GoLite VO24 pack

That was the pack (in women's)I was looking at for a new daypack and tried in vain to find one used. However, I wound up going with an Osprey Talon 22 and I like it a lot.

That isn't the one in the picture though my Osprey is about the same color. The one in the picture is my GoLite Quest, another nice pack. :-)

I've had great experience trail running and doing a couple of big day hikes with my VO24 pack. Nothing but praise for it.

I've had one for about the past year.

I really like the "shovel" pocket in the back. I also like the hipbelt pockets, BUT… I always have to wear the hipbelt attached because the pockets would get in the way of my arm swing otherwise. Also, the hipbelt sits pretty high on my stomach, which is weird (I'm a slim, athletic, not tall guy). Other gripes… The side water bottle pockets don't reliably hold a nalgene (works ok if you use the straps that pull the pack inwards to secure them, but not great). Last gripe is that the zipper isn't very smooth because it's squarish and waterproof.

Overall, I'm happy with it. But it's not perfect.

Oh, and today I used it in a river and appreciated the drain holes.

I ended up buying the VO24 and have now used it on several hikes overa total of ~60 miles and mainly in fair weather. I have mixed feelings about the pack. I love the base pack weight and the "shovel" pocket in back works well. The side pockets are convenient and well placed.

A big negative for me is the top of the pack occasionally digs into the base of my neck (I bought the large version because of my torso length measurement). I asked whether the medium version would mitigate that but was told it would simply ride higher on my hips. The waist belt already rides a bit high, so that is another slight nuisance. At 6 foot and a lean/trim 165 pounds I am having a tough time finding a pack that has waist straps that actually ride on my waist. While I'm not oddly tall, does anyone of roughly similar size have any recommendations for packs of similar size/weight (1-1.5 lbs and ~1500 ci) as the VO24? Thanks much.

Is it possible you have the shoulder straps over-tightened? Even though I'm short overall, I have a long torso and usually need to buy large-size backpacks. My VO24 never does what you're describing, but then I don't have it adjusted in the way a framed pack would be–with the top of the frame floating over my shoulders. Instead the top of the pack is a couple of inches down my back.

Take another look at Will Rietveld in his review on this very site: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/golite_vo24_backpack_review.html

See how it hangs below his shoulders? Will is a tall guy, ya know . . .