The North Face Crestone 75

[best mobility]

With a tall, narrow packbag and svelte shoulder straps and hipbelt, this pack excelled when testers needed maximum freedom of motion—like when stemming through slot canyons in Utah. “I carried about 35 pounds through some tight squeezes,” says one tester. “Arm movement was excellent and I could stand up straight, even with a full load.”

A stiffened backpanel surrounded by an aluminum frame effectively transfers weight to the dual-density hipbelt (with firmer foam outside for structure, and cushy foam inside for comfort). Unlike stripped-down climbing packs, it has ski, pole, and gear-racking loops, sleeping pad straps, daisy chains, and even a detachable camera/GPS pocket. “Gear swapping was a breeze,” wrote one tester after toy-intensive winter hikes in the Smokies. Caution: Don’t overload it; stability suffers if you max out the extendable top lidMolded E-VAP™ foam back panel + Unique dual-pivot hipbelt evenly spreads load + V stays suspension
system + Top loading + Adjustable torso length with interchangeable hipbelt + Hipbelt fit zone locates hipbelt
on proper place on body + Side access to main compartment + Trampoline sleeping bag divider + Side
compression straps with Hypalon® distribution wings + Load lifters pull directly from the tops of the stays
+ Adjustable sternum strap with Safe-T whistle + Removable, floating hood with internal mesh zip pocket
+ Internal vertical compression strap + Zippered sleeping bag compartment + Bottom compression straps
+ Center daisy chain and tool loop + Hydration sleeve + Ski slots + Trekking-pole loops + Dual access side
water-bottle stretch woven pockets