Customer Reviews

High Sierra Sentinel 65 Frame Pack

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I gave this pack its first run last weekend: a short weekender about 7 miles into the deep woods and foothills of South Carolina.
I found the pack to be excellent, especially considering the low price point. It is sufficiently roomy for a 3-season 2/3 day trip and has an excellent strapping system both for fit and compression.
The pack is fitted for larger framed persons; I'm 5' 7", 170 pounds, and found myself cinching up the straps almost to their absolute minimum, but they still functioned perfectly fine.
I also experienced the "Squeaking" problem, and to me it seemed to happen only when the load shifted its weight onto the point where the straps connect to the pack, and occured especially during lateral movement. This is hard to overcome during steep uphills, but keeping the load properly positioned on your hips will elimnate the squeak most of the time.
The attached rain-fly fits the pack very well even when heavily loaded and with an attached bedroll, and keeps it dry even in a heavy rain. The built in hydration ports are especially useful, as I was able to use my Camelback resivoir with the pack.

The long and the short of it is that if you are looking to make a smart buy, this is a quality pack that is smartly built that will not leave you with regrets.

Great value for a large framed guy like me... Anyone with a 32" waist or under need not apply; The pack will not cinch down tight enough to be usable on a you. This pack holds all I need to carry with me for a two-three day backpacking trip, with nothing outside of the pack. It rides well and is very comfortable if a bit heavy. Do cut off and then hem the large amount of excess straping. The sleeping bag compartment is a tight fit for my 15 degree bag and air pad. It also squeeks a bit if your load shifts while walking but this can be fixed by tightening down the generous number of compression straps. Overall a awesome value, and the best fit for my big frame.

I was in need of a general purpose backpack. Not too large, not too small, and one that I would only use a few times a year. I read the reviews on various backpacks sold at Amazon.com, REI, and other sporting goods retailers. Since I wasn't going to use it that much, I couldn't bring myself to spend $100-$300. The feedback on this pack was that it was a solid pack for the money.

Took it camping this past weekend and I have to say that I don't think that you can find a better pack for the money ($88 through Amazon.com). Some of my fellow campers could not believe how nice of a bag it was, and were even more surprised when I told them what I paid for it. The pack is very well built. At 65 liters, it is big enough for a few days worth of backpacking. It is a top-loading drawstring design, with two smaller external compartments. The shoulder straps fit very nice and it was comfortable to use, even fully loaded. There are straps on the top, sides, and bottom to compress the pack once it is loaded.

I would definitely not recommend this for anyone with a 36" or smaller waist due to the size of the waist straps. I have a 38" waist and had the waist straps cinched up almost all the way. It is not the lightest backpack, but since I'm not climbing K-2 anytime soon, it works fine for my needs.

I would have liked the Chipotle color, but not enough to spend an extra $20-$30.

Hi All, Thanks for posting your reviews on the High Sierra 65 bag, it is the main reason I purchased it. I just received mine this morning and had it on a trail less than an hour later.
Tested 2 hours with a ~25lb load on a ~7 mile trail with approx. 1500 ft elevation total.

Squeeks - yes, not bad, not enough to be annoying.

Hip belt large - yes, I have a 34-36 waist, after cinching it down comfortable - only 3-6 inches of total tightening left until it will be as tight as it can go.

Shoulder strap slippage - (reason for 4 vs. 5) yes on both straps, especially when running. This was probably the most annoying thing about this pack, going to look into making elastic velcro wraps to secure down the shoulder straps more.

Top main compartment: Fits a 3 season 2 person marmot titan tent, tent poles, tent cover, tent stakes, and an additional sleeping mat. Takes up roughly 1/3 of the main compartments available space.

H20 Compartment runs the full internal depth of the bag, appears to be able to hold more than one bladder with duel hyrdration tubes ports (left and right side) and huge bladder compartment. Keep in mind a full H20 compartment will reduce the available space in the top main compartment and the bottom sleeping bag compartment.

