Not the Cheapest, Not the Most Expensive, but Still the Best for Me

This week, I'm going to tell you about the backpack that I use most often these days.  It's the Teton Sports Summit 1500.  It's one that I saw perusing the interwebs while just looking to see what might be out there.  To me, it looked like it would be a good pack.  When I initially tried to order one, they were out of stock everywhere and the Teton Sports website was backordering them.  I eventually ordered one because I really liked what I was seeing.  Then I made the mistake of hitting YouTube for reviews.  By and large, folks on the Tube of You don't like this backpack, and they don't like it for (what I think are) stupid reasons.  But I digress.

Also, once again, full disclosure.  Most of the pics of this pack are ripped from the Teton Sports website.  You'll know the one that I took.

I had started thinking about getting another day pack mostly because I realized that with what I usually carried, if I pulled my sweatshirt or jacket off and put it in, there was no room for anything else.  So, if I was doing a long hike and carrying, say, a lunch, I didn't really have room for my jacket.  If I stuffed my jacket in, the pack had no room for anything extra.  So I started keeping an eye out for a pack that was a little bigger.

Enter the Teton Sports Summit 1500.  It's a 25L pack.  It holds a 3L water bag.  It has 5 zippered pockets, including a couple that are in the lid.  It's more narrow than a lot of daypacks I've seen, but it's taller.  It also has a rain cover stashed in the bottom.  So what are the features?

It has one big main compartment.  No interior pockets or dividers except the sleeve on the back wall for the water bladder.  It has a double draw-string closure that then clips closed.  So, whatever you put in that compartment is going to be pretty well secured.  It's not going to accidentally fall out.  

On the face of the pack is a zipper that runs up almost the entire height of the pack.  Inside that zipper is a shallow pocket that runs the width of the bag.  I have found it perfect for trail maps, those brochure-sized ID cards, and the little notebook that I carry when I hike.

On the sides are the usual 2 mesh pockets that fit water bottles pretty well, and there are also 2 zipper pockets at the top that zip about half way down the pack.  I've never tried to stuff these full, but have found that one is the perfect size for a bandana or small towel or gloves or things like that.  The one on the other side is where I put my snacks.

There are 2 zipper pockets in the lid, one is on the inside of the lid, and the other is on the outside.  The one on the inside seems like a good spot for all those little misc. items that I occasionally want, but (1) don't need often enough to put in an outside pocket or (2) don't want to have to dig around in the bottom of the main pocket to find.  The one on the outside is where I stash my little trail first aid kit as well as wallet, keys, and stuff like that.

On the bottom it has trekking pole loops and on the top it has straps to strap something down.  The loops are where my trekking poles live when I'm not using them.  The straps work really well for my butt pad.  As with the other pack, I have added a couple of grimlocks (plastic D-rings) and some shock cord.

The pack has those 2 cinch straps on each side, 2 cinch straps on the front for that tall zipper pocket, 2 more for the lid, and the 2 straps on top to cinch something down onto the top of the pack.  In total, that's 8 straps on the pack.  In fact, there was one vid that I watched after I bought the pack but before I had it in hand.  The reviewer in question was complaining about "too many straps.  You can't do anything on the pack without having to move straps around."

You can see in the pic above all the straps.  Yes, there are lot.  However, I don't think it's too many, and I don't think they get in the way all the time.  Most of them have an elastic band on them to tuck the unused portion of the strap back onto itself to keep it tamed.  I tuck the excess of the lid straps into the side mesh pockets, and the excess for the tie-down straps on top I have tied into a loop that keeps them up by the lid.  I really like the fact that I can cinch the pack down as much as I can.

The pack has comfortable straps...once you get used to them.  The first time I wore the pack, my shoulders were super tired.  I couldn't figure out why.  The next time I went hiking with it, I did just the opposite of what I thought I should do, and I loosened the shoulder straps up.  That seemed to fix it.  It's been super comfortable ever since.

The hip belt rides a little higher than I like, but it's tall enough that it does still carry some weight.  Not that the pack is big enough to really need to carry weight, but it's nice that it does.  On a pack as small as this one, I would expect that the hip belt is primarily to secure the pack to your back a little better.  I've also added a couple of hip belt bags and hang my bear spray off the hip belt.  And, yes, I know that there are no bears in my part of the country, but I carry it for hogs.  The hogs down here are prolific and ill-tempered.

The back has that upside down T thing going on to help with ventilation on your back.  The H2O port comes out on the right side (when you wear it) just under the lid.  The sternum strap clip doubles as an emergency whistle if that is something you like your pack to have.  The back does have an internal frame of some sort and is non-adjustable, but the straps adjust enough that, for a small pack, it all seems to work together to be comfortable.

There are a couple of things that I immediately changed on the pack.  You can see in the pic just above that it comes with ice axe (I think is what that is) straps.  I guess that makes the trekking pole loops to officially be axe loops.  I've never actually even seen an ice axe, so I thought it fitting to pull those straps off and put shock cord straps on in place of them.  That's how I secure my trekking poles now.

I, also, didn't like that there were no hip belt pockets.  I'm still trying to find the perfect attaching pockets, and have been through several, but am still on that quest.  I got some from Alps Mountaineering that I used for a while.  They weren't bad, but I wanted to put a small pair of binocs in one, so I am currently using a set I bought off of Amazon.  The ones I got I think are sold primarily to the survivalist crowd and probably usually attach to their bug-out bags, but they're working pretty well at the moment.

Other than those 2 things, for me, this is about the perfect day pack.  It holds what I need, and it offers plenty of room to stow a jacket while still leaving a little room to carry something else if I want (like lunch or a book to sit and read along the trail).  I love this little pack.  It's built extremely well.  It has plenty of room for short and long hikes.  And in the world of backpacks, at $60, it's pretty dang economical.  In my opinion, not only could you not go wrong with this bag, but it's the best one out there right now.

I like this pack enough that Teton makes an almost identical pack (the Summit 2800) that is 45L and gray instead of orange, and I got it for camping.  It's pretty much the same, only bigger.  It, also, on the bottom has an extra pocket for a sleeping bag.  That sleeping bag pocket opens up to the main pack using a drawstring closure.  So you can make the main pocket one big  open pocket or one not quite so big pocket with the sleeping bag compartment underneath it.  Also, the sleeping bag compartment is accessible from the outside.  Other than those things, honestly, it's just a bigger version of the orange one.

Teton Sports seems to make a lot of good products that are quality without having to pay the premium associated with some of the high end brands.  In addition to these two packs, my wife uses their Scout 3400 pack when we go camping or backpacking.  I've also got one of their pop-up tents and their sleeping bag liners.  Everything I've gotten from them seems to be good quality and built to last.  In addition, I've talked to their customer service reps on several occasions, and they've all been super helpful and friendly.  I'm, honestly, surprised that I don't see more reviews on Teton Sports and more people using their products.  If you need quality equipment on a budget, be sure to give them a look.  In my opinion, bang for the buck, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better.