I read earlier posted reviews when I was researching backpacks to accomplish my goal of reducing overall pack weight (thanks). Years of backpackpacking have taught me that more fun=less weight, which is why I took a chance on this pack. My recent nine day trip into the Glacier Peak Wilderness in Washington was proof to me it was a good risk. I got my carry weight down to 42 lbs. including 9 days food, two liters of water, and three lbs. of camera gear. That is not a "monster load", but the pack was cooler, and more comfortable than I expected. Great adjustment (especially the hipbelt) capability made it easy to dial in to the changing trail conditions without breaking stride. I agree that the thin hipbelt works better than a thick one to grab my thin hips, with no loss of comfort. If you are packed & loaded correctly you don't need thick shoulder straps either. It did a great job of stabilizing the load on bushwacks, as well as loosening up the fit for cooler trail hiking conditions. It's bigger than I'll ever need, and I found it near impossible to load with the J zipper open when it was empty, but I did like the J zipper to pull out the mid-day lunch gear. The back pocket was very fast access for rain gear and pack cover. I'm not sure yet about using the waistbelt on the waistpack feature. It's definitely more comfortable, but it takes time to do the conversion. I guess it will depend on how often I use the waistpack feature, and if my companions are willing to wait for me to do the conversion. Its obvious the designers spent a lot of time looking at everything before they went into production.

Customer Service

No experience yet.

Similar Products Used:

Various REI packs

I choose this pack as a lighter solution to my proven Bora 80. Based on several reviews, I thought it definately be a suitable replacement and that I'd experiment with it. Although it is lighter and has some "cool" features (lighter, j-zip, waterproof zippers, etc) I must respectfully disagree with some of the comments posted on this board. I have taken this pack on 2 x 100km hikes (through Killarney Provincial Park). This pack is nowhere near as comfortable or durable as the Bora. Also, because of this, it can not carry near as large of a load. 1. Comfort: On my first hike with this pack, my thighs were badly bruised. The padding and straps are this backpack are skimpy at best. 2. Durability: During my last hike through the loop, the hip belt failed on day 2. First the buckle snapped...after that I tried to improvise by tying the straps together...one of the straps snapped later into the day. Needless to say, carrings a weeks worth of gear and food without a hip belt was not a pleasent experience. In general, I find the Bora 80 much more comfortable and durable, and because of this, it more than makes up for the additional weight. I often lend the Bora to friends who want to join, that have no real experience with hiking, and they always rave about how comfortable the pack is...and I'm always jealous. The extra few pounds of weight savings just aren't worth it. I will never use the Spectre for any serios trek again. Once repaired this will become the pack I lend to guests;) Which is OK, because I tend to carry more than them. Take it easy, Steve

Customer Service

N/A -- Haven't called yet.

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ARC'TERYX Bora 80

I switched to this pack from an Arc Teryx Bora 80. The Spectre weighs more than 3 pounds less than the Bora 80 and is just as comfortable, if not more so, with loads up to about 50 pounds. I've backpacked hundreds of miles over about 40 days so far with this pack, both on and off trail. It's worked wonderfully and I recommend it to others regularly. The J-shaped side/bottom access zipper works well for getting at stuff in the middle of the pack, though it can be difficult to use if your gear is very tightly jammed in. The adjustable load-lifter straps and yoke have allowed me to fit the pack nicely to my tall torso. The blue color of the pack means it doesn't heat up too much in the sun, and you can find it if it's piled in with all those other black packs. The air channel against your back keeps your back cooler than many other packs. I expect to be using this pack for a long time.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Arc Teryx Bora 80 Kinesis Journeyman 20 year old frame packs

