Black Diamond Outlaw Winter Pack

Decided on this pack after spending 5 days rotating through two other packs. The thing that I love the most and that sold me on this pack was the swinging arm hip belt. I will be using this pack in chaparral fields and between the ballistic nylon and the hit belt I should have no problem picking my way through the dense shrubbery. I have no intention of using this pack for its actual purpose (snow/ski) so the lack of ventilation in the back my become a point of annoyance. In addition to the top/split zipper access you can also access the main compartment via the back panel. The external straps are quite long but the pack is designed as such that the straps and buckles tuck into slots in the back of the pack. There is a compartment designed with sleeves to hold tools. I will most likely modify these into stash pockets so that I have more organization for pens and electronic equipment. The zipper toggles are great. They are rubberized and large loops making it easy to open with gloved hands. I have a short torso and though the s/m is still a tad long it fits just as well as a woman specific frame would. There is a helmet hamock built into the pack which will come in handy on my grocery runs into town on my bike. Great pack seems solidly built. I will see how the zippers hold out.
So it spent a summer doing some offroading into the Sierras and Cascades with me. It battled through more than its fair share of chaparral fields and has held up like a champ. Something I did notice and was somewhat disappointed with is that the back is not water resistant. The first day of light rain and everything inside the pack was wet (not great for the electronics I was carrying).