Since there was quite a lot of interest in this bag from this thread, and since I'd already ordered it, I promised I'd give my thoughts when it arrived. Well, it took over a month but it's here and I have lots of pictures and thoughts that should hopefully help some folks decide if this bag is for them. Imgur album here.
To start, I am 178c, tall (5'10''-ish), torso length of 47cm, waist size of 34''. The bag I bought was the Naturehike Rock 2.0 M in white. The great news: it fits me like a glove.
I'm coming from V1 of this bag, and before that a Deuter Aircomfort 48L. V2 introduces a ton of changes and improvements over V1. These include:
- Larger opening
- Larger belt pockets (with zippers that go the right direction!)
- A MUCH more comfortable back support system
- S-shaped straps don't pinch my neck like the V1
- There was a concern about the durability of the stitching on the shoulder straps in V1. Instead of being stitched to the top of the back support, they're now stitched underneath a new frame support panel that looks fairly sturdy.
- A small horizontal zippered pocket on the front above the kangaroo pouch
- A long vertical zipper along the right side of the front to get at your stuff in the min compartment
- MUCH larger side pockets. The cord used to cinch these also seems stretchier but maybe that's my imagination
- An internal water pouch (with a nice printed texture on the material).
- An easily removable and re-insertable internal frame held in by velcro.
- Makes less noise and there is less sway/give when moving around while loaded up
And here's a list of the features I am pleasantly surprised by:
- Removable belt
- Belt has some vertical movement potential for slight adjustment
- Surprisingly sturdy even without the frame
- Water beads off the material even without water cover
Potential cons:
- The shoulder strap foam is quite stiff, we'll see if it loosens up with use
- Frame is 60cm now, so no longer a safe carry-on option without removing it.
This bag was originally purchased as my go-to hiking bag but also as my Europe trip bag. I'll be traveling around the continent for about a month and wanted something that could carry my essentials but still fit as a Carry-On bag. Most airlines have a max height of 55cm. Unfortunately, another difference between V2 and V1 is V2's internal frame is longer from 53cm to an even 60cm. This means I'll be taking a gamble bringing this on budget airlines with the internal frame. The goods news is as I said, the internal frame is removable and the bag is surprisingly stiff and supportive even without it. Even when fully loaded it maintains its shape and back rigidity which is a big surprise. Now idea how comfortable it'll be like this long-term but at first blush it's very doable. With the frame removed it's easily squishable to carry-on size.
The back mesh is also quite nice and has way more separation from the bag than I expected. Obviously not quite as much as the aircomfort system, but not bad!
In terms of actual volume, I'll test later with water but it seems accurate and even undercounting. I currently have a Deuter 48L and this has a much greater capacity I'd say. Here's The Rock 2 loaded up with the same amount as the Deuter and you'll notice the rock has much more headroom in the rolldown compartment, not to mention the kangaroo pouch.
The white material is a nice sandy colour. One thing that isn't shown online is that the white colour is semi-opaque thanks to its thickness so if you're hiking with... things that must be kept secret maybe keep them in the center or inside an organizer.
As for actual hiking performance, it arrived just yesterday so this is a preliminary review. I'll be heading out this weekend to put it through its paces with my full pack and will report back. I was a little worried the 45L wouldn't carry enough for a proper overnight hike but it seems there are no worries here in terms of capacity and expansion. I think I can easily do 3 days with this and I'll definitely be bringing it with me to Europe.