TETON Sports Explorer Internal Frame Backpack with Rain Cover

No dislikes. The price was great. It’s exactly what I wanted.

Weight compares to most 75L backpacks. If you want a lighter pack its going to cost much more. Backpack arrived with a torso setting for XL. My torso length is 23″. I reset backpack to M = medium. Fits great now. Added 30 lbs. and started working on the other four adjustments. Waist/hip straps, shoulder straps/ pack to shoulder straps, and the small strap attached between the shoulder straps. I moved this one down about three inches with the strap fully out. I hang my phone and rag on this strap.

I am now training for a long hike. 3 to 6 miles daily with 45 lbs. added to pack. 50 lbs total. I make adjustments as I hike for comfort. Pack has plenty of internal space including internal pocket for water bladder. Plenty of outside pockets, straps, and tie off points on the pack and on the shoulder straps. I’ve hiked 36 mile so far this month. The pack feels great.

I’ve read were some people did not get the rain cover for the pack. It is hard to find if you do not know where to look. Its located in the very bottom of the pack on the outside. Velcro opening that looks like a seam. Almost hidden but that is the rain cover storage pocket. Very hard to open if pack is full. If you expect rain, put the cover in a better pocket or just cover the pack with it.

This is not a day pack or weekend pack but can be used as one. This is a good multi-day multi-mile backpack and built to carry what you will need. With this in mind, the pack does not come with a backup buckle for the waist strap. Its plastic and could break. I’ve already gotten one. Easy to replace but a bad day if you don’t have a backup.

I hope you find this helpful. Happy trails to you all….

Teton Sports Explorer 85L

THE GOOD
*Price
*Lots of Pockets
*Quality
*Decent Comfort (when packed with heavier weight lower down)
*85L is the right size for my needs
*Included rain cover

THE BAD
*Sweat Buildup where the pads touch your back
*Mesh pockets not very easy to get Nalgene bottle into while on the move
*Could use more height adjustment on the shoulder straps
*Not much color choice on the 85L size

CONCLUSION
I highly recommend this pack. While there are a few things that could use improvement, on the whole, I don’t think there is a better combo of price/features/performance out there. Read on for details.

I thought pockets on packs had gone extinct. Thank you Teton Sports for continuing to make a backpack with external pockets for keeping me organized and keeping my important gear easily at hand instead of having to dig into the middle of the pack to find my raincoat/toilet paper/map/battery/flashlight/camera/water filter/etc./etc.! ALL of the major outdoor gear makers are moving towards packs that have 1 big compartment and that’s it. Or maybe they have one token pocket in the lid. Like they think we are all ultralighters and will pass up a product because they added 4 oz. to it for pockets and zippers. What’s crazy is many of these minimalist packs are heavier than the Explorer 85L *cough*cough Aether 85L *cough. So, you give up convenience AND still get a heavier pack all for 3 times the cost of the Explorer 85L

I am replacing an Osprey Atmos 65 AG that was comfortable but often too small for all the gear/food/clothes I wanted to bring with me on a trip. Because I wanted an array of pockets, this Teton Sports pack was about the only one left on the market that met my needs at any price. It is fantastic that it is relatively inexpensive too. There were a few others with pockets on Amazon, but none from any company I recognize. Teton Sports has been on Amazon for a while and at least has a legit website and looks like a good company, so I decided to take a chance on this pack. The 85L size of the Explorer is great so far. I’ve taken 2 trips with it and just finished packing for a 3rd and haven’t filled it to capacity yet. It is nice to know I have space left if I need it, like for more food on a longer trip or bulkier clothes for a Winter trip.

The quality of the Explorer appears to be good so far. Everything felt solid and the buckles didn’t feel like they were in danger of breaking when cinched down tightly. Comfort while hiking was decent, though the Atmos was a bit more comfortable, particularly the mesh back that reduces sweat build up. The pads that contact your back on the Explorer trap sweat and soaked my shirt. You really notice it when you take your pack off for a break and the back of your short becomes freezing from the wet/evaporation. But most packs have this problem- the Atmos AG was an outperformer in this area. At first, the pack felt like it was pulling me over backwards. I moved stuff around and put my heavy bear canister filled with food in the sleeping bag compartment and my lighter sleeping back in the main compartment and that fixed the pulling backwards problem. This pack likes the heavier stuff down low.

