REI Morningstar 65?

[tanichols]

All,

I'm contemplating my pack purchase as we speak.

I've always been fond of REI as a retailer and have had great customer support from them AND have been pleased with "their" brand.

Does anyone have any experience with REI's Morningstar 65?
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&catalogId=40000008000&storeId=8000&partNumber=705785&memberId=-2000&link=1&source=15611

How would this do for a thru-hike?

What are the advantages/disadvantages to the pack? I don't think I want to go ANY bigger than this size wise, I would possibly consider going a TAD smaller, but I think this suits my needs.

I'm about 5'7" and about 155 lbs. So I'd say I'm on the smaller side.

I've had it on, it feels good, but I thought I'd seek some "external" advice on the pack before I made the purchase.

Thanks for your help!

[Nameless]

Hello,

I would have to say the REI brand packs are GREAT! My first pack was a REI Rising Star (at five foot and 100 lbs i be a tad bit smaller), and over six years later it is still in great conditon, and i still love it, but have since moved on to different packs (it just didnt fit the bill anymore, to heavy, to few pockets)

But, the Mornistar is pretty big at 4200 sq in. Do you really think you need that much room? Its extremely easy to fill space once you have it... and filling more space equates to carrying more. And at four and a quarter pounds its a pretty heavy pack, do you really want to lug that along?

Most importantly, do you have your other gear bought? Its a really good idea to buy the rest of your gear before your pack. This way you know about how much you will be carrying and what type of pack you may want. Lugging all your gear into the store and packing it into the pack you are considering is a much better way to figure out if a pack fits you right. I'm thinking about a gearskin for my next pack, pretty light, makes sense, and is customized to my size... important for someone as small as me.