New pack for hiking

Got a Molle Gen II pack the other day. This pack came with poly frame, main compartment, sleeping bag carrier(2nd bag) and a radio pouch.
I must say, I am impressed with the upgrades from the old Alice system packs I used before getting this pack. Much more adjustment in the shoulder straps, much more comfort overall wearing it.
The pack even has side adjustments to collapse the main compartment for carrying smaller loads.
will get some pics up soon. I have yet to test it on a longer hike, probably sometime in feb, during our annual winter camp out.:smile:

Those packs are great. Are you going to be using the external frame for it? What exactly was improved over the old MOLLE design?

I considered going mil-surp for backpacking equipment but I've found the supplies tend to weigh too much for me personally. I've got one of these:
ULA Catalyst
It only weighs four pounds (51 oz with my personal additions) and I've trucked 45 pounds over 20 miles with it. Though for sheer damned durability, I don't think you can beat an ALICE pack. I don't know your backpacking habits, but I do some thru-hikes so I need somethin that huals a little more and is more comfortable. I'm heading here in May:
Tahoe Rim Trail
Doin the whole 165 miles. Too bad it's mostly in the People's Republic of Kalifornia... Won't be able to bring along my favorite multi-tool. LOL

not sure what differences since gen Molle. I typically will do week end hikes. Winter of course calls for more gear. I am going with the frame.
I like the options of taking off or reconfiguring the pack to suit the hike. Fall and spring hikes require less gear, and summer trips are usually super light as far a weight/gear.

Yeah - good point about being able to remove parts of the gear. Looks like a solid choice, man! Enjoy!

thanks, bravosix, after years of hiking with an Alice pack(med or lrg0 I decided, comfort should be a factor. Also the alice seemed to much weight out away from the frame.
I sure don't do 100 mile hikes though. Prob. 8-10 miles in a 2 day hike seems to be a good pace, along with some exploring of new areas.

Nevermind.

(Do be careful with the polymer frames...they didn't end up being as strong/flexible as advertised, hence the move to the newer USMC Arcteryx-designed pack with internal frame. Probably won't be throwing it off a 5-ton or hanging it off an amtrak, but still...)

being in michigan, be careful "abusing" it heavily in cold weather. part of the problem with the gen I frames was their susceptibility to brittleness in cold weather -- obviously more so than they were supposed to be. other than that, they do the job just fine and are a great choice!

Is there a difference between gen I and II frames?