Mountainsmith Circuit 5400 Pack

Does anybody have any experience with pack? I'm looking for a bigger pack for winter overnights,and this looks like a steal for under $90.00 at Campmor. Will this work for me?

Can't vouch for the Circuit 5400, but I've got an older Mountainsmith (Crestone?), and it's a great pack. Pretty much bombproof. Mine has about a million adjustments and it took a while to get it dialed in, but it carries a big load very comfortably. My biggest complaint is that it's only got one huge compartment, which makes organization a problem.

KayakDan,

I ordered that VERY pack from Campmor not more than two years ago and used it on a couple of hikes. I HATED IT!!! The waste belt was terribly designed, it would often loosen and the buckle would come apart. It was terribly uncomfortable with heavy loads (about 40 pounds-definately below full capacity) and had a less-than-well-designed suspension and shoulder strap system. Others may have better experience with this product but not me. I sent it back to Campmor and received full credit (minus shipping) for the return. (Gotta love Campmor-that's why I keep going back to them for certain stuff!)

I own other Mountainsmith products (including a 2600 ci pack that's about 13 years old) and believe that they make good gear. My old pack, like Oldsmores' is bombproof (but no longer waterproof) and I love it for day hikes. Very well designed. In the case of this pack though, I recommend you look elsewhere. You get what you pay for in this pack. And it ain't much IMHO.

Fred,thanks for the info. It just sounded too good to be true.

I've got a Mountainsmith Auspex 4200 that I've only used about a half-dozen times in the Catskills and the Shawangunks. So far it's been pretty solid, except for the waist belt sometimes loosening, the same problem that Dead Fred mentioned. This is indeed a lousy thing to deal with when it's fully loaded. This thread reminded me that I want to monkey around with the straps when I'm not out on a cold trail. I wonder if this waist belt problem is common to Mountainsmith packs. Like I said, other than this, it's a fine piece of gear.

Matt

Update on the belt on my Auspex. I adjusted the two "Delta" straps, which pull the whole belt closer to the pack. This seems to have solved the problem, although I've only tried it on and haven't tested it hiking yet.

Matt