Khamsin 38

My Khamsin 38 came into my possession after a 3-hour marathon pack fitting session at REI Berkeley where I tried on every daypack they had. The Arc'teryx was, by far, the most comfortable. First off, it is very light, secondly it fits very well and carries weight extremely well. Loaded with 15# of day-hiking paraphernalia, I am barely aware of carrying a pack at all, and have no pressure on my shoulders. It is a great choice for long day hikes, approaches carrying climbing gear, and lightweight one or two day trips. You should be aware, however, of two things. First, this is a 38 litre pack, there only so much you can stuff into it. I tried to pack it for a three-day early spring trip into the Sierra, but had to go with my Osprey Aether 60L pack instead. Second, the Khamsin 38 is light because it is simple. It is top loading into a single compartment, with a lid pocket and ONE bottom/side pocket for a water bottle and that is it. But if you can deal with simplicity, this is one lightweight and comfortable pack.

26 May 2003 Update: Took two overnight trips with the Khamsin 38, one in the snow, and I keep the 5-star rating! The bungee mesh on the pack's front perfectly holds down a therm-a-rest. The pack skis well, be it making turns or touring. Good weight distribution and a compact profile.

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Great pack! If you're carrying up to, say, 30 pounds, this is an incredibly comfortable, compact, and light option. After an all-day outing with at least 20 pounds on my back, I felt as if the pack wasn't on my back.

Hipbelt is excellent -- beefy enough to actually take a load off your shoulders, but flexible enough to permit free movement when climbing.

Unlike other Arc'Teryx packs, it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. This is a good thing to me.

The material (nylon ripstop) is a bit suspect for hard-core climbing, but until I tear a hole in it, I'll take it over heavy cordura any day.

I think this pack runs a bit long. REI only shows medium and long sizes, but MEC in Calgary also carried (as of August, 2002) a short size. My wife is 5'7" and the medium was too long for her. At 6'8", the long is a perfect height for me.

REI sells it for $155 USD, but MEC in Calgary was selling it for $155 CAN! Since the exchange rate is roughly $1.00 USD = $1.55 CAN, that's a third less, folks.

I've had this pack for at least 5 years and it's still my favorite. It's been strapped on the back of my motorcycle for long distance trips, hauled around the developing world, and scraped over granite and under bushes on countless climbing trips. So far the only damage is where a rodent chewed through the top to get to my stash of snack mix and a melted chest strap from my motorcycle exhaust pipe (both easy to repair). It's not the lightest pack I own, but it's a good compromise between sturdiness and light weight.