Just wanted to thank Matt (BB) once again for the efforts in comparing these packs. Great info. Thanks for making the time to do this.
Well, maybe I shouldn't be thanking you Matt - you made me spend a lot of money! I knew I needed a new pack, but have been putting it off for some time trying to justify the price. This thread, and an awful pack out last year, finally pushed me over the edge. This should be the last pack I ever need, so maybe the money part won't hurt so much in a couple of years. Really, I think both these packs are great and are probably two of the best for doing what I wanted. In the end, there were a couple of small things that helped make my decision, as I think both packs can handle the abuse I would put them through. Thanks to Kifaru and Stone Glacier for offering product to test like this. And, again, thanks Matt (I think!).