Reviews by User: azatty (3)

I bought the Palisade to fill a particular niche in my gear closet. I was torn between the Palisade and the Arc'Teryx Bora 80. I tried very hard to talk myself into the Arc'Teryx. I came down on the Palisade side for two reasons: (1) comfort, and (2) capacity. I do my backpacking in desert conditions, so I don't have much extra padding from clothing. The Palisade felt better on my back and rode slightly better than the Bora 80. It also has a slightly larger capacity. If I were buying a pack for us in a wetter or colder climate, I'd choose the Arc'Teryx pack in a hot second. The Bora 80 has superb waterproofing (it's a big dry bag, and a couple of layers of clothing would probably provide the additional comfort I wanted. And the Arc'Teryx is bombproof. I believe the Arc'Teryx takes the toughness crown between the two packs.

I bought the Palisade to fill a particular niche in my gear closet. I was torn between the Palisade and the Arc'Teryx Bora 80. I tried very hard to talk myself into the Arc'Teryx. I came down on the Palisade side for two reasons: (1) comfort, and (2) capacity. I do my backpacking in desert conditions, so I don't have much extra padding from clothing. The Palisade felt better on my back and rode slightly better than the Bora 80. It also has a slightly larger capacity. If I were buying a pack for us in a wetter or colder climate, I'd choose the Arc'Teryx pack in a hot second. The Bora 80 has superb waterproofing (it's a big dry bag, and a couple of layers of clothing would probably provide the additional comfort I wanted. And the Arc'Teryx is bombproof. I believe the Arc'Teryx takes the toughness crown between the two packs.

I bought the Atmos 50 for three-day weekenders. My other choice was a Gregory G-pack. The Airstream design makes this pack float on your back. The water bladder compartment (and the main compartment) is bowed by the frame, so you get cheated a bit on bladder capacity. I found that packing in "rolls" from the outside toward the center works well (with the smaller "rolls" in the center over the frame.)

Light as a feather, functional, and made of "space-age" materials. Suitable for beanie weenies and haute cuisine. Nothing like a titanium spork to show the world that you are a true ultralight backpacker and a cutlery aficionado of discerning taste. Ranks high on the "dude, cool" scale.