Side mesh pockets - Plenty large enough for a 1 Liter Nalgene on each side.

Bottom Sleeping bag compartment - fits my 40 degree bag, sleeping mat, and thermarest pillow with room to spare.

Back zipper pocket - Fits 2 oranges side by side, 2 bags of jerky,and a 750ML Nalgene on top with room. Note that the zipper bag compartment space is tied in with the copression straps - so pack zipper bag prior to compressing main bag.

Adjustable Ergo Fit harness - awesome

Hip/Shoulder strap padding - Very comfortable.

It was around low 60's on the trail with a cool wind so I didn't notice if the pack made me any warmer or not.

The only thing missing on the High Sierra 65 is hip belt pockets.

I first used this backpack for a 3-day trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I was able to fit my compact 25-deg sleeping bag, 6x8 tarp and some camp accessories into the sleeping bag compartment. The upper compartment was able to hold my clothing, small stove, solo bear canister, D-SLR camera, and toiletries -- plus a hydration bladder in the built-in hydration pocket. My 2-man tent and air pad fit perfectly on the bottom of the pack. I had a water bottle and camera tripod in the external mesh pockets.

At almost 5 lbs. this pack isn't for the super-light trekking crowd, but the well-padded waistband did a good job of transferring the pack's weight to my hips so it was easy for me to carry 50+ lbs for three days without any difficulties.

I am 6'3" and weigh 220 lbs. and the well-padded waist straps fit me well and the Ergo-fit shoulder harness adjusted so the pack fit me well. The Sentinel 65 also fit a 5'9" person's frame very comfortably. The air channel design of the backpack's padding helped keep my back dry and cool better than some packs I've used.

The one thing I didn't know before I bought the pack was how the upper compartment lid is held on by four adjustable straps. This allows more room to fit gear, but if the back isn't very full, the top flap can be hard to keep secured. The pack also seems like it has more straps than I'd ever use. But, better too many straps than too few in my estimation.

Overall an excellent pack at a good price, plus High Sierra's lifetime warranty make this backpack a very good value.

This is a very nice bag. It is fully adjustable to fit a smaller framed person to someone not so small. I am a pretty big guy and it fits comfortable around my waist and shoulders with room to spare.

Only complaint is the sleeping bag pocket is small. My average size sleeping bag is a super tight fit. It is a fight to get it in, so I guess I will be buying a smaller sleeping bag. Ah-Shucks!!!

I purchased this about 5 months back and did a 25 day Europe trip with this. I have to say I am very satsfied with this backpack specially for the price that I paid for it. Its very heavy duty (I was carrying almost 16 - 18Kg). From my past experience with a variety of other backpacks, I see a lot of strengths in this one, for example:pockets and straps at convinient locations, easy to carry camping equipment, a very strong back support,light weight etc. Yes, just like others have mentioned, its important that your waist size if not less than 31-32. I was 31.5 when I started the trip and eventually lost weight in the trip, so the waist belt sat a little loose toward the end of my trip. Overall, I would strongly recommend this for anyone who wants a light yet high-performing backpack for multi-purpose use.

I bought this bag just before leaving on an 8 day hike through the last 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail and it held its own just fine. The bag isn't great for being waterproof. We got a TON of rain throughout our hike and had to cross numerous rivers, and while some of my clothes got wet it is basically impossible to expect any bag to hold out the degree of water we experienced. Overall I had just the right amount of room for all our food and a couple pairs of clothes. I probably could have used a little more room but seeing as fully packed I was already carrying about 45 lbs I think it was the right size for a longer hike.
Overall I was very pleased with the pack. It had plenty of storage and more than enough clips to hang miscellaneous items from; however, consider bringing dry bags if you are expecting a lot of rain...

Bought this pack after about a month of research on much more expensive packs. At this price point, it was worth the buy even if it turned out to be a poor pack.

