Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
 Very decent pack for the money June 20, 2010
Seamus the Dog (Turtle Island)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I got this pack a couple of days ago, and upon examination, it's clear that while this is not a top-of-the-line Gregory or Osprey, you're not shopping for either of those if you're looking at something with this price-point.
I'm going to be roughing it for a little while and we'll see how it turns out.
preliminary rating: 4 stars; good construction, good materials, not optimal use of space, lacks lower side-pockets, very very low cost.
 A Happy Camper June 8, 2010
Jeffrey M. Gladstone (Puerto Rico)
I used the New Cuscus on the trail the Caribbean National Forest (El Yunque).
I am very satisfied with the product's performance. It was an exellent
purchase price, but the shipping costs nearly doubled what I had to pay.
Cuscus Backpack May 11, 2010
E. Cooper
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I don't have much experience with internal frame packs, but this one is serving its purpose well so far. I'm using it to backpack around Europe for the summer and it's been holding up in the first few weeks. It can hold a ton and is about as comfortable as it can be when carrying about 40 pounds on your back. A good purchase for the money, I would definitely buy it again.
 Don't buy this bag May 1, 2010
J. M. (Lexington, KY USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I decided to get this bag (the CUSCUS 120L) a few months after buying their 88L model - I liked the 88L & thought that this bag would be about 30% larger (120/88=1.36). To my utter and profound astonishment and dismay (and horror, and disgust), when it arrived I found out that it is NOT a 120 liter bag. I laid the new 120L on top of my 88L (both empty) and the 120L is slightly smaller than the 88L model.
I'm not sure how a company (CUSCUS apparently) is able to market two nearly identical bags in such a manner: the stitching on the sleeping bag compartment and the product name clearly imply that these bags are a different size, to say nothing of the product claims on both Amazon (by Adventurer's Bag) and CUSCUS's own site ([...]) where the 120L is described as being 23"(L) x 13"(W) x 34"(H) [note: if these were accurate measurements then the bag would be 10166ci - they only claim 8100ci for some reason, even though that would still require the bag to be over 18 inches deep, the W&H measurements seem accurate]
Here's the kicker: the 120L came with a nice little tag on it describing the bag, the tag says the product dimensions are 36.5x23.5x73cm (this is just slightly less than 63 liters).
I was (eventually) able to get a full (cost+shipping) refund from Adventurer's Bag, however they have failed to update their listing for this bag as I requested, so I'm writing this review to help Amazon customers make an informed decision.
Backpack buyers beware! Size specifications are "estimates" and can vary widely between manufacturers, unfortunately it appears that CUSCUS has abused this fact to falsely advertise one of it's products.
Summary:
CUSCUS 120L: sturdy, simple, cheap backpack. Approximately 80L in actual volume. Comes with "A reinforced handle at back for better holding" and a flimsy "FREE" rain cover.
CUSCUS 88L: sturdy, simple, cheap backpack. Approximately 80L in actual volume (slightly larger than the 120L). Nine (9) dollars cheaper when i ordered (though you still pay the outrageous shipping) - Spend less, get more.
Awesome Price Awesome Pack! April 19, 2010
Kadisha
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I just got back from a weekend backpacking trip with this beast and must say that it is the best pack I have ever carried. Granted it's only been out once and wasn't treated very badly so the real test will be how it fares over subsequent adventures, but my initial impressions of this thing are awesome.
I've always had problems with backpack size because as a tall man I have rather bulky clothes which take up a good bit of space, not a problem with this bag I had plenty of room and since plenty of room translates into good organization and even weight distribution it rounds out to a comfortable carry.
The torso length on this bag is quite adjustable but having a long torso I just keep it at it's maximum. The straps seem to be high quality and feel good on my shoulders while under way. My only real gripe with this bag, as another reviewer has noted, is the chest strap. This little strap reeks of after thought. I didn't even realize it was supposed to be detachable until I tried to put it on and the strap came off in my hand as I tried to tighten it.
There are plenty of outside pockets which are quite large. I was able to easily put my pocket stove, tank of gas and cup into one of them with a large water bottle, bandanna, and the included cover in the other one. Speaking of water bottles, this pack includes a handy little spot for a water bladder which I had never used before this trip, but found to be quite a nice addition. You don't get a bladder though included with the pack but they are available at any shop that sells camping or bicycling gear.
Prior to this pack I had never carried an internal frame before so I was a bit nervous about that. If you've never used one before, you're in for a treat! With an external frame, especially a large old style one, you always suffer from the top bar of the pack, this handy internal eliminates that! Also the internal aluminum stays seem like they would make great emergency splints, a very minor plus I know, but that's the first thing I thought upon seeing them. Speaking of the stays though they are held in in a weird way by little velcro flaps I latched these down well the first time I played with the bag, but they keep coming unlatched. This doesn't seem to have posed any sort of problem so far, but I guess I could just always tape them in place with duct tape or something if it does.
The top flap has a massive pocket which is a good place for quick access items like your compass or map. It is a gigantic pocket though so I packed mine with stuff, ultimately containing my gps, compass, match box,a gigantic bag of trail mix and some first aid stuff. This might be a handy place to but a water pump since the pocket is large enough to hold one and being on the top of the bag will expose the contents to little stress. Also, you get a nice big bottom pouch for your sleeping bag and a good snapping strap to tie on something like a sleeping pad or roll up mattress. On top you have a bull tight bungee strap type mesh thing to lash on small items.
Now while this bag is massive, it's really not any bigger than your average framed pack in terms of the car or tent space it occupies. A lot of it's alleged size comes from the way the internal main compartment is set up and from the outer pockets. If you are a smaller person though I think you may want to consider a different bag, I haven't tried syncing this pack up to the smaller sizes, but it looks to me like it would make you sort of top heavy if you moved the adjuster down by more than maybe one size or two. But that said being 6'2 this pack fits me like a glove.
The plastic on the snap on the belt feels a little flimsy so I'm not sure how long it will hold up, but it hasn't cracked or anything so this may not be a place to concern yourself. If it were to break I imagine it could be easily replaced with a higher quality one.
Well what else can be said of this pack. I'm suspicious of how it will hold up long term compared to say a Kelty, but the benefits definitely warrant the purchase of this bag if you have a long torso, a lot of stuff, are just physically big, or want great compartments.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
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