GEAR REPORT · DURATION: 6 WEEKS · CONDITIONS: MIXED, ONE UNEXPLAINED

No sponsorship, no obligation to say it held up if it didn't. Straps first — stitching intact through three regions of terrain that had no business being that hard on hardware.

Weight distribution mattered more than total capacity. Every time.

What failed: nothing structural, but the smaller pocket zips showed wear early. Worth reinforcing before your own long haul.

What I still can't explain: the pack was lighter on the return leg than the outbound, by a consistent margin, on a scale I checked twice. I hadn't eaten or dropped anything from that pocket. Logging it here because someone else will notice the same thing eventually, and I'd rather they find this post than think they're imagining it.

◎ OPEN FOR COMPARISON. BRING YOUR OWN NUMBERS.