Thule Versant Backpacking Pack Review

Two Thumbs Up

Ladies(and other friends), this is the coolest backpacking pack I've ever seen. And at $279.95 it's not a bad deal either.  It's super versatile and FULLY ADJUSTABLE. This baby doesn't just tighten at the waist and chest, you can actually adjust the straps up and down also 12cm/4.75in of torso and 10cm/4in of hipbelt.

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I'm in L-O-V-E!   The StormGuard system combines a partial rain cover with a waterproof bottom liner to create a fully weather proof bag so ALL of your stuff stays dry.

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There is a dry bag that can hook onto the waist strap for electronics etc.and , get this, the top of the pack is a removable sling pack so you can still carry essentials after you hit base camp without having to take your whole life with you on a summit or other hike.

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Finally a back pack with water bottle pockets that are big enough! I can't tell you how annoying it is to have to find other places to store my water because the side pockets on my pack aren't big enough for it.

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The backpack doesn't feel big, but it fits tons of stuff. The women's version comes in 70 L, 60L, and 50L.  There are tons of storage spaces in this pack. Apart from the dry sack on the waist strap there is another sipper pocket for other storage.  There are other compartments and zipper pockets in the front and on top for easy access.

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This pack is versatile and light and very comfortable. It also has Thule’s limited lifetime warranty. A major plus for any product.

Here are the specs:

Color Bing
Gender Female
Usage Extended Trip
Material 420D Cordura/100D Nylon
Volume (cu) 4270 cu in
Height (in) 26.8 in
Width (in) 16.9 in
Depth (in) 13.4 in
Weight (lb) 3.96 lb
SKU No 211103

Garmin Vivioactive Smart Watch

Thumbs Up
Ladies, I L-O-V-E this watch! I have had it since it came out and I haven’t taken it off except to charge. It may not be as smart as some smart watches but it's also not as expensive as most smart watches and it does everything I want it to do. Biking? Running? Swimming? Golfing? No problem! Inside? Easy as pie. Intervals, heart rate training, and more. Did I mention it also counts my steps and tracks my sleep?I haven't missed a phone call, text message or an email since I got this watch. It's also not bulky and in the white version it doesn't look manly, like I borrowed my husbands watch. I can use this watch without having any extra accessories if I want to. This is cool because I want to have everything in one easy to use package. So no extra stuff in my shoes or around my rib cage. That being said I recently started using the heart rate monitor for running and I really like it. I really like the color display. It’s easy to read and not bulky or boyish. The band is soft rubber which I don’t mind at all except when it gets wet is stays wet for a long time. I dry under it when I get out of the shower or pool.
Features



Running features
Basically all of the features here are customizable. I can set the watch to do any type of workout I am doing at the time by changing what displays on the screen and when the timers/alerts go off. At first it can be a little tricky to locate data fields, alerts, and other features while running any of the workout apps, but once you figure out where everything is then it's all pretty easy to customize how you want.(hint: they are all located under the menu button within each app. The menu button is those three little lines on the right bottom of the watch face).


Biking features
The biking and running features are basically the same. The watch tracks your speed and distance etc. also customizable see m comments under running features.
Swimming features
swim metrics (lengths, distance, pace, stroke count/rate, calories)-You just have to set the distance of the pool and it will count all of your laps speed etc. for you. It's especially nice when you are doing lots of laps because each time you change directions the each counts another lap. I dig this because I get so lost trying to count laps. On another note once you start the app you have to hold the start button down to stop it unlike the other apps.


Golf features
I like the features for golf. There is some manual input with it though and I forget to move screens or push start or change the hole I am on so that can be frustrating sometimes
Measures shot distance (calculates exact yardage for shots from anywhere on course). Yardage to F/M/B (distance to front, middle and back of green). Yardage to layups/doglegs
Activity Tracking Features
Step counter. Auto goal (learns your activity level and assigns a daily step goal) Move bar (displays on device after a period of inactivity; walk for a couple of minutes to reset it) Sleep monitoring (monitors total sleep and periods of movement or restful sleep). All of this is nice. You can set the watch manually in sleep mode or if you are like me and never remember to do that you can set sleep and wake times in the settings menu.


The app
Pairing with my phone- This feature can be a little frustrating. It never stays paired with my phone so then when I lose my phone I can’t use the find my phone feature because it’s not connected. Can’t see the weather or any of that stuff unless the watch stays paired to my phone so I am constantly re-pairing my phone so I can use the features on my watch. I just want it to stay paired is that too much to ask?
Garmin Connect™-Automatic sync can be frustrating when it doesn’t sync because there is no way on the app to manually sync if automatic sync isn’t functioning properly. The app store on Garmin Connect is getting better all of the time and it basically has most of the things I want for exercising.

Here are the specs:
Physical dimensions
1.72" x 1.52" x 0.32" (43.8 mm x 38.5 mm x 8.0 mm)
Display size, WxH
1.13" x 0.80" (28.6 mm x 20.7 mm)
Display resolution, WxH
205 x 148 pixels
Touchscreen
Color display
Weight Without bands: 18.0 g (0.63 oz); With bands: 38.0 g (1.34 oz)
Battery Rechargeable lithium battery
Battery life
Up to 3 weeks (10 hours in GPS mode)
Water rating
5 ATM
GPS-enabled
GLONASS
Smart notifications (displays email, text and other alerts when paired with your compatible phone)
Vibration alert
Music control
Find my phone
VIRB® control
Watch functions
time, date, calendar, and alarm

As always if you have any questions, comments of our own to add to this review please post in the comments.