The best piece of gear I’ve ever bought is a McHale critical mass pack. Custom fit and made of dyneema fabric (not dyneema blend). I’ve been backpack hunting since 2003 every year for stonesheep with other backpack hunts mixed in as well and I think this pack is great. I bought it in 2011. Before that I had Kifaru Longhunter, and before that a Serratus and Camptrails external frame. The Kifaru was a great pack but just didn’t fit my body shape very well. The McHale Critical Mass was a big improvement and although it’s expensive, it was worth every penny for me. My brother watched my lack of pack related suffering for a few years until he finally sold his Barney’s pack and ordered a McHale and loves his as well.
Yeti said he wanted to cry once, not sob for a week!
You are correct though, McHale packs are very good, as they should be for what you pay. I have a CMII also and it set me back $1k when I bought it, but more comfortable than any other pack I've had, including Kifaru. The same pack today would probably be close to $1400.
