The North Face Badlands 75 Review

"Just recenly purchased this pack and let me tell you it seems awsome. it took no time to custom fit with the torso ruler on the back. I recently tested it out packed for 4 days on a tredmill hiking uphill for over 3 miles and it was very confotable. After i took it off it never seemed as if i was even wearing a pack for over 3 miles. I would recomend anyone that is thinking of purchasing this pack to just purchase it because it is worth the 200$."

"I picked up this bag for $75 Canadian from a guy who was selling it on the MEC gear swap site. It has pretty much every feature you could ask for on a backpack...not great for really long excursions...especially for me at 6"3 230. The strap system is a medium, so I have it maxed out and the straps are still riding pretty tight to my neck, but couldn't turn it down at that price. I have used it quite a bit and it is very comfortable in spite of it's size. The material is rugged, and it makes a great weekender for me until I get something bigger...even then I'll hold onto it."

"This pack is awesome. I took it on a backpacking trip to the north cascades where we did 41 miles and 11,000 feet of elevation gain. Big enough for long trips. Light supportive. Can't get a better pack in my opinion. :)"

"I picked up this one on sale, and it has been great. It holds an amazing amount of gear, and distributes the weight easily. The straps are comfortable, the load-lifters are easy to use, and it has tons of snap points for 'biners. I would have like more small external pockets for quick snacks, but the "toolkit" pocket works fairly well for that. Its a big pack , and can be tricky to adjust the first time, but it is well worth it."

"I've used this pack a couple dozen times in the last year and a half. weekend winter and fall trips mostly. awesome it is NOT. the top load straps are coming "un-stitched". I'd give it high marks on most aspects, but stiches coming undone is unacceptable. I'm returning it this week. Do NOT buy it!"

"I've had this pack for a few years now.... I've done some multi-state hikes with it and some short weekend trips with it...never had a problem. The stitching on mine is as good as new...like everyone else said, it does a great job at distributing the weight around and it hold a lot more than meets the eye. Great pack and not that much money to get it."

"Just bought this pack for 110$ since it is discontinued. Looks awesome, worked well on weekend trip. Expands to hold tons of stuff. Large size weighs ~5.5 pounds. Great pack though. Just as good as the $300+ bags."

"I am an experienced hiker. I've been hiking the A.T. and the trails along the Blue Ridge Parkway (VA) for some time now, and I've become an expert on gear (not trying to brag or nothing). I was looking for a large pack (4600-5500 cu in), and I quickly found that the packs that I was looking for are generally run in the higher end (the Marmot Terraplane, same size as this North Face, cost $369).

When I saw this for the price, I flipped and bought it right then and there. It was delivered via UPS the day after the next day. I might never need another pack. It held my REI Camp Dome 2 tent, my Kelty Tundra +15 sleeping bag (in the separate sleeping bag compartment), my MSR Pocket Rocket stove and two canisters of fuel, my GCI anonidized aluminum mess kit, my food for two days, my REI Lite-Core 1.5 sleeping pad, two Nalgenes, my Camelbak bladder, a jumbo bottle of Powerade, and food and clothes for two days in 15 degree weather (a cold front was coming through).

I could not even feel the weight on my back. The hip belt and the shoulder straps balanced the weight so evenly, and the pack compressed so neatly, that I felt like I was strolling down my neighborhood with my school backpack on. I kid you not--by the end of the hike, my friends--one has a marmot terraplane, one has an osprey aether 85, and one has a millet odysee 50+10 (a french pack)-- all wanted to go and buy a crestone 75 after seeing how much stuff I was able to jam in here and how fast I was moving with this cloud (at least it felt like a cloud) on my back.

Don't hesitate to get this pack. It's $159 from EMS."