Internal Frame Backpack 55L Capacity - Navy Blue

I took this on my trip down to Havasupai, and it was perfect. Adjusting the straps was really easy, even while hiking, and that made it really easy to re-position the weight from my hips to shoulders or vice versa as I needed it. I was unable to escape the trip without really having any sore shoulders, hips, or back, it did a good job of not rubbing/jabbing into me, and it had good padding. The multiple pockets/compartments made it easy to pack and organize everything I needed, including a 3L water bladder (which I would highly recommend using for longer hikes). I didn't realize it when I bought this, but it comes with a rain cover that packs into the bottom of the pack too, which we ended up needing twice, so that was an extra plus for me. The only thing that wasn't ideal was that the side pockets became tight and hard to unzip/reach into if you filled them up too much, but as long as you pack well and leave some space in them, it isn't a problem.

I bought this backpack in April of this year. Since then I have used it on 7 multiday trips, and ive hiked all over western Massachusetts and the Catskill mtns. I absolutely love this bag!! I paid $63.00 dollars for it from . When I took it out of the box it had a price tag on it for $130.00!!! I was very surprised at how much money I saved buying from !!! It took me some trial and error to figure out the proper way to wear this bag comfortably. Last weekend, I hiked thru the Catskills with 35lbs of gear packed inside and the pack was comfortable. For the price, I don't believe you can find a better quality pack. I believe this pack is made with quality material and workmanship. I have not had a single issue after hiking many miles thru the mtns! The outside is made of rip stop material, and the material is very durable and strong. The pack can hold a tremendous amount of gear!! It can easily hold enough gear, including cloths food and water, for a 3 day trip. I'm sure it can hold enough for 5 days also, however, I have not gone out for 5 days, yet. It can store 65+ liters of gear. Both right side pockets can store a lot of gear, I store all of the smaller items needed for multi day trips. Also, both right side pockets are designed to have a set of tent poles or trekking poles, slide down the right side of the bag behind both pockets and into the mesh pocket at the bottom. There is an adjustable loop at the top on the right side above the right top pocket, this is for securing the poles, it's a great feature if you tent camp. You'll have no worries about where to store your tent poles. The left side pocket is big! I store larger items in this pocket such as my headlamp, flashlight, duct tape, 50' of para cord etc... The top has two pockets, these are great for maps, guide books, tooth brush, body wipes, plastic bags, trah bags etc.. Smaller flatter items store very well in the top pockets. The inside top pocket stores every thing related to first aid, it's a big pocket! The main compartment is a top load only. This compartment is hugh when you unzip the divider to the sleeping bag compartment, which I use to do.In the warmer weather, I store my hennessey hammock, a tarp, stakes and para cord in the sleeping bag compartment. The main compartment stores my sleeping bag, 2 pair of socks, boxers, teeshirt(no cotton), shorts,1 pair of pants(no cotton), 1 long sleeve shirt, 1 light sweatshirt, winter hat n gloves, it's still cold at night in the mountains, and my frogg toggs. 4days worth of food, 5 liters of water, my gas stove and small fuel cannister, a book and anything else I want to take. All of this adds up to around 35 lbs including the weight of the pack. Which weighs 5lbs empty, it is a little on the heavy side compared to an Osprey which would weigh about 3 lbs empty. But, I only paid $63.00 dollars not $280.00 dollars. I'll gladly carry 2 more pounds to save that much money!!!!The outside of the pack has compression straps at the bottom and another set on top. There's also dasiey chains on both sides and loops at the bottom as well. These compression straps are a great feature!!! I have used both sets of compression straps and the bottom set is used every time I go out on a multiday trip. I have also tied gear to my pack using the dasiey chains. 2 sets of compression straps, 2 sets of dasiey chains and 2 loops. You can attach anything you need that doesn't fit inside the bag.The shoulder straps and waist straps are thickly padded and very comfortable! All of the buckles are plastic and have held up fine, so far. The rain fly is a very bright canary yellow. I've hiked once in the rain with the rain fly covering my pack. Eventually, the rain fly became saturated and let some moisture pass to the pack. But, the inside stayed completely dry, the pack itself is water resistant. After that, I sprayed the rain fly with additional waterproofing, I haven't been caught in the rain since.Bottom line is, if you want a 65+ liter backpack made of quality material at an excellent price? You can't go wrong buying the Teton sports explorer 4000!! I highly recommend this backpack!! I love mine so far and I'm very happy I bought it. Teton sports makes quality products at very reasonable prices, you can't go wrong with this pack!!!I have 2 minor complaints about this pack. First, the sleeping bag compartment is a little on the small side. My cold weather sleeping bag did not fit. However, my warm weather sleeping bag fits and there's a ton of room left over, for more gear. 2nd, the shoulder strap adjustment is held together with Velcro. This could be a potential problem when your carrying a lot of weight. It hasn't been an issue yet, but how much weight can Velcro hold??I love this backpack, and I'm positive you will love it also!!!!

This pack is an outstanding value. Upon initial impression, the materials felt cheap and thin, but after taking this pack on a backpacking trip on the North Kaibab trail at the Grand Canyon, I was proven wrong. This pack was VERY durable. I don't baby my equipment, and this stood up to the beating. Zippers also felt cheap, but they performed well too. Some of the zippers are prone to snagging due to overhanging material, but that's nitpicking for such a cheap pack. I have NO idea why people are complaining about the sleeping bag compartment. My non-mummy, extra-long down sleeping bag fits without any tricks or excessive force with the zippered divider in-place. Maybe if you tried to put a non-mummy synthetic bag in there it wouldn't fit, but this pack is designed for backpackers, and rectangular synthetic bags usually aren't on their equipment list. A synthetic or down mummy-style sleeping bag could easily fit. This is a fairly large pack which easily fit my gear, food for three people, and assorted group gear (stove, tarp, first aid kit, etc). I'd say up to 50 lbs of gear would be comfortable enough to wear.

Great for long camping trips with your sons, that you carefully planned out for months. Every last detail thought out, every item specifically ordered for this trip, and packed with attention to daily activity and necessity. This included; special mosquito repellent clothing, new sleeping bags, expensive waterproof hiking boots. All items -times three - for me and my two boys. Needless to say, I never got to use this item since my sons left our bags in an unlocked car at the parking lot of our camp site. We came back from our six hour hike, ready to set up camp, only to find that our bags were gone. I always wonder if my sons did this intentionally so they didn’t have to participate in this camping trip. During the four hour drive to the state park, they found out that they had to hike, swim, boat, and participate with me in activities, with no internet access for miles, they were not happy. I sometimes underestimate what sneaky delinquents they really are. I think it was a real possibility that they worked in tandem to sabotage the trip that I worked so hard to make happen. That dream of father and sons bonding during an extended camping weekend is dead and gone, forever.

This internal frame bag has more room in it than my external frame bag that appears physically bigger. It has very well thought out pockets that easily let you store your sleeping gear separate from other gear, and it has plenty of straps to add anything large that refuses to fit in the bag.It also has a slot inside for a camel back water pouch, which was absolutely helpful to me. I combined this with a Sawyer life filter and could easily fill it with lake water and consume the water without any ill effect.