Dave, thanks for the heads up on ETA. I spent a few hours late into the night reading posts about the divide pack. I deliberated between alpine grey and expedition olive. The paranoia in me decided on the x42 fabric. I prefer grey over green but I think the 3oz bump for durability will be worth it. And this is just my opinion but if there is a slightly darker grey for use on future packs in the X21 fabric- I would prefer that.
I wasn’t disappointed by the BT-2 which I bought based on your review, so I am sure I will enjoy this pack a lot. I think the capacity and form factor will be a bit large for short weekend trips that I do but the extra comfort and ease of use over a lightly framed pack will be welcome. My first pack was a frameless MLD Expdus followed by an Exodus with a carbon stay/inflatable pad and now I have an MLD prophet with upgraded suspension. Lightweight and Spartan but I am definitely feeling a lot on my shoulders especially for dry hikes. And I can get flustered by needing too pack very methodically with a minimal frame. The Divide will allow me to keep a bag ready to go and loosely stuffed and capapable of heavy water loads during summer here in SoCal.
I just want to throw out that every time I’ve contacted seek outside they always seem eager to help- they never seem annoyed or busy- even though they probably are. :) Although, I’ve never gotten bad customer service from any other cottage outfit sometimes the enthusiasm is neutral.
I am happy to support Seek Outside and it’s a brand with a philosophy of use I can connect with.