Deuter Race X Air I with 3 Liter Hydration Pack

Good for commuters
Bike commuting? Go with the Race X Air II - it gives you more room but not more bulk than this one. As a woman commuter finding a bag was tricky but I'm very happy with the Dueter bags - the web panel on the back acts like a trampoline keeping the contents of the bag off your back. This is a great feature for people who tend to overheat like me. I was worried the shoulders would be too wide since Dueter makes women specific packs but found this to be a good fit. The bag is really light and almost impossible to pack completely full (the Race X Air II that is). The downsides to this bag are the zippers - they don't open the bag up all the way. This makes it difficult to air the bag out after storing your sweaty commuter clothes in it all day. However, the fit and the back cooling system are unmatched in the other bags I looked at so the zipper gripe is minor.

Great pack
We used this on a recent trip to Disney world and plan to take it on many hikes this summer. The water stayed cool and was great for storing a few snacks and a lightweight jacket.

Great but not perfect
This is my second of these packs. Two features attracted me to them in the first place: The web panel that holds the pack away from your back, and the web shoulder straps that breath or let air thru. Both of those features work! The new Race X that I just bought has a different 3 lite bladder and it is a good one. Better than the one in the first pack I bought which I replaced with another 100 oz name brand bladder. This new Deuter bladder has a wide mouth fill opening that has a fold-over closure with a sliding clip. It works great, easy to use, allows cleaning the inside, and it doesn't leak. The only problem I had with the first pack, which by the way I used hard mtn biking for probably five years, is the zipper on the smaller compartment died. If I was king I would like bigger, beefier zippers. The zippers Deuter uses and too light weight in my opinion. I just bought the second pack so I guess it was not a deal killer. The new pack also has two mesh side pockets that the first one didn't have and that's a handy feature.