ULA CDT (former Conduit) or OHM???

[Dogwood]

Ahh, you got it Coffee. Apply the CDT to your hikes, how you hike, etc knowing the give and take of it all.

[mak1277]

There is some stretch to it but not a huge amount. It's the same situation on the Circuit. On the Circuit I typically use the mesh pocket for my rain gear, pack cover and other small items I might need during the day so I don't have to open the main pack body. It definitely wouldn't work well to store my tent or any larger item. I've seen a CDT with the stretchy mesh and it could expand to accommodate a larger item like a tent. I guess the main issue with putting too much in the mesh on the CDT is related to Dogwood's point about the load moving away from the back. I wouldn't really want lots of items in the mesh pocket for that reason. I have noticed some tendency for the pack to move away from my back but so far (with an 18 pound test weight) isn't a big issue for me. I might need to experiment with how I load the pack.

I was fortunate that they still had in stock a CDT in purple that had the old stretch mesh so I got that. The purple is also pretty sweet, I must say.

I definitely notice the pack moves away from my back, and requires more regular tweaking of the various straps than other packs I have used. I really like the hand straps attached to the shoulder straps for when I'm not using trekking poles. A little forward pressure on these straps also serves to pull the pack body tighter against your back.

[Dogwood]

Did you customize it with neon green trim too Mak? I betcha you have those running shoes with blinking lights in the heels too?

[mak1277]

Did you customize it with neon green trim too Mak? I betcha you have those running shoes with blinking lights in the heels too?

haha, no neon trim or lights in the shoes, although I do often hike in a bright orange tshirt. The purple is actually so dark that it's almost blue...not really flashy at all.

[Coffee]

I've seen the ULA purple in person and it is an attractive color. I personally like the original green. I'm just a creature of habit and my Circuit is green.