I wanted to keep my bearikade blazer (plus a little extra, got it back when custom lengths were more affordable) horizontal... but eventually gave up on that goal. Nunatuk's Bear Ears looked really interesting, and people liked it for shorter trips, but having 8-10 days of food weight that low was untested.
Hyperlite's are the hype at the moment, but the junction model would make the most sense for me and they're a long wait time. After chatting with a MMS employee I grabbed my bearikade (empty) and put it on top of a tent + hammock then put in 20lbs along the side and 10lbs on top of it, putting me near the 35lb limit (and being terribly lopsided). Walking around the store worked well for 30-40 minutes, including a few rounds up/down the stairs, so I picked it up for $180 which is another advantage over the Hyperlite (which doesn't really use DCF to it's fullest potential anyways).
With 8 days of food, some luxuries (whiskey in a platy preserve, cooked sausages for the first night, tenkara setup, ~8oz solar+battery combo for both our phones), and a "light" core group of gear (BA Tigerwall 2, Nemo insulated mummy pad, FF 20f hummingbird ul) and mostly UL accessories it was very comfortable going up Kearsarge and worked well for the entire trip. I ended up layering tent+pad at the bottom, sleeping bag on top of that, bearikade in the middle, then extra layers / pajamas on one side of it and footprint, rain jacket, beanie, nylofume pack liner on the other. Puffie and my little mesh ditty bag rests on top of a natural sort of lid, so I kept mine in the van (I pack the tent, partner packs cooking setup).
Comparison to 2014 Exos / thoughts:
* It definitely holds weight a little more securely on the body, but doesn't breathe nearly as well. Had a pretty sweaty back heading up Kearsarge in the heat even with an early start and clouds. Overall worth it for not being as swingy when going over talus etc.
* The hip belt is MAGIC. Very padded and zero pack rash, which I always seemed to get with my exos.
* Having the bear can vertical isn't bad - I can open it to get to things and it doesn't rub against the pack like having mine horizontal in the exos did. Snacks / lunch are in a hip pouch anyways, so not a big deal but if I hit calorie dep and want some backup trail mix or whatever it's nice (or making sandwiches the first few days).
* I prefer the sort of smushy siliconlike shoulder pads of the exos that sort of squish onto me compared to the more rigid defined ones of the Crown 2. It took a bit of tweaking to get them to feel perfectly comfortable, but the pack wasn't broken in and I didn't weigh it, but was approaching it's upper limit. That said hip belt > shoulders if I have to pick one that's a bit better.
* Side pockets & hip pockets are far more durable and roomy. Pulling a water bottle out of the side ones easily will be hit or miss for people. No shoulder pockets, but you can DIY what you want on the daisy chains.
* Hydration exit is a bit more forgiving than the exos (2014 or current).
* The roll top just cinching to itself isn't an issue with compression with the Y strap going over it. It works well as a daypack from a basecamp relatively unloaded.
* It's skinnier than the exos, but not as skinny as the hyperlite. Seems to keep weight in a good spot and probably better for XC tree/bush bashing.
* The little plastic backboard works fine, I didn't notice the lack of an aluminum internal frame aside from the breathability on my back, which has it's own pros/cons.
* They were out of medium/regular black/red, so I got what I got. It's sort of an ugly baby poop / army green in the shade, then turns into an iridiscent bronze in the sun. I guess it'll keep a little cooler and at the end of the day who cares.
For an "available at the store nearest you" light pack it works quite well!
