Lowe Alpine Netherworld 90, ND70

Review Date
August 9, 2004

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Brian Farrell ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $175.00 at REI

Summary:
I have been backpacking for 15 years and have used nothing but Alpine Lowe packs. I have had my netherworld 90 for 5 years. I have taken it to The Great Smokey Mountains, Grand Tetons, Sedonna Arizona, and my back yard, the North Cascades. I just finished a 10 day 90+ mile trip in the North Cascades along the Pacific Crest Trail. My pack weight at the start was 60 pounds. I had no shoulder or hip problems at all. The ouside pockets are super. The interior room with it's bottom entry kept my wet gear seperate from my dry gear. I carried everything includeing a bear canister along with 20lbs of food and the only thing on the outside of my pack was my sleeping pad. I have carried as much as 68 pounds in this pack. The only thing this pack misses is a detachable top pocket to take out scouting from a base camp. This pack gets two thumbs up from this backpacker!

Review Date
July 3, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: chuckyL(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $150.00 at REI

Summary:
I purchased this pack after much research and because of Lowe Alpine's excellent reputation. I've had nothing but good experiences with this pack. I have yet to feel shoulder or hip fatigue or chafing from this pack. If not for any other reason I would purchase this pack again for the sheer comfort it provides.

Customer Service:
none

Similar Products Used:
Kelty Redcloud
Kelty Super Tioga

Review Date
December 11, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: joshhibbard(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Haines, Alaska

Price Paid:  $140.00 at REI-Outlet.com

Summary:
I love this pack. I tested it out on a short weekender with my wife and loaded it down with all the gear (approx. 40 pounds). It held up alright, although it wore out my hips due to not getting it adjusted right. My next hike was a 5 day trek in the Mt. Whiney Area, reaching the summit on the last day. I adjusted the pack approx. 3 times in the first 2 hours of hiking on day 1. When I finnally got it adjusted, it hardly noticed it on my back. There are a number of reasons I like this pack and will list them accordingly... 1.) the pack is super easy to adjust, taking only a minute 2.) the pack fits my smaller body great 3.) the pack is slim and fits close to the body 4.) pockets, pockets, pockets I love all the pockets. They come in super handy for snacks, and accessories 5.) The bladder and water system is very handy 6.) its many stays allow you to secure the pack close to your body.
Out of the six people in our group, I was the only one who didn't suffer any soreness due to our backpacks. I would recommend this pack to anyone who has the right body type to fit it. I think this pack is one of the best deals out there

Customer Service:
not needed yet

Similar Products Used:
The North Face pack, Remmington External Frame pack

Review Date
October 17, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: joshhibbard(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Haines, Alaska

Price Paid:  $140.00 at REI-OUTLET.com

Summary:
I spent about a month looking for a pack. I read practically all the review on this web site and others. I tried on every pack at REI and other sporting good stores. This pack fit me the best. I took it on a 5 day trek into the Sequoia and Kings National park summiting Mt. Whitney and comming out Whitney Portal on the last day. There were 6 of us hiking and my pack, by far, performed better than theirs (this does not mean this pack is a better pack, just that it is a better pack on my back compared to thiers). After I adusted the fit to perfection (it took less than 5 minutes thanks) I never had a problem. One of the better features this pack had over the rest of the group was its external pockets. They came in super handy throughout the whole of the trip.
I also enjoy the narrow features this pack provides. It fits my body type great giving me the best center of gravity I have ever had carring 36-43 pounds on my back.
I have an older more experience backpacker friend who has used Alpine Lowe packs for years and assured me that thier durability is excellent. Not only that, but this pack was a great deal at $140 compared with other packs. I would recommend this pack to anyone with a small or narrow framed body. However, the best bet for finding the best pack is to find the one that fits you best.

Similar Products Used:
North Face External Frame pack
North Face Weekend trip internal frame pack

Review Date
July 9, 2001

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Scott W(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Lakewood, CO, USA

Price Paid:  $139.00 at REI Outlet.com

Summary:
After using this pack on a ten day trek through the Grand Canyon, I can say that this pack is a great one. Especially for the price. The pack did fine with an 80 pound. My shoulder was really sore after the first day but that was due to poor loading...
The hydration system worked very well and the waist strap was strong and worked well at taking the load off my shoulders. Every pocket on this backpack is useful but I wish that loading the external pockets didn't affect the internal space of the pack. My only other semi-gripe is that the water bottle holders were not accessable when wearing the pack. However, this was not a huge deal because of the hydration system. I would reccommend this pack to anyone who, like me, isn't looking to due insane trips and wants a practical, solid pack for not a lot of dough. Overall a great pack!

Customer Service:
None

Similar Products Used:
First pack.