Okay jacket, nothing special in my opinion. Mine seemed under-filled in several places, most notably around the chest area. It seemed there were a couple of baffles with almost no down in them. My Montbell half-sleeve jacket is much "poofier", more evenly filled, and seemingly warmer while weighing less. The cuffs on the arms are great though and +1 to Stoic for trying out a light-weight anorak design. If they slightly upped the amount of down in this jacket and/or improved their filling, Stoic would have a real winner.

This pack is incredible! It is very easy to pack. I don't often use the sleeping bag compartment divider, but I do use its zipper at the bottom to better arrange items. The hydration sleeve is very large - it fits a completely full 6L MSR dromedary bag with no problem. The pack is also highly adjustable. It didn't take me long to find a comfortable set up when carrying a 40-lb load. The hipbelts on this pack are also great. They are stiff vertically so they transfer and carry the load well, yet they are flexible horizontally so they wrap around well. They're also very well padded. Why don't more manufacturer's do this?? The back-padding on this pack is also very comfortable. Most packs I have used seem to have this hard metal bar at the bottom that sometimes digs into me, but this pack does not. The air-contact system does a decent job of keeping your back cool and unlike Gregory or Osprey, it does so without pushing the load way off your back.I decided to go with this version (the 50+10) over the 40+10 version simply because it only weighs a couple more ounces but has 10 liters more capacity. The +10 just means that there is a flap inside which you can move up to get 10 more liters of carrying capacity (the top lid can move up too).Some cons: The hip belt pocket is kind of small and there is only one on the right side. It isn't mesh though, which is a plus. The biggest con is that the side pockets on the pack are really small - they barely fit a 1L nalgene and I feel like they might break if I do stuff one in there.Over all, this is the most comfortable pack I have ever used. I feel like I could go on a jog with it when it's fully loaded. If you want to securely carry 20 - 40 lbs worth of gear for miles and not feel sore at the end of the day, then this pack is for you.

I took this pack on a couple of overnight trips before selling it. I had very high expectations for it, but the only time it really ever felt comfortable was when I had only 15 lbs in the pack. At 30 lbs, it felt like the hipbelts were digging into my sides - there is practically no padding or support from those guys. I was almost bruised by the end of the day. In addition, the curved frame of the pack makes it awkward to pack (although I did get everything in okay) and it puts the load further from your back meaning you have to lean over further just to maintain your balance. The narrow, scantily clad shoulder straps do nothing to help out the ineffective hipbelt pads.

I'm not sure why this pack seems to be so popular. I could not recommend this pack to any one. I ended up getting a Deuter ACT Lite 50+10 and have been far happier - it costs less than the Osprey, is much more adjustable, is ridiculously comfortable, makes 40 lb loads disappear, and barely weighs more than the Osprey.

Just got this jacket in today. It feels really warm, is pretty light, and fits well (a little baggy but not too much so), but the zipper looks really bizarre in person. It's kind of like a cow-print and it ruins the look of the jacket, in my opinion. Why would Special Blend do this??