Fairly nice overall but a few basic details not in place. As the other reviewer mentioned, the opening is not always sealed against water getting inside. There are several permutations of lid extended/unextended, pack stuffed or half-full, and it only works well with some of them. The non-molded hip belt stashes quite nicely around the back when climbing, and still is reasonably comfy when worn, but the buckles don't click together sometimes (why change from a time-tested plastic buckle design?) Side compression straps come undone easily, somewhat annoying. They're also very small, along with the metal part of the top middle compression strap as well, making them annoying or hard to use with gloves on. Considering this is a pack marketed at ice climbing or winter activities, you have gloves on a lot of the time, and the thought of having to finagle the tiny metal pieces with reduced dexterity does not spark joy. I feel 10 more grams of metal buckle weight would increase the usability 3x.
The crampon pocket is great, and even better for snacks when crampons are on or with no crampons. Hip belt pockets are theoretically nice, though I haven't found enough use for them yet since they're on the smaller side. Side compression straps work decently well when climbing with a half-full pack. Plus points for load lifters. "Pockets" for avy gear are reasonably sleek without adding too much for when you're going without. The pack carries weight nicely, just enough curvature in the frame for some airflow, but not enough that it affects performance.
It's harder to quantify, but I feel like the pack "sways" a lot (like if you turn to the side quickly), even with the straps tightened, compared to other backpacks. If you're moving slowly it's fine, but any quick movements on the z axis with the pack on are a bit more jarring.
And some preferences more on the personal side: 1) the orange is too flashy of a hunter's orange and 2) I don't have a ton of confidence that the exterior fabric will last a long time. We will see. But I would gladly take a slightly more durable fabric in exchange for a bit more weight. I know it's an ultralight pack, but the fabric doesn't necessarily spark joy.
Overall works well for a pack of this size, and the hyper-specific (climbing, skiing) features are well thought out. Just more that the basic "backpack" features seem to have been overlooked in the process. I would look forward to a second, revised version.
