My Badlands Pack

I have yet to do a product review on my blog. I'm not sure why. Maybe it is because I never really thought anyone would care what I thought. However, I'm feeling a little "punchy" tonight, so whether you care or not I'm going to give my opinion. I figure it is about time to give my opinion on some of the gear I use in the field. So... the first item up for review....

my Badlands Backpack

I LOVE this pack!

I purchased my pack with a hard earned bonus from work. My husband was a little jealous when I splurged on this item. I know that he has been wanting one of these badboys for himself, so I did feel a little bit guilty when I was the first one to get the goods. However, the guilt faded quickly. He did after all tell me to splurge on myself instead using my bonus to pay bills. Plus, I know he will be getting a new pack prior to our high altitude hunting adventure next summer, so all is well.

The Pros... Here are the reasons why I love my 2800 Badlands pack:

1. First, for the weight I'm able to carry on this pack, it is very easy to get around on a mountainside. I was pleased to be able to carry my heavy duty snow parka by just opening the two panels and buckling it in.
2. I loved having the H20 bladder built in so that it sits on the top of the pack. It seemed to distribute the weight well.
3. There is a built in rain shell for the pack - way cool!
4. I can carry my bow on this pack if necessary.
5. The Max-1 camo pattern matches my new GT500 bow. (I'm still working on having all matching camouflage at some point.)
6. It is built so that I can carry a quarter of an elk out if needed. However, I would be little sad to get blood on this pack. Don't worry - I would have no problems doing this when it comes down to it.
7. The padding on the inside of the frame was AWESOME! I called it my ninja turtle padding. Tell me you don't see the turtle shell resemblance...

The Cons... I have very little to complain about this product, but I will mention the few beefs I have:

1. It seems it was designed for a bit of a bigger waistline than mine. Even with the waistband fastened as tight as possible, I have quite a bit of room to breath. What does this mean? The weight isn't distributed the way it should properly be distributed. The pack sits more on my hips instead of resting on my waist / lumbar area. This resulted in my back being a bit sore. The good news is that the Badlands company has promised to adjust the straps for me at no cost. (Check out their great warranty.) Granted, there was nothing really "wrong" with the pack other than the fact that it didn't fit my frame. But they've agreed to make the adjustment at no cost. So, I will need to send off my beloved pack in the very near future so that I can get it back in time for hiking around in the mountains this spring to search for sheds.
2. Since I'm able to carry some extra weight now, I was no longer the fastest hiker in our group. (I think the guys secretly packed extra weight in my pack to slow me down.)
3. Maybe it is just me, but when hiking up an incline I am unable to look up the hill very easily with this pack on. In order to see ahead of me, I had to tilt my entire frame back from the waist. I was unable to move my neck back. I guess this is just another disadvantage of being female shorter than 6 feet tall. I've looked at the pics of other guys wearing the pack and it doesn't look like they would have this issue. Maybe there is an easy adjustment that could be made to resolve this issue. I'm open to any suggestions.

So, there you have it. I do love this pack and and am very excited to use it when we pack in at those high altitudes. I know that I will be utilizing every square inch!