Kelty Big Bend 4950 Review

"I found this backpack at Academy for $100. This pack is in the vein of what I will refer to as Kelty's "Budget" line of packs. It is not listed on their website and little more can be found elsewhere on the net. Essentially, it is a reworking of a Kelty design similar to the Red Cloud. As the name implies, it has 4950cu. in. of space and weighs a little over 7 lbs.
Pro's
The Sleeping bag compartment is really nice and there is an optional zippered divider to make the pack a single compartment. There are many ways to lash items on to the outside of this pack with 2 built in straps that cinch down over the outside of the sleeping back compartment. The inside has a sleeve for a 2 liter water bladder with dual slits for the spout. The pack seems super durable and is very abrasion resistant (7+ lbs of material) so you don't have to worry about setting it down on rough terrain. It also has an adjustable suspension.

Con's
The padding for the shoulder and hip belt seem a bit thin for a pack this size. When I loaded it up with about 45 lbs of gear it was very uncomfortable. The pack also seems to "sag" a bit loaded down, thus pulling your center of gravity with it. Most of the time I found myself leaning forward with my head down because of this. The slits for the bladder spout are "slits" instead of the normal kelty "flaps." These openings don't open too much and made it quite difficult to fit my Kelty brand water spout through the slits on my Kelty pack, thus causing water to come out because it was "biting" on the mouthpiece as I fit it through...
Although the suspension is adjustable, it is a pain because of the size of the moveable backing (velcro), which by the way made me sweat heavily (but hey its an internal frame). It weighs 7+ lbs.

This is a good pack for a beginner on a budget who doesn't mind having sore shoulders (don't worry, I fit it correctly). It will carry all your gear very well, it just isn't that comfortable. If they padded the shoulder straps and hip belt better I would really have no major complaints...but you pay for what you get."

"I didn't find this pack very good. The positive side of things is that it was cheap and that it was an internal frame. Other than that it was a very bad pack. I will cover only a few of the cons because I can't possibly list them all. First of all, it is extremely uncomfortable and the frame stabs you in the back as you walk. Secondly, the straps are extreamly sparsely padded and dig into your shoulders and waist. Finally, I haven't put very much use into the pack and the seams are ripping out. I believe that the reason that Kelty doesn't have this pack on their website is because it is so bad. I give you fair warning save your money."