Kelty Redwing

This pack is great for its intended purposes. I especially like the small side pockets, which are extremely useful for my sunglasses and camera. I also like the padded back and the generously padded hip belt, which makes long days much easier. I have never experienced an uncomfortable back or shoulders while wearing this pack. I also like the two side water bottle holders, which are very useful during the warmer months. For the winter months, the built in hydration bladder compartment works great! The carabiner loops and ice axe loop put the finishing touches on this tough pack. If there's one thing I don't like about it, it's this: the weight. Weight is one price you pay for a framed pack, though. I paid $100, but I've seen it on sale as low as $70.

I bought my Kelty Redwing pack about 4 years ago - on sale at Sierra Trading Post! I bought it mainly to use as a winter day pack but I've also used it on ultralight overnight backpacking trips. I love that it's hydration compatible and has lots of pockets for organization.

A decent pack I bought originally for backpacking around Europe. It's front loading so it's easy to pack and find your stuff. For overnight or short backpacking trips it's a pretty decent pack. For general mountaineering it's not great though. Without a piece of webbing the ice axe loop is useless. Pickets will chew up the pockets on the side. If you use the pockets for nalgenes, they're near impossible to get to while wearing the pack. If the pack is loaded and you have a nalgene in the pocket, it's possible for the nalgene to pop out as I found out the hard way. I lost a nalgene to a crevasse due to it popping out of the pocket and then rolling away.

For normal usage though, it's pretty good. Aside from the nalgene pockets it's a pretty rugged pack that withstands a decent amount of abuse. For the price, it's hard to beat.

i love my redwing (a 2650) it performs what i ask of it (which is not mor than it can handle) and you could hardly find a better value. honestly, i have no real complaints about it because i intentionally got the smaller size (i think it comes in like 3100 too) so i could also use it to haul books at school. i grab this pack any time i am going on a daylong adventure or overnight trip anywhere. it has some serious gear-swallowing power!

The Kelty Redwing has well designed, curved shoulder straps and a two layer hip belt that fit the body well. There are also different sizes to chose from for a fit that works with your body type. Even heavier loads are comfortable with this pack's strapping system. The generous back and hip pads are generously padded and lilned with moisture wicking Spacermesh. While adding weight, the frame adds versitility, and is stiffer and lighter than comparable internal frame daypacks. There are convenient pockets on the side for sunglasses, camera, or other small items, while the larger pockets are idea for guide books, maps, or miscellaneous items. The carabiner loops and ice axe loops are very useful as well. The zippers on the pack are heavy duty, built to last through years of abuse. Finally, the shell of the pack is constructed of rugged nylon Kodra construction that will rests tearing and abrasions encountered while hiking and climbing.

Has large capacity for hiking and is very comfortable. Convenient side pockets and hydration bladder holder.

I got this pack on sale for a little over $50 to use as a weekend backpacking, hiking, and mountaineering pack. For the money, it's a nice pack and it's been very durable and abrasion resistant.
The outer side pockets are great for storing longer items, like tent poles and stakes and it's roomy enough to fit a lot of gear in.
The hipbelt and straps are surprisingly comfortable when they're adjusted right and the pack isn't overloaded. They do get pretty sweaty and the backpanel, though it is a moisture wicking and channelled material, still keeps in a lot of heat and moisture. After a few hours of climbing they can get pretty nasty.
Though the daisy chain loops on the back seem useful, I've never had occasion to use them, mostly because when I've lashed gear to them it flops around too much, no matter how tightly I've got it in there. If there were two daisy chains running parallel then it would balance out much better, but as it is, I've only had success with small, lightweight items.
I really like this pack, it's been great and done its job well. Kelty products have always given me great bang for my buck, though they are on the heavy side. I got a pair of Osprey packs to replace this one in my outdoor gear closet and have relegated it to hauling books and other humdrum tasks.