I took an Osprey Stratos on my section hike of the Appalachian Trail last year and weighed in at 39.8 lbs. fully loaded, pack and all. The pack did well considering the weight I was carrying, but I wanted to shed weight in various areas, including pack, without sacrificing comfort and load carrying ability so I’d be able to enjoy the hike even more. I also wanted something a little more water resistant. This pack is about 10oz lighter than my Osprey and and doesn’t sacrifice in the comfort/durability area as some of the UL packs do. It was between this one and the Hyperlite Southwest 3400. I chose this pack after a lot of analysis, even though it’s a little heavier because the features like the back padding and big side pockets. I was also considering the Zpacks Arc Blast and Arc Haul, but they did not seem as durable or like they’d be as comfortable with a heavier load. I took it out with about 20lbs of gear and it carried very well. It’ll have about 8-10 more lbs loaded on my section hike once my clothing and some miscellaneous stuff is added, but I suspect it will carry well given the feel of it with a 20lb load. The roll down top and sides can be secured and tightened to obtain a really secure and compact fit that hugs the body well. The roll down top is massive...could easily put almost double the gear I’ll be carrying if I filled it up. Not that I want to do that, but I wanted a pack that had the extra capacity, if needed, as I anticipate taking my son with me in the future and will need the ability to carry some of his supplies. The pack took a little while to adjust and get dialed in. The instructions definitely helped with that. If ordering, I’d advise doing so about a month before your hike. With these packs being custom made to order, you’ll need to build in 1-2 weeks from time of order to receiving the pack and having enough time to get it dialed in and take out on a few hikes prior.