Review of the Seek Outside Exposure 5000 Backpack

Hiking in the mountains requires more attention to preparedness.  The weather can change rapidly.  My existing packs didn't have room for all the layers and gear I might need.  I also wanted a better fit/comfort than my existing packs.  I wanted a rear-opening pack that would, ideally, fit my existing F-stop ICUs.  I tried several snowpacks (rear-opening to keep snow off the back and straps) but none quite worked out.  I then started looking for regular front panel-loading hiking packs.  After some research, I stumbled onto a review of the Seek Outside Exposure 5000.  I liked what I saw, looked closer, then bought one.

Seek Outside uses a single external frame and harness for all of their packs (you can swap out the packs and reuse the frame).  It is highly adjustable, more than any other pack I've used. Frame height, torso height, hipbelt location (relative to the frame), plus shoulder straps and load lifters are all adjustable.  There is an optional lumbar pad if you need it. Ironically perhaps, it fit me very well straight out of the box.

It is well-made, with a mix of drab green and tan.  The material is strong, light, and waterproof (sailcloth).  It has dual side water bottle pockets, a large external pocket (2 wide water bottles can fit), a mesh pocket, plus 2 internal pockets inside the zippered flap.  The main panel opens about two-thirds of the way down from the top.  A clasp is available to keep the panel from unzipping at the top.

The shoulder straps are well-padded with mesh backing, and are just the right width for me... not too thin, but not too wide.  The padding is thick and has a good mix of stiffness for support and softness for comfort.

The 5000 in the name means 5000 cubic inches, which is about 80L.  It is huge.  But it fits my survival gear as well as my F-stop ICUs.  It is great as an all day or multi-day hiking pack.  My large (14" tall) pro f-stop ICU takes up about half of the bag space.  It has much more space than I need for a day hike.

It came with 6 gatekeeper straps, which I've used for compression and holding my tripod on one side.

Seek Outside says their packs are heavy-haulers.  They claim they can handle ~100 lbs comfortably. I am not likely to ever carry that much... closer to 25 lbs on most hikes... but between the good fit and the capacity, I barely notice it on my back.  I have deliberately carried more weight than I would with my other packs, and it is totally fine.  My legs tire before I get discomfort from the pack itself.

A note on fit.  If you find you are between the hipbelt sizes as I am, go for the larger size.  I first tried the medium and found it didn't quite wrap around enough to really take the weight off my shoulders, so I swapped it for the large (Seek Outside was super nice about swapping with me, free, sans shipping).  The large supports the weight much better for me (though they did point out that longer hikes would cause me to lose weight so the medium could end up fitting during summer).  One thing I like about the large is the straps are much longer, which gives enough room to convert from the standard clasp to an inward pull setup.

Caveats: With a pack this size, it isn't meant for frequent stops, and it is too big to remove in a crowded space.  I prefer to use this pack when I'm hiking a ways, usually a single destination.  As a hiking pack, it is great.  As a photo pack, there are too many steps to get at the gear, so moving around an area isn't as practical as with a camera bag.  I am still looking for a pack that can mix both functions well.

Seek Outside has instructions on how to fit their packs.  And more.