My old pack left me w/ a sore back, and sore shoulders. I tried on a bunch of new packs, including North Face, Kelty, and Gregory. I liked the Dana best. The others didn''t fit right, and the Gregory had a lombard support pc. that was killing my back even at the store! My back and shoulders feel great after a 12-14 mile hike on the AT w/ my new Dana. It feels good while hiking too, no rubbing. Some slight soreness on my hips but that seems to go away after a few hikes, I get used to it. Plenty of room, and I love the large pockets, a big selling point for me. Love outside pockets. Overall quality seems good. I''ve used it on several overnight hikes now and can''t complain much. I''m a mid-weight packer about 30lbs. at most and it handles it fine. I have to admit the shoulder strap construction seems like it could be heavier, seems too thin or something. And although it fits me perfect, it wants to hang over my rear a little no matter how tight I make my hip belt. It''s also really priced higher than it should be. All in all, considering how my old pack felt, this one is like butter!

Customer Service

Haven''t dealt w/ and hope to not have to.

Similar Products Used:

Wolfskin internal frame

I bought this pack to replace an extremely old Jansport external when I was finally getting the time to get back outdoors more and started climbing. I''ve been climbing for a couple years now, using my Glacier to carry everything. If I were in the market for a pack in this size range I would avoid it. It works great if you''re carrying 40lb or less loads, but anything past that and the lighter weight suspension becomes apparent. Loaded with a rack, rope, food, water, shoes, etc. my pack routinely weighs in around 50+lbs. A dense load like this also doesn''t fill up the pack, so there is a lot of dead space and the pack rides like an unwieldy beast, especially up scrambles. For backpacking trips when the loads are bigger but lighter, it works pretty well. It still has too much sway in it for me though and does not support the load like I want. If you''re a climber, I recommend a smaller pack with a stouter suspension (like an Arcteryx Bora 40 or 60lt). If you''re a backpacker who likes to carry a lot of crap :) pony up the bucks and get a Dana with the Arcflex suspension, or save a few and buy an Arcteryx Bora 80 or 90 from a Canadian store. One more gripe, no hydration pocket, and the water bottle holders are too shallow to carry a one liter Nalgene effectively. Can''t tell you how many times I''ve chased a bottle down snowy slope after bending over or sitting down.

Customer Service

Not bad. I had a few questions about pack fitting and they sent me a manual ASAP at no charge, but didn''t answer my question.

Similar Products Used:

Arcteryx Bora 40 and 80

I''ve had the opportunity to use this on a rainy summer trip up mount jefferson and doing a lot of backpacking around europe. I plan to do some winter camping with it soon. This pack isn''t as serious or quite as nice as the terraplane - but it''s still pretty good. Comfortable, plenty big, and a lot cheaper. I wouldn''t want to overload it, the suspension doesn''t seem overly beefy, and the rear pockets are smaller than I''d like, but it works really well for the price and weight. But with smaller back pockets, a worse hip/lid, and less compression straps, it makes me lust for the terraplane

Customer Service

Some stitching on the shoulder straps came apart - a worrying problem, but they fixed it no charge no hassle

I purchased this pack after searching for weeks for the right size and fit. I tried the Arc'Teryx Bora 62, a woman's pack, as well as numerous Mountainsmith women's packs and even a North Face woman's pack. As soon as I tried this one on, I was in heaven. It didn't pull or dig or sit unevenly at all. And Mountain Miser will not let you out of their store unless the pack fits you like a glove, so this was perfect! It was more expensive than a lot of other packs, but I'm willing to pay more to get more. I was getting it mainly for a trip I was taking to Mt. Whitney in January. My previous pack, an REI Rising Star, just wasn't big enough and always left me sore after the first day in. My boyfriend had a larger Kelty that he let me use once or twice, and I could only get an hour or two of comfort out of that before the agony would set in. I was anxious to see how this would feel after two or three days on the trail. I never even got the chance, though. The road to the trail was closed 6 miles before the trailhead, so we got sleds to pull our packs in. Due to weather conditions and the length of time we had to do this trail, we chose to turn around before we reached the trailhead. After about 10 miles of pulling my pack in a sled through the snow, I had three or four holes worn through the top of the pack and the sleeping bag compartment. My sleeping bag was soaked and so were some of the contents of the inner compartment, which didn't get a hole. I don't know what fabric they used in making this, but if it can't hold up to light abrasion from snow and isn't waterproof, then it's not something I want to be taking with me on extended winter trips, when my life can depend on the condition (and dryness!) of my gear. I was disappointed that I couldn't seem to get both fit and quality of construction from one pack.

