I bought an Aquilo Pack in 2013. I had put a lot of miles on it so I decided to get the new Aquilo Pack. I'm glad I did, the hip belt and shoulder straps are a lot thicker thus more comfortable. The suspension has been completely redesigned. All of the new features made the 35 lbs on my back a breeze to carry. The new Aquilo has the same number of outside pockets/straps, but it can hold more volume. There is plenty of space for packing anything you will need on the trail. Mathew is very helpful and can help you with measurements so you pack will fit perfectly. I highly recommend this pack

I had reached a point in my hiking experiance that I wanted something lighter and better quality...and made in the USA! Really it is! I called Matt...yes a person...when you call the number you get to talk to a real human being about your pack and tell them what you want....Matt was full of suggestions and they all make sense...great selection of fabrics, colors, pockets, durability, LIGHTWEIGHT fabrics, waterproof fabrics...whatever you want they can make...I explained to Matt what I wanted...he built it and it's exactly what I wanted...no complaints...if you interested in a high quality lightweight pack...here is the place to shop

May 2016. I am an experienced backpacker and normally do four to five trips a year. I have now used my Aquilo pack for both a base camp backpack and a three day, forty mile, thru hike. It has met and exceeded all my expectations. I did a tremendous amount of research beforehand. I wanted a pack that was lightweight but could accomodate a bearikade weekender bear canister as well as my gear for an upcoming three week, 200 mile, John Muir Trail hike. I trialed five or six packs of similar size and weight, but this one is by far the most comfortable. It truly swallows the bear canister with room to spare. I love the tall exterior pockets. I use one for my hydration system which allows me easy access for refills. I would buy this pack again in a heartbeat. I purchased both a small, and a large, hip belt pocket. I will be replacing the small with a second large one... or see if Matthew can replace both with even larger ones. They do run small compared to my previous packs.

I bought this pack last year (2015). I was using a ULA Catalyst (4 years, 300+ miles hiked with it) that was a little too short (medium torso length for a 6'-3" person) which resulted in trap bruises. I was going to order a large Catalyst when I read about the EH Aquilo. I really liked the Catalyst, it was comfortable, plenty of room, huge hip belt pockets so I was concerned that the Aquilo would not be on the same level of the Catalyst regarding comfort and room. Well, I contacted Matthew, followed his suggestions and order the pack. When I received it, everything was perfect. Construction, fit, room, comfort--except that the hip pockets were a little small for me. I contacted Matthew and he said that the hip belt pockets were removable and that he could make me a larger pair. He did, I put them on, and the pack,was now perfect. I just got back from thru-hiking the Foothills Trail in SC (taking a break from the AT since the movie just came out!) 76 miles in 4 days and I had no pack-related issues (this is a first). No shoulder strap issues (weight transferred beautifully to my hips). By the 3rd day my wife got tired of hearing how great the pack was, 25-28 lb load and this pack carries like a dream.

I got in contact with Matthew to purchase this pack just a month before heading out on an AT section hike when it became clear that I wasn't going to be able to pare down any more weight without replacing my previous pack (which I loved). Let me tell you - best decision ever. Matthew was not only able to deliver the pack in time, but before he even started spent time getting to know my needs and going through pack fit and accessory options. The pack was delivered a week before I started walking so other than packing and repacking it several times I hadn't put any miles on it when I started off from Springer Mountain. From the start, I loved not only the fit (never once uncomfortable throughout the month long trip) but also the weight distribution and lower center of gravity from my other pack. I was pushing the limit weight wise at the start (too much food!) at about 36 lbs fully loaded, including my BV450 bear canister but there was still plenty of room for everything, and carrying the bulk of that weight lower and across the hips meant no problem at all. The pack is sleek - no problems with hangups on brush or branches while walking the "green tunnel". I especially liked the roomy exterior rear pocket - several mornings I had to roll up a wet (or frozen) tent but it was no problem placing it in the rear pocket along with my sleeping pad, away from my other gear. In fact, the external pockets are laid out so well and roomy enough that I was able to pack everything I needed during the day in them for easy access - food for the day, stove, water purification, rain jacket, fleece, etc. All there and easily accessible. Overall, this is an excellent product - well made, well thought-out, and as I said before, comfortable even after a long day of hiking. As an aside, a month in the woods and still looks brand new - unscathed by normal wear and tear nor the couple of tumbles I took! Thanks for putting out a quality, functional, and American-made product!