Lowe Alpine Contour IV 90 + 15L, 90 + 15

Review Date
October 21, 2003

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: dptaylor(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Logan, UT

Price Paid:  $100.00 at Moosejaw

Summary:
I recently purchased this pack and really like it. The suspension is easily adjustable and the padding is quite comfortable. I recently carried nearly 50 pounds on a trip to Canyonlands (over 9 liters of water included) and I only had minor shoulder soreness afterwards. Overall, its a good pack and a good value.

Customer Service:
No problems so far.

Similar Products Used:
Kelty internal framed pack

Dana Design Bridger

Dana Design Shortbed

Review Date
September 11, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: maddog (Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from New York

Price Paid:  $239.00 at REI

Summary:
The Contour is a great pack. My first experince with the pack was when EMS was out of rental packs, so the manager pulled the Contour off the shelf, converting it into a rental (and boy was I glad he did).

My first trip was to the Catskills lugging about 75lbs for a 2 mile hike to camp. I was concerned because I'd never backpacked, and when tried to lift pack on myself, it was too heavy. With a little help, however, I was on my way. As soon as it was on my back, the hike was a breeze and the pack was very stable. The pack is also very versatile. There's top and front access to the pack and the top converts into a fanny pack. There is also way more room than you'll probably need as the top collar gives you about 900ci of extra space (6400 total)

I rented the pack on two more occasions for much longer hikes and I was equally as safisfied.

After much research I finally bought a pack. I went with the Countour lV. Anyone who calls this an entry level pack is judging it soley on the price.

The reason it's so reasonably priced is that Lowe has been making improvements on the same basic pack for the past 20years or so. I've asked several guides, two of which use the Contour themselves, and most of them think the Contour rates just as well as most higher priced packs.
Don't let the price fool you... This is a quality pack.

Customer Service:
Excellent. I was unable to find a retailer who had the Contour lV in stock (I looked for about a month). When I called Lowe the Customer Service Rep he told me who to contact and what to say. I had th

Review Date
February 18, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Bliss (Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Boulder

Price Paid:  $200.00 at ??

Summary:
I bought this pack in 92 I think and I have taken it on trips ranging from 2 days in the Maroon bells to three monthes in Kenya. it is truly a work of art. If I could make love to any inanimate object it would be my backpack. you get the picture. I recently bought a Mystery Ranch and I will say it blows this pack out of the water but unless you want to drop a lot of money on a Ranch then this is the pack for you. Its's a true classic

Similar Products Used:
Some Old Kelty (owned)
NOLS LOWE Pack
Arc teryx Borea 80 (owned)
Dana Terraplane
theworks@ Mystery Ranch

Review Date
January 23, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: Chris Cochran(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Auburn, CA

Price Paid:  $140.00 at Campmor

Summary:
I bought this pack in '98 for a 10 day Yosemite trip. I carried 65# up the Yosemite falls trail back to Tuolumne Meadows, over Cloud's Rest & Half Dome back down to the Valley Floor. It was unbelievable. The awesome hipbelt keeps the pack well centered and keep the weight on your hips, not on your shoulders. The shoulder straps evenly distribute the weight on them, depending upon how you adjust them. You can adjust the space between your shoulders & the pack while hiking, close for steep or loose terrain, further away for trail cruising. I've been on many 2 week+ long backpacking trips all over the High Sierra with Kelty, REI,& TNF packs and none can compare to my Contour IV. The Lowe fits me like it was custom made for me(I'm 6' 185#). Mine is the first model to come with the hydration pack pouch and I stuck a 10 dollar platy-bag in it and it worked great.It carried the weight effortlessly and after another trip up Halfdome, and going to Greece, Germany, and Turkey the Contour IV is still bombproof! I use it as my suitcase when I travel overseas to save $ on carts and tipping porters. It doesn't have any outside pockets, but anyone that has hiked x-country (i.e. no trail) will tell you, they just catch brush and get in the way. It is big enough to fit everything inside. Mine is still waterproof. I have a pack cover, but I've never used it. I spray it with Camp Dry at the beginning of the season and It's good to go. It's bright orange which is great for spotting it at the baggage claim, and finding your campsite after a long day hike. I used an older model in 94 during a Mt. Shasta climb. That was the first time I carried over 75# and I was very impressed with the comfort and load handling capabilities. I wouldn't trade mine for any other pack. Before you drop 400+ on a pack, try it on. A nice Dana, Arc'teryx, or Gregory pack is a little more comfy, and may have a few more goodies, BUT NOT 300 DOLLARS MORE! If you are rich or don't care about wasting money get a $500 pack, but for $500 I got a pack, stove and cookset(MSR), Bag(TNF Down), PUR filter, thermarest, and a pair of boots. It is, bar-none, the best pack made when you take in to account it costs a third of "top of the line" packs. I hope that Lowe keeps making the Classic Contour IV, because it really is a "classic".

Review Date
November 13, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: Dyno(Unregistered User) ,  Climber

Price Paid:  $220.00 at REI

Summary:
This is a great pack! This is essientially the same pack that NOLS (national outdoor leadership school) uses and that should tell you something! I carried almost EIGHTY pounds of climbing gear, clothes, food, and water for 3 weeks in Wyoming and it was beautiful! This pack can fit more than you can carry! Its totally bomber too! I read other reviews and I'd like to address some of the problems that have been raised. Some people complained that there weren't enough side pockets, etc. This is a really amateurish complaint! Side pockets throw of your balance. When your toting eighty pounds of gear through a boulder field or down a steep scree slope, you are going to be happy that the Contour IV 90+15 has no excessive side pockets to trip you up. In addition, if you are bushing whacking through thick vegetation, side pockets are going to get stuck on everything! Someone complained that there is no hydration system, but mine came with one built in! There is a little velco hole right behind your left shoulder just big enough for a hose! Its really conveinent. Another amateur complained that there isnt a daisy chain. I dont know why anyone would want a daisy chain on a backpacking pack like this! I cringe when I see amateurs with more clipped to the outside of their pack than the inside of their pack! With a pack of this size there is no need to clip anything to the exterior. If you cant fit everything inside of this pack, then you need to get someone to teach you how to pack a backpacking pack. All I ever attach outside is raingear or my marmot driclime, which I put under the convienent bungie cord that replaces a daisy chain. Overall, this pack is a work horse, yet great for shorter outings too! And its cheap!!!

Customer Service:
superb, The belt buckle that came with my pack was too small and kept undoing itself while i hiked. I wrote a letter to Lowe Alpine and they sent me a beefier buckle right away free of charge!

Similar Products Used:
Kelty, gregory