I bought this pack in an affort to cut weight. My last pack was a Dana Design terraplane. The Mountainsmith weighs 3lbs.4 oz. LESS! Frankly I can't tell much difference in the suspension of the Mtsmth and the 'state of the art' Dana. I do like the thinner foam in the waistbelt on this pack. So many other packs I've had use such thick foam in this area that it is hard to cinch them down tight enough to prevent slipping. I'm sure this a ploy to "provide comfort for those 65lb. loads". Yeah right. This pack is devoid of any bells and whistles. I am so glad someone is making a pack without too many pockets/ dividers/zippers. The longer I have used packs,[25+ yrs], the more I have come to understand that compartmentalizing,{the pack}, is really annoying. Pockets are too big or worse, too small. Dividers just mean that something won't fit in that compartment, forcing you to distribute the weight in a less efficient manner. On the other hand, a large undivided main bag, like this pack has, can be packed easily and effectively. Yes, this pack has the obligigatory main panel zipper so that you can access an item in the middle of the pack without unpacking the whole thing. I'll probably never use it, I never have on any other pack I've ever had. My feeling is that if you are too disorganized, i.e. stupid, to put your raingear or other quickly needed item in the toplid or outer pocket, then you deserve to get wet. The middle and bottom of the pack are for campsite items, tent-bag-etc.{See; Backpacking 101}. At least Mtnsmth used a simple lightweight zipper with no inner flap to snag incoming/outgoing items. The fabric on this pack seems very durable. Mtnsmith claims it is 4X more abrasion resistant than cordura as well as stronger and more water and UV resistant. All other gear has gotten lighter over the years but packs have gotten progressively heavier. This is the first attempt by a major manufacturer to lighten up. After buying this pack and lightening up on a few other items, I got my total weight down below 45lbs. I have tried to go below 50lbs. for several years. The pack itself was always the culprit. This pack is the answer. If you really must carry 60-75lbs. this pack might not be for you. It has no crampon patch, no dual ice ax loops or other 'expedition' features, no dual foam flo-fit waistbelt.... It does weigh 4lbs.5oz.......

Customer Service

Don't know, never dealt with Mountainsmith before.

Similar Products Used:

Dana Design, Gregory, Lowe, Kelty, Marmot

To respectfully disagree, $300.00 isn't TOO bad a price for a pack like this. After seeing my 500th arc'teryx pack on the trail, I pulled the black sheep and went for the Specter. It's obviously much lighter, and I expected to give up some comfort for it. Yet this pack is amazingly comfortable, and the amount of adjustability almost makes it nicer than swappable compontant packs. It is a very clean lined pack, easy to load up, and the external pocket is big enough to hold a big chunk of gear. The load straps really do dial in the pack to your body. The hip belt is a bit stiff at first, but the compression straps at the bottom help mold it to your body.

Negative points? - not really any, just be sure and determine your needs, it is a pretty large pack.
Get this pack and get off the arc'teryx bandwagon.

Similar Products Used:

None

At $300, this is fairly expensive pack, but it EASILY outperforms all the packs I've ever tried on, in all the categories.

It's super-ultra light at 5 lbs (at least 2 pounds lighter than any other expedition-size pack), the suspension is adjustable to the point of being silly, and rides a 40 lb load with absolutely no problem. Spend the extra minute to adjust everything precisely, and the fit is beyond perfect. There's even yoke-width adjustment. I've never experienced anything like it, except maybe the Osprey packs. Their suspension system is pretty darned nifty (but you have to give up your firstborn to own one).

The material isn't the average nylon; it's some crazy composite material thats superlight, stronger than cordura, and (bonus) pretty darned waterproof. Dragged through sawgrass and survived, that's enough proof for me!

It's got room to spare (5600 ci). I normally don't get out much more than 3 days at a time or so, so the Auspex (4200ci) might've been a more ideal size. Still, there's nothing that says one HAS to pack the thing to the gills (and if I ever did, God only knows what the pack would weigh in at... it's got THAT much room.) The front pocket is spacious and convenient (more than I can say for many front and side pockets), and the J-zip entry system is one of those features I never thought would interest me, but now I wonder how I ever did without.

I can say that this will likely be the last pack I buy. It's big enough for the long haul, light enough for the short jaunt, spacious enough to carry my stuff, my dog, and my kitchen sink, and tough enough to stick it all out with a grin. I would recommend it to anybody who's looking to purchase a top-class, top-performing pack, and willing to spend a bit of money (but it's not even THAT expensive - go look at Osprey packs!)

Bottom line: Mountainsmith, manufacturer of a consistently good product, has come up with a far superior pack that easily shines above the rest. It's my opinion that there is no better system than the Mountainlight series, and the Specter is at the top of the game, at a price-range that really can't be beat.

Good luck and keep your feet dry!

Customer Service

The Mountainsmith people are as friendly, professional, and helpful as any other I've run into, and more so. They really go the extra distance to make sure their product is up to snuff and to answer any question. The site is also very helpful.

Similar Products Used:

Dana Designs'
Lowe Alpine Australis 80
Kelty Tornado
Cabela's Ext Frame Pack
Osprey
The North Face Sentinel
Serratus/MEC Summit