I found the shoulder straps tended to sit too low, even on the XL setting. I’m not that big (5’10”) so was a bit surprised by that. I was able to move the height adjustment up past the XL by utilizing less of the adjustment loops and got the pack comfortable. I don’t think it was designed to be used that way, but it works and was comfortable for me.

There are a couple of other nice touches on this pack. The outside pockets have pass-throughs behind them that let you slide trekking poles or tent poles behind them for easy, secure packing. Also, the hip belt pockets have velcro at the bottom that lets you flip them up so you can put the tails from the hip belt behind them and not have them hanging down and flopping around. This is much better than the Osprey where you have to try to push the strap through to tuck it away.
 
There are a couple other areas that could be improved on this pack. Minor nits to pick, not any deal breakers. First, the lid can’t be pulled down enough when the pack is lightly loaded to cover all of the top opening. It leaves a little gap near your neck where water can get it. Second, I like to put my Nalgene bottles in the mesh pockets. While they are angled slightly towards you, it is still a little awkward to get them out and back in while on the move. Teton Sports Designers: check out how Osprey does their pockets with top entry or front entry. They are much easier to use this way.

In conclusion, I was thrilled to find this pack that met my needs at a good price. Despite Teton Sports gear not being featured in my usual gear mags and review websites I turn to for opinions, I am impressed with the quality of this pack and highly recommend it.

Finally a bag with pockets. Enouph room to fit a 67 Volkswagen beatle.

**Update 11/9/2018**
The more I get to use this pack the more I like it. The stays are easily shaped to your back (aluminum I believe) and hold that shape well. I have since swapped out my 40 degree bag for a 20 degree mummy style bag. That DID take the ENTIRE bag compartment, and in turn I had to move all my other gear around and pack it differently. Still to me a non issue. I have it loaded (full weight including food and water) to about 35 pounds. That is including a few luxury items. The weight rides great, and even with the tent strapped to the outside it feels OK to me. Again like someone else mentioned, its really in how you pack your bag. The torso adjustment is easy to figure out (its just a hook and loop system) and it stays in place when you get it done where you want it.

If I had to say anything that I am not a fan of, it would have to be the pockets on the sides. At first I liked having pockets split up for organization purposes but now, it seems to be more….fiddly… for lack of a better term. Right now I just use the lower of the two pockets to hold a couple of water bags collapsed. Also maybe the inclusion of some belt pockets would be cool, but for the cost of this model I still love it.

Still I think you can’t go wrong with a pack like this.

Original review below

Grab a drink this review is a bit lengthy.

I want to start with how AWESOME Teton sports customer service is. When my bag arrived it had a tear on the shoulder straps/yoke-harness. It was right where the height adjustment was located. I contacted Teton about a day after I received the pack and had a chance to inspect it. That was on a weekend. At the beginning of the week I heard back from them requesting just a bit more info and within a week or so I received a new shoulder strap. Things happen, that could have been just a simple oversight. The rest of the pack was rock solid. Now speaking of the pack…
This pack is awesome. I got this so I could stop relying on a generic “3 day pack”; that I used for overnight camping without much hiking and that was good for the money, but had its fair share of fit and finish issues. Plus weight distribution was just terrible. No frame and I could tell it just wasn’t going to be anything I wanted to carry on any future serious hike. This pack on the other hand is great. Holds an amazing amount of supplies, and the sleeping bag area fits my 40 degree bag (really, really, really scrunched up -probably not good for the filling, oh well) a camp pillow, a bag liner, a medium size first aid kit that has more heavy use/major injury stuff (my boo boo kit is in my pocket), a small Gerber Gorge folding shovel, and tent stakes.

The weight distribution with this pack and a lot of packs this style ultimately depends on how you pack your bag. However with the two frame rods supporting the back, and the design packing this thing and feeling balanced is easy. I have 2-3 days worth of food and 3.5 liters of water in it and the pouches along with a 2 person backpacking tent, a change of clothes, and other small items that I wanted to add. I still have enough space to stuff a rain coat if I wanted to, or more food. I have it weighing in around 35 pounds (including water and food). It fits fantastic, rides fantastic, and overall impresses the heck outta me.

I want to say that this is my first true hiking backpack, but I am pleased with it. Plus at the price……its a freaking steal.