Hello dear forumites,
Today, after a sufficent period of testing, I would like to introduce to you my currently most favourite backpack, the Tarahumara by Hill People Gear, a company from Grand Junction, Colorado, whose product designs refreshingly have the purpose not only to appeal to soldiers, but are also expressly dedicated to hunters, hikers, archers, scouts or trailrunners. To say it short: Everyone who loves to spend excessive time outdoors and moves a lot.
Following this somewhat "civilized" aproach, their products come nevertheless in subdued (or "tactical") colors or even multicam, but most of them without attributes commonly considered "tactical", like molle-loops or large/multiple velcro applications which I often find to attract unneccessary attention in normal everyday use. The gear itself is made by First Spear in outstanding quality.
The whole concept of having rather civilian-looking packs and gear made from tough materials and crafted in a quality you would otherwise exclusively see on military purpose only - products appealed to me for a while then. The modular designs and multiple combination possibilities also. You can certainly see that someone must have spent lots of thoughts on them, which I assume to be the reason why HPG's product range appears still manageable. So I used the opportunity to have the Tarahumara sent to my vacation-address during my stay in the US last June/July.
I can only pronounce the friendly mail contact I had with Joe Hayes of the HPG-team. He alway responded promptly to my requests like processing or shipment status (the notification somehow dissapeared in my spam-filter) and other things.
Shipment to Virginia was rather quick and after assembling, my little, spotted travel companion had to take a look at it, of course (the harness and the pack itself come out of the box separated). First thing i noticed was the astonishingly low weight and what have to be the broadest shoulder straps I ever saw on a backpack.
Next day: field testing on a hike in Shenandoah National Park. Of course I had to pick the highest mountain around to rush up - the Hawksbill. You can see how snugly the harness fits around my shoulders.
The backpack under daylight: As far as i remember, I had it packed with only the most necessary items: A small towel, a 32 oz Nalgene, two 16 oz bottles of water, the cow, an emergency bandage and a small zipper pouch with other loose items like pen, moleskine notebook, aspirine etc. and other things i don't want to have in my pant's pockets while hiking or scrambling like keys, spectacles case, wallet...
And now to the latest pics. I had the idea to pack as much as possible into the "Tara" to be sufficiently outfitted for a few days of travelling. Additionally a soft shell jacket (which you could addingly protect from dirt or humidity by stuffing it into a plastig bag or similar) - two ways to attach it to the Tarahumara shown here. As you can see on the third pic, the padding bulbs only slightly towards the back and is still comfortable to wear.
The harness - attachment seen from above. The excess loops help you to strap the Tarahumara as a compression pack onto a larger, maybe framed backpack. The closer you pull the pack towards the harness, the higher it rides on your back and the more comfortable it is to wear, at least that's my impression. From there you can simply use the normal shoulder straps to regulate height and comfort.
The sternum straps are variable in height and safe from slipping up or down. The straps should have sufficient length to fit most customers, but thoughts of wearing thicker insulating jackets or the like are certainly respected, too.
Behind the padding you have one open compartment, suitable for a hydration bladder or, as HPG suggests, even to carry a gun. As for myself, I normally use it for maps or documents that I need to access more often.
The main compartment has no subdivisions, just a loop sewn towards the upper end, that has been outfitted by me with a climbing karabiner. The second would help me setting up my DD hammock without having to mess around with knotting. But in this setup it simply helps me to organize some loose items like keyring, spork, backup pocketknife or a flashlight. Probably you could also use the loop to hang up a hydration bladder, but for this purpose I miss an elegant solution to route the tube to the outside, except for the zipper of the pack itself.
Anything I was able to stuff in the tiny little backpack which you can see on the upper end of the pic:
1 pair of outdoor-pants, 2 long sleeve shirts, 1 merino-wool roll/zipper neck shirt, 2 pairs of thick socks, 2 underpants, 1 fleece jacket and as already mentioned, my trusty soft shell jacket on the outside. Two 16oz-bottles in the left and right outer pockets complete the setup. Inside the main compartment one would still find some room to store a compact camera, passport, band aids, tablets or a toothbrush, paste and soap.
Now to the serious part: To have real long-range capability, I'd like to carry some more Water. A lesson to learn, but often somewhat neglected by me some time ago. The excessive heatwave during my stay in the US this summer taught me the better. 42°C (108°F) in the shadows are nothing to be neglected. Back then I used botteled water and Nalgenes, but shortly after coming home I bought a color-matching 3 liter Camelbak Storm reservoir from a fellow forumite (who recently posted a pictured review of HPGs Recon Kit Bag here). It is a bit too large, I must admit, but still fits into the open compartmant on the back and can be carried without loss of comfort. To put the filled Camelbak into it, I had to empty the main compartment at first. It was hard to believe, even for me, but after that I was still able to pack all mentioned items back into the Tarahumara and even the two bottles into the side pockets AND close it! The outstanding quality of craftsmanship. materials and especially the sewing on the zipper speaks for itself at this point.
As for the zipper sewing, you cann take some stress off them by using the two compression straps. The side view showas the back padding bulbing a bit more towards the outside. That's not idal, of course, but it's an extreme test. I must say, I have carried backpacks that were more uncomfortable with less things stuffed into them. I credit the broad harness for the overall good distribution of weight, even under those circumstances.
The Camelbak protrudes some 3 1/2 inches from the compartment.
Meanwhile, I put on a shirt to spare you the sight of my armpit, so you can observe the positioning of the uber-filled backpack on me without distraction.
To finish tis review, I'd like to give you some impressions of the Tarahumara in use. Scenes from the Shenandoah National Park including Appalachian Trail, from Washington, D.C. as well as from the Gettysburg battlefield. Certainly, that little big pack is suitable for any occasion and surrounding. A high praise for the developers from Hill People Gear!
Thanks a lot,
Daniel
So könnt ihr euch halbwegs ekelfrei den Sitz des eher übervollen Rucksacks am Rücken anschauen.
@BFG Sehr geil, aber ich bezweifle auch nicht, dass der Ausdruck bei dem Wildsteer passend ist. Was die Optik und meinerseits leider nur vermutete Haptik angeht ist es allerdings wohl wirklich nicht jedermanns Sache. Wie Micha schon bemerkte: Eine gewisse Anlehnung an Steinschloßgewehre ist erkennbar. 
Auch dort wird ja oft (sinngemäß) argumentiert "Jaaa...eigentlich benutzt man so ein Messer ja auch nur mit mindestens ebenso teuren "Operator-Handschuhen", dann ist das nicht mehr so autschi..." 
Kann mich nur immer wieder bedanken!
