I spent a few years with Badlands packs...that being said i will never buy another one. I had plenty of issues that i dont need to address, but I couldnt stand another full season with one. So last summer before heading into another full fall of guiding hunters everyday, i looked into a new pack. I settled on the X2 and have nothing but good remarks about it. It worked great as a day pack all season, and held up great to some heavy loads. Best of all, it held up to plenty of adverse conditions throughout the season. I like how Eberlestock designed the pack and the way they put it together. The Frame works great and by keeping the pack off your back provides good air flow when hiking. I always had problems with my 2800(badlands) and the way it carried loads. For having supposed 2800 cubic in" of space, it seemed they did a terrible job designing it. During late muley seasons in the Frank Church in Idaho, in which we would be covering long distances via optics to find big bucks, the Zeiss scope i carried had to take up the entire "main compartment" of the 2800 because that main compartment was only 900 in" of space. I really like how Eberlestock took the X2 and made the compartments excessive in size, but at the same time it wraps up into a great pack when loaded heavy or light. I put over 100 days into this pack by the end of fall, and it has barely shown the abuse it went through. Since winter has started I carry this pack when chasing hounds after cats, and in needs of a light pack when we are trying to keep up with dogs, it also does great and carries everything i need. I will find it hard to believe you wont find this pack able to hold up to anything and everything you put it through.
