I owned the Outdoorsmans Optics Hunter pack, the original. I honestly liked everything about the way it handled, organized, and carried a load. The pocket layout is basically the same as a Timberline, just not quite as much volume. The fabric is very tough and fairly quiet. I used it for three years, and successfully bivied out of it and packed out several animals. The frame is very flexible torsionally, (which is supposedly what everyone is so excited about on the Exo packs) but very stiff vertically. It absolutely will not flex in the vertical plane. The bag is wide-ish, but not very deep, so it actually keeps the load close to your body.
One huge advantage is the removeable bag and load sling. It cinches meat down well, and incidentally makes a great place to secure sheds. Probably the best design factor here is a water bladder pocket on the sling, so you can just pack meat, and still have a dedicated bladder pocket. The only downside is some difficulty in using the load sling and attaching the main bag, simultaneously.
Two years ago I bought my T1, and sold my Outdoorsman's to my new elk hunting partner, who was new to bivy hunting. He still has it and it has worked great. Packed out a 143# (weighed) load last year, no problem. He is 6'3", and the functional load lift is mediocre, but he still finds it plenty comfortable. The biggest downside of the product to me was simply the weight. Regardless of what the company claims, the pack and frame weigh 8 pounds, 1 ounce. That aside, I'm surprised this system hasn't received more positive run.