My first impression was well recieved. I quickly dismanteled the packaging and re-rolled my 25 degree mummy bag into a smaller size. I was able to fit it into the sleeping bag compartment (without a compression or stuff sack), but just barely. It did quite a bit of manipulation. On the plus side, most bags can't handle a bag of this size without losing pack space, while this one accomodates without having to open the inner compartment.
The pack offers a hydration sleeve on the inside which does use some of your storage space, but who can live without water on a long hike? It offers two hydration exit ports and an elastic loop on each arm to hold it securely. I used one for the camelbak and the other for a small LED light. It also offers a D ring on each shoulder harness, and a cell phone pocket. My compact digital camera fit perfectly, as well as my Motorola Droid. size your phone in comparison.

What most people leave out on this pack is a VERY adjustable hinged rope pocket on the front of the pack. Since I don't climb, I put a 100oz Camelbak unbottle in it for extra water storage and compressed it using the compression straps. When fully in and compressed, the lid comes down and covers the camelbak completely to protect from the elements, eg: freezing.

The side mesh pockets are very handy since this pack doesn;t have side pockets. I like this quality since side pockets can make a pack bulky on the sides. They are advertised as being able to hold 32 oz bottles. Though I haven't tested this due to using hydration reservoirs, I feel like it could handle a larger bottle, but not by much. The bottom compression strap is probab;y 3 inches or so above the top of the mesh, so I keep my ka-bar in one of the pockets and the compression strap keeps it secured by holding the handle of it to the pack.

The pack has the standard loops on the bottle for your axe/misc as well as a way to secure a tent or pad to the bottom. The back of the pack has loops running down the left and right side. While you can hook items to it, be creative with your rigging. They have held up well to an array of items I've attached.

I keep reading that the waist strap can't be worn by anyone under a 36" waist. I'll attest to being able to fit it correctly with a 32" waist, but I'm completely serious with no exaggeration when I say you wouldn't be able to go any less. If you have anything less than a 32" waist, DON;T BUY THIS PACK.

The very bottom of the pack has a pocket with an attached rainfly. I haven't gotten a chance to test it out yet, but I'll update this review when I do. As with anything that claims to be "waterproof", use an aftermarket waterproofing spray on it. It's just a smart thing to do.

So far I've taken this pack on a good 30 miles with rock scrambling, steep inclines, and flat terrains, and it has performed better than I could have expected with 40lbs and a price under $100.

The only con I could possibly find would be the waist belt not having pockets, but it really doesn' matter at the end of the day.

Bottom Line: For a cheap alternative to paying $300 for the same products with improved suspension, get this pack. Would I take it on a thru-hike of the AT? Probably not. Would it serve 4-7 days on the trails at a time? I'd put money on it.

RAINFLY
I pulled the rainfly out of the bottom of the bag and attempted to pull the cover over the bag without much force which resulted in one of the cords pulling out of the molded tie end and the end slipped into the raincover. A safety pin and 1/2 hour later I was able to tie the ends together and cut off the molded tie off the other end. The rainfly will not really cover an attached bedroll (as another reviewer mentioned), but it does cover the pack well.

TOP COVER
The top cover of this bag will not cover the top of the bag unless completely filled. It will more likely end up as a hump extending outward (backward) from the back of the pack. This is the result of the front 2 connection points for the cover being to high on the bag with little room for adjustment. This characteristic makes the rainfly even more of a necessity to keep moisture out of the main pack compartment and expect to use the rainfly more often as a result.

Despite these 2 design/construction problems, the pack is still worth the less than a Benjamin price.
The pack will fit diagonally into a standard sized full suitcase for travel if not 100% loaded.
The zippers are better quality than my three Benjamin bag, but cant seem to find any on a hiking pack like this with the humungo no nonsense zippers the military and Duluth Packs use. This bag was not designed to be handed down in the family, but it will serve well for a few seasons.