Customer Service

None.

Similar Products Used:

REI Rising Star, Kelty (unsure of model)

I've used this pack on a 5 day backcountry hut trip in Colorado. It was a very good pack. Comfortable and well fitting. It does not have the same suspension system as the Astralplane or Terraplane, so those packs will support larger loads more comfortably. My only complaint about the Glacier is that occassionally some gear would slip down into the sleeping bag compartment. It wasn't sealed from the rest of the pack. Minor inconvenience, except when it's snowing and blowing at 30 mph. Overall very good pack, but get the Terraplane if you'll be lugging loads near the max of hte Glacier. It's more comfortable and fits even better

Similar Products Used:

Lowe Alpine Cima 50

I love this backpack it is the first one that I have ever owned, but I've tried a couple of ospreys and a lowe alpine and the Glacier was by far better. It has the best hipbelt that I have ever tried on.

Customer Service

No problems so no experience

For the value and overall construction, this is a great pack. However, be absolutely certain to get the proper size for your body frame. I would not recommend if you are on the border between two sizes to size up. The weight of your pack may not distribute as well across your body.

Similar Products Used:

None

Very good pack, highly adjustable and plenty of room for organization, compresses the load nicely. The top-lid hipbelt fanny pack conversion is nice feature and simple to use. My only suggestion would be some mesh side pockets for water bottles. (Though you can purchase the wet rib that will accomplish the same thing)

Customer Service

I purchased my pack new from an outfitter on ebay and it did not come with a manual. I called Dana and recieved a new manual free in about 4 days!

Similar Products Used:

None

I own a Dana BigHorn -- which I love -- and purchased a Glacier for longer trips and winter hiking / camping. If it's possible, I like the Glacier even *more* than my Bighorn.

The Glacier carries a load extremely well. It's very comfortable; there are several adjustments for customizing the fit. It's almost bombproof; the materials are rugged and burly and most every key fitting or strap has a backup. There isn't a proliferation of cubby holes and storage pockets, but there are sufficient options and lash points to handle most anything you might want to carry. Dana even offers an "add on" shovit / beavertail that would handle a snowboard or whatever.

About the only complaint I have about the pack -- the fact that the ice tool loops are off center from the daisy chain -- was corrected with the '99 model (mine is a '98).

Anyone shopping for a multi-day hiking pack would do well to give the Glacier consideration. It isn't cheap, but IMO it's worth every penny of the purchase price.

The Glacier is, IMO, a *hiking* pack. If someone is shopping for a good *climbing* pack in the 5000 cu in range, they might want to look at Dana's SwiftCurrent. It uses the same suspension as the Glacier but replaces the front pockets with a Shovit / Beavertail and eliminates the sleeping bag compartment in favor of one big bag. IMO, that's a better arrangement for hauling a rope, a rack, etc. etc.

Similar Products Used:

EMS 5000 (didn't work for me, but I have friends that really like the pack)

Gregory Palisade (slightly smaller, carries "differently", but an excellent product)

A pretty good pack. Mine is a '98 model. Two front pockets are nice. Cordura is tough and the whole thing is well built, although there is a few minor things I'd change. They need to tape off the zipper flaps like Gregory and Osprey. It carries medium loads pretty well, but never really feels like I'm "wearing it". I was checking out the 2000 models in the store the other day and can't figure out what K2/Dana are thinking. They've ruined a great line. I got mine on sale, but wouldn't pay full price. I think there is better for less.

Similar Products Used:

Gregory Reality (see review), Gregory Paliside