I bought this backpack almost three years ago for my senior year of high school. After using the backpack almost everyday, filling it with books, laptops, camping supplies, clothes, Xboxes, it held up great and has plenty of space. After 2 years of wear and tear,the sipper started to break. I called High Sierra about their warranties and getting a replacement. I was very surprised when someone picked up the phone and said actually listened to my claim and worked with me. All he asked for was a picture of the defect and then worked with me to get me a new one. The new backpack was on my front doorstep in about 3 days and when I even called High Sierra back to check on the status on it before, the person who I talked too remembered who I was.
Great product and great customer service. I would highly recommend this backpack.
A seriously satisfied customer who is finally hooked on a backpack and may never feel the need to hunt for another,
**Update** After another year of constant use, the bag still looks great! No visible signs of wear or tear either. It's holding up much better than other expensive packs I've tried.
A review for the backpack-obsessed..this pack ROCKS
I purchased this backpack for extensive general everyday and weekend use (aka my "man purse"). I carry my gym clothes and other miscellaneous gear to and from work every day - which involves daily repetitive usage of the zippers and pockets. I also use it for travelling and weekend trips, sometimes with large (heavy) loads - and can be VERY tough on a backpack in general. In the past I owned a North Face (Recon) pack - which at almost 6 years old was dated in design though not falling apart.
This pack seems on par with the quality of the North Face pack, as far as materials go - and at less than half the price. The design is PERFECT for travelling (with three *separate* large compartments, as well as lots of cool little stash spots). Perfect, nay -IDEAL- for organization on a 3-day+ trip. The feel of the pack is solid, and very well made. The zippers, a crucial fail point on cheap packs, are thick-toothed and burly! The laptop pouch is great, and easy to access in line at aiport security via it's own special zipper right above the straps. It is also WELL padded, including the bottom (where it rightly has the thickest padding) The carrying handle on top is a dream - padded and comfortable. I often carry my pack using that handle, so it's nice to see it becoming standard on many packs these days.
I initially wondered why the water bottle pouches (2) did not have cinch straps at the top like North Face does - but in actual usage I actually prefer them like this. I tend to use the side pockets for quick-access storage, and these flush-mount pouches are superior to the loose, floppy North Face design. They are deep as well, so they hold tall bottles WAY better, as well as a bunch of random stuff when I want to quickly dump things somewhere when on the go.
The very top small storage pouch is awesome and PERFECTLY designed - when I go to lunch I can dip right in for my wallet and keys without having to dig around or even move the bag at all - brilliant. Perfect for "ready access" items. The front "organizer" pouch has a killer little Velcro "phone pocket" in it (this is better for storing smallish items like lip balm, coins and extra batteries rather than a phone) - the rest of the organizer area is pretty "meh" like most organizers in backpacks. Things tend to just get thrown into that front pocket. I find the side (water bottle) pouches better to drop a phone into (it's easier to hear it ring too).
The shoulder straps are the best I have ever used on a daypack. The High Sierra "integrated suspension system" WORKS (I was very doubtful). This thing feels like a dream on the back. Also, a really cool feature is that the bottom straps have stopper clips on them to prevent that annoying "run through" where a strap comes out of the fastener and hangs free. How is this the first pack I have ever seen this on?? These stopper clips also have super handy "pullin' holes" where you can tighten them with one finger, another incredibly innovative design that took me by surprise.
High Sierra has hit a home run with this pack as far as I am concerned, and obviously I am very anal about my backpack performance and specs (it literally goes EVERYWHERE I go, in all conditions, with all types of loads). I appreciated the very detailed reviews of various packs when I started looking for a new one, so I hope others of like mind find this of interest!
Side note: Several reviewers expressed concern over "that extra fabric covering the two main zippers". These are rain flaps which help prevent water intrusion through the zipper. I guess only `backpack idiot savants' like me know that. Yes they can get in the way sometimes, but you'll be very glad it's there during a downpour - they make a big difference.
I paid 39.00 (with free Prime shipping 2-day delivery - black/black model) - and boy does this seem like one hell of a deal!
UPDATE: I have discovered that the laptop pouch also doubles as an amazing beer cooler. I can easily fit 3 bottles (more possibly) in there, along with my gel icepack. It's essentially *AS GOOD* as any softsided cooler, and found it kept my drinks cold and safe all night. Sweet!!
Also, I have to re-state this, the little "stash pouch" (on top) for ready-access stuff like keys and wallet, is perhaps the best single innovation I have ever seen on a pack. NO MORE digging around in other pockets for my keys & such! At concerts, it has proven to be a godsend when I am slightly inebriated. Not to mention at work when I need to grab my keys and run, I don't even need to move my pack.
***UPDATE - TEN MONTHS LATER***
The pack still looks brand new! It has been to two multi-day camping music festivals, a week in New Orleans on foot, several day hikes, 7 concerts, MANY weekend trips, MANY beach trips, and DAILY use back and forth to my office (where it is often used to courier my Amazon purchases home). If there is a known punishment that humans can inflict upon a helpless backpack, verily - I have delivered it unto this High Sierra!
Is the fabric made of a futuristic, impenetrable teflon-adamantium fibre? Are the zippers forged from molten eagle talons? Was the design itself created by a 13-year-old boy with Asperger's living in the Ukraine and enhanced with gamma rays? I DON'T KNOW!!
But it is one hell of a pack!
