With the weather getting cooler, I decided to get a larger daypack for hiking, as my 13 liter Osprey Daylite was just a little too small for carrying extra layers and other necessities for fall and winter hiking. I wanted to take advantage of REI’s Labor Day sale to get the new bag at a discount. Hiking gear can be pretty expensive, so I try to buy my gear on sale. I decided to limit my search to REI Outlet items to save even more money, but in doing so, I ultimately learned the lesson behind the phrase “buy once, cry once.” Sometimes, spending a little more initially can prevent you from having to spend more money in the long run to replace something you didn’t like or something that broke.
I found a few bags within the REI Outlet that I liked, but ultimately decided on the Deuter Futura 22 SL bag. It seemed like it had all the features I wanted: large carrying capacity, compatibility with a hydration bladder, a mesh back to increase airflow and reduce sweat, an integrated rain cover, and most importantly: it was 40% off. So, I bought it online, without trying it on, and waited anxiously for it to arrive in the mail. At first, it seemed like it would meet all my needs, but after taking it on four hikes, I ended up exchanging it for a different pack.
Deuter Futura 22 SL Backpack
What I Liked
This pack has fantastic ventilation. The Aircomfort mesh back creates a channel between your back and the body of the pack which allows airflow and reduces lower back sweat. Some packs have similar features, but this pack seemed to implement it the best. The gap between the mesh panel and the body of the bag is very wide, which promotes more cooling than other bags. While using it on a warm day, I definitely noticed that my lower back was less hot and sweaty than usual.
I also really liked the internal organization of the backpack. Bags seem to be hit or miss on internal organization, and this bag definitely got it right! The big compartment was able to hold my bulkier items: water bladder, rain coat, etc. The smaller compartment had several mesh and zippered pockets which made it really easy to organize all my small essentials: pocket knife, chapstick, keys, wallet, etc. It was nice to open my bag and pull out what I needed instead of having to fish around blindly. I also really like the added security of a zipper pocket. I love the security of zipping my car keys up and knowing they won’t leave that pocket.
Lots of compartments for internal organization
What I Didn't Like
Though no fault of its own, this pack did not fit me well. I am pretty short, and I think this bag was too long for my torso. The back and straps are padded, but I could never get it to rest comfortably on my back. Even with light loads, I could never adjust the straps to make it fit properly. When I loaded the bag fully, it became even more uncomfortable and my shoulders started to hurt. I tried to transfer some of the load to my hips, but there is not a full hip belt on this pack. There is only a hip strap, which I found basically useless. After only hiking 6 miles with the bag fully loaded, my shoulders were aching. There was no way I would be able to take this pack on longer, more strenuous hikes. Had I tried on this bag in person, I may have realized it didn’t fit or handle weight well. Ultimately, the poor fit is why I returned the bag, but there were a few other things that made this decision easier.
Aircomfort design is great for ventilation, but heavy loads are hard to carry without real hip belt
I found pretty quickly that a 22 liter capacity was not big enough for me. It may have been enough, except that my water bladder took up so much space in the bag. The back of the bag is curved to increase ventilation as part of the Aircomfort design, but it caused my water bladder to stick up into the bag, taking up a lot of extra space. I was then unable to carry an extra layer or extra food, which felt risky to me.
Even though there is a separate pocket for the integrated rain cover, it is on the very bottom of the back. In order to open it and get the rain cover out, I had to turn the backpack halfway upside down, which was difficult to do while on trail.
Conclusion
Even though this pack didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. My biggest advice would be to try the pack on in person before buying it. If it had fit right, I may have been able to overlook the other things I didn’t like about the pack. I took advantage of REI’s return policy and used my refund from this pack to buy a one that I absolutely love. My new pack was more expensive than the Deuter pack (especially since the Deuter was on sale when I got it), but worth every penny in my mind. Unfortunately, I had to “buy twice, cry twice” to get a pack that works for me.
