Product Review, EMS Pace 20L Day Pack

On the last group hike that I went on, I was telling people that my Eddie Bauer Day Pack was 35 years old. Most people were amazed. However, one lady said to me “You really should buy a new pack”. So I did.

First I checked out day pack pricing online and I visited my local REI store. I like REI and I’m a member. However, I thought that their prices were high, the selection was mostly Osprey and there wasn’t much else. Let it be known that I do own an Osprey ATMOS 65 backpack which I have had since the early 2000’s. I like that backpack. And yes, it is now 22 years old. Do you see a pattern here?

Next, I again checked online pricing and ended up on ems.com, which is also easternmountainsports.com . While I was section hiking the AT in MA, VT and NH between 2005 and 2010 I bought a pair of hiking boots from their Manchester Center, VT store and a 20 degree sleeping bag from their Lebanon, NH store while on the trail. And I had shopped at their Ashburn, VA store in the 1990’s when I worked right across the street at AOL. EMS had some rough stretches since that time, went bankrupt, got bought by Mountain Warehouse and currently has seven stores in the northeastern U.S.

So I thought that I would help them out. I saw a nice 20 liter day pack on their site that was on sale. So I bought it. The remaining paragraphs will be a review of this pack as well as how it compares to my 35 year old Eddie Bauer pack.

Before I go any further I have to say that the Eddie Bauer day pack was great to hike with for the last 35 years. I’m guessing that I put somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 miles on it during that time. It never let me down. Even the zippers said Eddie Bauer on them. But the threads at the bottom of the pack were getting very thin. And the left shoulder strap was starting to pull away from the pack itself. I will miss this pack. But it was time to replace it.

The color is black compared to the brown of the Eddie Bauer. No advantage there. In fact, the only advantage that my old Eddie Bauer pack has to the EMS Pace 20L is that it has four external storage areas while the EMS Pace 20L only has two. But that’s where the comparison ends.

The following features on the EMS Pace 20L pack are not available on the Eddie Bauer pack:

• Hydration Bladder Cavity & Opening. You can place a water blatter in the cavity and place the tube through the opening at the top of the backpack. However, there was no clip on the shoulder strap to attach a hydration hose.
• Rain Cover. There is a rain cover compartment at the bottom of the pack. You can pull the cover out of the compartment and stretch it over the pack very easily. I guess that means that the pack itself is not waterproof.
• Air Flow Back System. This allows air circulation between the pack and your back. This is a nice feature on hot days. I appreciated this feature on my Osprey ATMOS 65.
• Bottle Pockets. You can carry small water bottles in addition to the water blatter feature.
• Bungee Cords. To attach tent poles, walking sticks or an ice ax.
• Shoulder Strap Loops. These allow you to attach shoulder strap cell phone or water bottle holders.
• Bungee Snake. I didn’t know what else to call this. It allows you to quickly attach a shirt or light jacket to the face of the pack.
• Bottom Compartment. I guess this would count as a third storage area. The compartment is also zipper separated by the main compartment. Maybe you could keep a small ground cloth or mat to sit on here.
• Miscellaneous Straps & Clips. Not sure what they do but I’m sure that I will find some use for them.
• Small Storage Compartment on the Hip Belt. This is a nice place to keep keys, meds or anything else of importance that is small.

So there you have it. This is a nice pack. It seems well designed, has some nice functional features and I can’t wait to try it out on a hike.

Mike C