Glenn Hurley from United States, TN Public Profile

If you live where there's a lot of underbrush, the Kryptek fabric can make a "zipping" noise. If you can find a clear path in the woods, even if it doesn't take you in a straight line to your objective, that shouldn't be a problem.

I chose the Highlander pattern because I live in the Appalachians and no matter how much greenery there is or isn't depending upon season, there are always dead leaves on the ground. If you sit on a stand, you become almost invisible as long as you keep all of your skin covered by Kryptek Highlander pattern clothing. I'm also very happy that it can withstand at least a light rain (I have yet to test it), something else that's common here in the fall.

I'm a size Large in nearly all clothing I buy, and the fitting was spot-on for me considering that it isn't insulated and is sized just large enough to allow you one or two fairly thin layers under it. It's nicely finished and cut very comfortably. Now, the bad news:

The zippers are small and fiddly, you have to learn "the knack" of starting them if the jacket's open when you put it on - I need my reading glasses for that. The fabric is quiet while just moving around but will make "zipping" noise if you brush against small leafless branches, so it would work much better in old timber than in the brushy, timbered-out places as we have here in our National Forests in NE TN. When the leaves are on and if you typically hunt from the ground, the camo pattern is great and the limb noise shouldn't be a problem. It's sort of the price you pay for getting a nearly waterproof fabric.

Overall, though, I bought it for the camouflage pattern because no matter what season,we always have dead leaves on the ground or in piles here (mostly deciduous forest except up on the ridgetops which are mostly dead evergreens thanks to the wooly aphid) and it blends in with them perfectly. I wish I'd had this pattern and fabric years ago when I stalked deer in central-west Virginia (Shenandoah National Forest) with a longbow, keeping me close to the ground most of the time. With the matching balaclava and their lightweight gloves, this would have been perfect for that.

I would buy from Kryptek again

Good, strong Cordura-type material that's heavier than most packs in its class, good workmanship throughout the pack. Color was true to my color-adjusted monitor.I like the many pockets and the layout, that makes organizing better so you don't waste time unpacking and repacking the whole pack just to retrieve a few things. Not only is the back panel (nearest the wearer's back) nicely padded and vented, the divider between the main section and the rest of the pack is padded with what feels to be ~1/4" closed cell padding as well - this would make a great college backpack with room for a large laptop that's protected from books and other contents.

I would have rated it a 5/5 but for the waistband - if you wear larger than a 34" waist pant or dress in more than one layer, you'll need to buy a longer waistband. That shouldn't be difficult as the pack uses standard sized buckles mounted close to the pack body to attach the waistband to the pack, you'll just need a length of 2" standard nylon webbing as you can use the pack's hardware. Also, for someone 6' tall the pack isn't tall enough to attach a proper load-carrying hip belt - I'd buy a taller version of this pack as well if it came with a true hip belt.