Southwest

Purchased this pack a few years back after spending quite a while dialing down my gear in anticipation of some longer backpacking trips, and got to truly put it through its paces this summer on my thru hike of the Long Trail. In a very short summary, it's as close to a masterpiece as a backpack can be. But to elaborate further, I decided to list out some specific pros and cons.

Pros:

- Bombproof. This thing absolutely does not quit. As anyone who has done the long trail knows, there's a lot of fairly technical parts where your pack makes contact with rocks, roots, etc. After 270 miles of abuse, this thing looks like it did the day I got it...except now the white DCF is no longer quite so white. But especially compared to certain other UL pack brands that may or may not start with Z, the build quality on this thing is nothing short of sensational. Not a single seam, zipper, strap, or stitch has loosened or degraded in any way, and I know for a fact this thing can and will survive many, many more miles on trail. It might not be *the* absolute lightest UL pack out there, but in terms of material and build quality you'd be hard pressed to find something that manages to be this light while being so tough. In terms of dollars per mile, especially for someone who does a lot of hiking in technical environments, I genuinely cannot think of anything on the market which would outperform this pack, especially for the weight. Plus it's waterproof, meaning that my gear stored inside…

I have been an avid backpacker for the past 15 years. Most of my multi-day backpacks are from Osprey. I have always been a fan of lots of straps, pockets and lids. The more the merrier as this gives me tons of options for carrying gear. The downside to this is weight. While I am a true weight-weenie, I am not a minimalist. So my previous backpacks tended to be heavier as they provided great comfort. I love gear with multi-purpose functionality, quality construction and ultralight weight products. This is what drew me to the brand. I also own their pods, shoulder pocket, Repacks, stake kit, water bottle holder, stuff sack pillow and more. All of these products have exceptional quality.

What I love about the Southwest 3400 Black pack:

1. The black dyneema is a little heavier than the white dyneema and worth the small weight gain for the durability gain, to me.

2. The pack is fast, to operate. Compared to the Osprey with multiple buckles, lids and flaps, this pack is much faster to open. Two side buckles, top buckle, velcro and I am inside.

3. The hip pockets are very generous in size compared to Osprey. I can hold a lot more essential gear that I used to keep in the Osprey top pouch, which again makes me faster and requires less stops to grab gear. Left pocket: lip balm, hand cream, Deejo pocket knife, toiletries, snack. Right pocket: Sunglasses, OR foldable hat, Nitecore headlamp.

4. Accessories pockets are all huge! I can store a Nalgene and GSI microlite 500ml thermos…