Customer Reviews

Mountainsmith Dart II Recycled Lumbar Pack

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This bottle holder pack has a comfortable padded belt and just enough of a pocket to hold your cell, lip balm and tissues, and there is a couple of spots to hook keys. Ideal for short walks/hikes where one bottle of water is sufficient and all you need to carry are a couple of small essentials.

Bought the Mountainsmith Dart II Recycled Lumbar Pack, Heritage Red, as a BD present for a friend, and she is a Power Walker & Biker and just loves it.
The Zippered Pocket will hold the Basic Essentials like: Keys, ID card/CC & Cell phone + a Emergency Whistle AND a Bottle of H2O (frozen).
Not only does it work really well, but it Looks Great & the RED & BRIGHT Color stands out, so no errant or careless driver will Not make a mistake of Not Seeing Anyone, Running, Walking or Biking, on the side of the road. I'll be buying more of these in the future.

Excellent value. Very comfortable, and can be worn front or back. The water bottle is easy to extract from either position.

I bought this pack about 2+ months ago so I wanted to wait a bit before I write any review.
* I love the slanting pocket for the bottle. I am built like a hobbit with short hands so the conventional packs with straight bottle placement was giving me a hard time when I tried to pull out the water bottle. But with this pack, it is a breeze. Also, I can sling it to the front easily if I have a hard time trying to unzip the pocket for items.
* I love the bottle. I am not sure if it is BPA safe because the description doesn't say so. However, I found myself using it for golfing, treadmill running, and the regular outdoor running.
* I don't know how fast other people run, but with my pace - which is slightly faster than jogging - the pack stays intact and does not wobble.
* I bought the red color so all those crazy drivers who are going over the speed limit in the County Parks can see me from afar. [Sense the frustration?]

Overall, a great buy.

Finally decided to replace the waist pack I had been using for years. This one is terrific. I realized, the first day I used the new pack, that the old one was causing me lower back pain! This one feels great. I am a walker and my pack needs to be able to hold: water bottle; some $$; a cell phone holder; and, keys. This one is perfect. Am very, very happy and I love the red!

All in all it is a well made small pack. Stitching, seams, quality are good. The strap is wide and adjustable. The padding on the back of the pack is good. The 2 small complaints I have are the one zipper pocket is just small enough to not accommodate a wallet. Yes keys, some cash and or id and cards. It did not pass my wallet test. If the zipper closed the other way one could put a wallet in it with just the corner sticking out, but the zipper opens down so you can't close it at all with a wallets corner sticking out. The other complaint is the water bottle holder is ok, but the bottle that comes with it or other bottles can fall out as there is no adjustable strap or cord to hold bottle securely in place. I don't run with this, but would guess the bottle may fall out as a result. It works great for short hikes up to a few hours or walking. The water bottle holder will accommodate other bottles, but does have limitations for a bottle that is bigger in diameter. A taller bottle w/up to 32 oz can be used with an even greater risk of falling out. If you want more storage capacity, but not too big of a pack, I recommend the High Sierra solo. The solo has even worse water bottle limitations due to the percise non-elastic bottle compartment, but the stock bottle is better secured with an adjustible mid strap and an elastic cord that goes over the lid and fits securley in the grove between lid and bottle. I find both packs to be useful for different adventures.

The size and shape of this pack's pocket is a bit smaller than the front pocket on most men's jeans. It's not really enough to hold camera, smartphone, keys, and wallet. That said, the quality of this pack is great. I also like the mesh padding on the inner side, it is comfortable and doesn't make me sweat.

The bottle is OK -- it's a semi-transparent soft plastic -- not as cool as the clear, hard, BPA-free plastic bottles with volume in some other packs.

This is light and has just the right amount of space for my cell, keys, and gum. Love that it is made of recycled material and you can't bet the price. I looked at packs at a couple of outdoor stores and Target, and this was the absolute best buy for me. I've been using it 3-4 times a week for a month and haven't had any problems with the water bottle like a previous reviewer. It is perfect for short trail runs!

I like the pack and the fact it's made of recycled material. Unfortunately, the included bottle doesn't live up to past Mountainsmith standards. Cheaply made and leaks unless you get the seal just so. I'm looking for a replacement bottle to go with the pack.