I have had this pack for almost a month now and so far I am extremely impressed. It has a ton of room at over 6000 cu-ins, but can be compressed to run as a day pack. Should you choose not to have the full pack, the lid with two pockets has built in shoulder straps and can also be used as a day pack or just to carry essentials while closing in on your game. I mainly bought this pack for the ability to use the elongated pockets on the pack's exterior for my spotting scope. I have the Vortex Razor 27-60x85 and it will fit in these pockets. I have loaded it down with gear and it will cinch down nicely without compromising comfort.