Kelty Red Cloud 90 Backpack

I know this bag is heavy, however, you bring bring everything you want with you. I am able to put my tent, sleeping bag, and mattress in the bottom compartment. My extensive water purification system resides in the Left hand big pocket. The kitchen resides in the Right hand pocket. Medical & Survial gear reside in the "Brain" of the pack. Trekking poles and/or tent poles fit nicely into the side pockets. I have seen reviews that complain about the mesh water bottle holder, however, I find those claims to be unsubstantiated. This pack appeals to me because I can fit everything inside of it, without having to strap stuff to the outside of the bag.PROS - Heavy Duty. Everything fits INSIDE. Access to all the gear via a opening that does not require you to unload the pack from the top. Huge Pockets. Spectacular adjustment system (pack does not really touch your back - minimal sweat). Priced fairly.CONS - A bit heavy. The Hip Belt tends to loosen as you walk (just re-tighten).I recommend to all the folks that go in heavy and want to be able to take alot of creature comforts! Ex-military folks will love the "no-rattle" features of being able to put everything into the pack and use compression straps to silence the load.

I gave this pack 4 starts rather than 5 only because it's a bit heavier than some of the competitors out there. Having said that, it's a trade-off I consciously made. This pack is made of strong materials that will stand up to use, and includes lots of organizing features that add weight. For me, I am happy to work out a bit more to compensate for carrying a bit more weight than the current ultra-light movement promotes. I bought this pack because I wanted one large enough to support me when winter-camping as well as summer camping. I did a three day trip with this one and had plenty of room to spare. The pack was incredibly comfortable once I dialed in the straps (which was very intuitive and quick). I love having a separate sleeping bag zipper on the bottom so I don't need to dump my pack when I reach camp. When I'm carrying lighter loads, the cinch straps swallow up the additional capacity and keep everything riding in a well-secured manner. So far I couldn't be much happier with it.

I took this pack on a 3 week NOLS course in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. I was the only student who didn't rent one of the custom bags Deuter makes for NOLS. This pack walked 78 miles with me and was manhandled, sweated on, and almost dropped off of Cloud Peak (the highest peak in the Bighorns). It carried 50 lbs every day and never gave me sore spots, unlike every other pack on our trip. Aside from the dirt, it still looks brand new.The zipper on the bottom was the only one in our group, and it allowed me access to my sleeping bag and mat without having to unpack everything from the top.The outermost pocket on the body held my camp shoes and sunglasses, clean, apart, and easy to get to outside of the main compartment, the only one of its kind on my trip.The two side pockets above the water bottle pouches held a liter of fuel, bear spray, tent stakes, my bowl, spoon, toothbrush, the occasional snack, and bandannas. I could have fit more in there but I really had no need. I slid the tent pole behind this pocket and into the water bottle pouches, even with everything that was in these pockets, it could still fit the 2 inches around that the folded pole took up. Deuter makes packs with straps here instead of pockets.The waistband pockets were the perfect size. I fit my water purification drops, hand sanitizer, pocketknife, lighter, sunscreen, and fishing license. Even if I wasn't using things on the trail (like my lighter), I could always know where things were or give clear instructions to other people on where to find them. It was a bit of a dumping ground for odds and ends, but I could do things like reapply sunscreen while hiking without making everyone stop for me. The other packs didn't have these pockets eitherThe brain was really like any other, easy to access with the pack on and held things like my journal, snacks, maps, and compass. There is a clip on the inside that I attached my compass string to because it seemed every time I opened it up, it would fall out. Needless to say I didn't have that problem anymore.The body was spacious and easy to organize. There is a mesh pocket that can be reached from either the top or the front of the pack that held my raincoat and book, easy access for emergencies, and there is another pocket tight to the back that, admittedly can take a second to wiggle into with a watch and a full pack due to the elastic on top, but that was where I hid what we called "unwashables" (things that, you guessed it, cannot be saved no matter how many river washes you put it through). This was easy to add to and keep apart from everything else that was relatively "clean". The main part of the body held all of my layers, rations, tent body, and for a week, rock climbing gear. Despite having the same size bag and amount of gear, I was the only one of my group, instructors included, who never had an overpacked bag. I always had extra space for anything that was left behind, and while some days that didn't bode well for me, as I was given more weight, my pack never felt as if it was towering above me.

I hate to give it 4 stars but my husband didn't like the feel of the pack. We put some weight in and he said it felt like it pulled on his shoulders which would effect his ballence. Yes, we did tighten the shoulder straps. Nice sturdy pack and big to big unless your hunting I suppose.

I just got the bag and have not camped with it yet, but I absolutely love it! Its a monster of a bag and should be no problem fitting whatever you need for any kind of trip you're taking... The ONLY THING I didn't like about it was the divider for the sleeping bag compartment. It doesn't zipper shut. It's held together by toggles at a few different points and gear can still fall all the way down from the top... Now I knew this going in via YouTube reviews and it still wasn't enough for me not to buy it... Takes a few to get used to the adjustment straps but its nice bc you can adjust it without taking of the pack... Side pockets are huge pass behind pockets for tent poles or Anything else you can fit there. I can fit a 1.8 liter jetboil inside easy with room to spare. Also a nice pocket on each side of the hip belt. For $155 I don't think you can beat it... I'll update once I get a chance to use it in the field.