pre-use pack review

got my mountainsmith tour lumbar pack in the mail today, and having tried it on for a grand total of 10 minutes thus far - i like it!

since i hadn't looked at them in stores, i was unsure how big or small it was going to be (other than the fact that i knew it's only like 488 cubic inches, but it's hard to visualize what that really means).  it looks a little smaller than i had hoped, but once i put my camera and extra lens in there, it actually felt more spacious.  we just got scott a camelbak backpack a 100oz water reservoir and 1500 cu. in. of storage - ie, he'll have more than enough space to carry most of our food and whatnot on hikes, which he has typically been doing anyway.  in addition to my camera and extra lens (and i may end up finding it unnecessary to carry both lenses), i have compartments for two water bottles, a strap on front that i can hook my rain jacket or extra layer onto, and two big-ish pockets for things like cell phone, keys, bandaids, map/compass, and still have plenty of room inside for some snacks and other incidentals.  not to mention, if you've ever seen my purse you'll notice that i tend to fill whatever space i have available, and i really don't to be lugging around a massive, heavy pack.

scott asked if i'd like having the weight around my hips, and i think my answer is a resounding yes!  it honestly felt way more comfy to me than backpacks usually do.  granted my backpack to date has been the jansport i've used since high school - thus i've never used a properly sized backpack with the waist belt and chest strap and all that to really distribute the load - but i usually find hiking with a backpack draining and end up with really tense shoulders.  when i'm actually on a trail for a few hours above 10,000 feet, ask me again how i feel about the lumbar pack, but so far i think i'll like it.  as i was playing around with the tour, i noticed that adjusting the side compression straps distributes the weight more evenly against my back, which is handy.

we have a meeting on saturday morning, but afterward scott wants to head up to the mountains for a short-ish day hike ... as long as our plan pans out, i should be able to give you an action-shot and full review next week!  and hey, if i end up thinking it's too small and hating the experience, i can always sell it on craigslist for probably close to what i paid (since i got it for around half off online) and upgrade to the 854 cu. in. mountainsmith day pack.