Becker Patrol Pack...& some of them have been of very good quality, and design... but my favorite is the New World.

I purchased this pack mainly to haul climbing gear in and to use for a day pack. I've had it for several weeks and use it about 3-4 times per week. I love it! I had to remove the stay and reform it to fit my back better but that is normal for any pack (I'm amazed with how many reviews that I read on here where people complain that the pack doesn't form to their back well...thats why you can pull the stay out, duh!) It holds quite a bit of weight very comfortably (dry 60 M rope, full rack, lots of water, etc. None of the other packs in this size range had much for suspension, so I went with the dana. I almost bought the mystery ranch system, VERY NICE, but I would have ended up upgrading all of my packs to the mystery ranch and that would have got pricy.

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