a nice upgrade!
i am coming from a waymark mile 28. this bag was _the_ bag for me, having my gear dialed in for the trips i take (3-4 nights typically). last year, i was looking at trying something new and different. i was losing my backpacking "spark" if you wanna call it that, and i figured trying new gear items would bring back that inspiration i had previously.
given the political climate and all of the BS that is happening south of our border, i decided this year that i was going to support a fellow Canadian company (my other choice was the Evolved Ranger backpack since it is very close to the Mile 28). i am glad that i did. i was already familiar with the support Durston gave to its customers (potential, new, and exising) as well. i compared the Wapta 30 to the Mile 28 in most aspects and ended up ordering a size SM torso. i orderded the Wapta 30 with no hip belt (baseweight is under 10lbs). when i received the backpack and tried it on, it was a tad too small for me. Dan was like "hey no problem, we got you" and set up a return for me, in exchange for a size M torso variant. i asked him several questions and he helped me understand torso sizing and its relationship to other components of the backpack.
i finally was able to put the bag through its paces. wow, i cant believe how comfortable the shoulder straps are. and the back having some padding, prevented huge pools of sweat from forming on my lower back. cool! the Mile 28, while also very comfortable, did not have this padding and so, my lower back would be wet all of the time. while i was on trail, i was picking up garbage from other hikers, and storing it all in the bottom pocket of the backpack. hell yeah, what a great feature to have. i was able to reach for my water bottle and stow it away while on the go without having to take the backpack off.
i really like how large the shoulder strap pockets are, and that they are integrated with the straps. i purchased my Mile 28 with 1 shoulder strap pocket. it has worked out for me, but having 2 of these pockets is a nice feature. the 2 side pockets on the backpack are also very large, being able to store many items inside (2 smartwater bottles, water socks, filter, mio electrolyte mix; i could have put a few more things inside likely), as well as the front pocket. i was talking to myself comparing the sizes of the main compartments for each bag. the Wapta 30 offers more internal volume in comparison, while still offering extra room in the external pockets.
overall, i am excited to take it out on some more trips this year. i am glad i decided to purchase the Wapta 30, and i finally get the Durston hype when it comes to support. cool product, Dan! you and your team did very good :).
