Helikon-tex continues to knock em out of the park. This pack is perfect for an overnighter. I love camping in the woods and only taking what I can carry, and this pack is perfect for that task. If you're smart and know how to pack you can squeeze 2 nights out of this pack. Just make sure you have a way to Filter water because carrying 2 days and nights of water is HARD. Anyways, back to pack; it feels sturdy and made with quality. The 3 pouches on the front are freakin deep and huge. I love having all my "kits" organized and ready to grab without having to dig through layers. Between the 3 pouches I'm able to hold my cooking kit, my "stake, cordage and duct tape" kit, and my cutting tool and maintenance kit. The massive internal pouch holds my sleep system and first aid kit; I still have lots of room leftover for food and extra odds and ends. If you really want this to be the LAST camping pack you'll ever need i suggest also buying the essential pouch or E&E pouch (also made by helikon-tex) and attaching it to the molle webbing on the Matilda. I love love LOVE this pack.The only con is that the shoulder straps were NOT made to hold 40+ lbs. It will handle it no problem but your body may not. They are not cushioned enough to handle that much weight and it will be uncomfortable to walk with further than a mile. I load my Matilda and attached essential pouch with 31 lbs and the straps dont hurt me as long as I fasten the waist trap good and snug. This is not a pack designed for comfort hiking 10+ miles. It's more for parking your truck offloading and hike 3 miles or less 1 way. It's not a CON, but just know this pack was not designed for loading 45 lbs and hiking 10 + miles.However, It's the weekend pack to end all weekend packs IMPO.I love it. I will definitely buy a 2nd one just in case my 1st one ever gets destroyed, but its built so tough, that scenario may never happen.If you read this full review then you must really want this pack and were just looking for reassurance. Just buy it!UPDATED 5/21/20I've noticed many of the negative reviews of this pack claim that adjusting the waist strap on the fly is a hassle or nightmare.I however have not encountered this problem. The waist strap is actually quite simple for me to adjust even while wearing the whole fully loaded pack. Here's what I do: put the pack on and buckle the waist belt. If it's too lose just grab both of the straps hanging out of it that should be dangling right in front of you. Take one in each hand (left in left hand, right in right hand) and pull them out and across your body, like you're making an "X". If they dont make a smooth "X" it's ok to pull one across and then the other. You will feel it tighten on your body.To loosen the pack once tightened: locate the 2 strap adjusters on the waist belt. Once buckled, place your 2 index fingers on the buckle and move your fingers away from it until you touch the next plastic piece. This piece is how you loosen the waist belt. Simple take your index and middle finger, grip underneath the plastic adjuster and pull up on it (the waist belt will loosen). Reapeat on other side or do both at the same time.Sorry if I had to go into 8th grade detail but I was confused about how others were confused of how to do this. I tried to break it down as simply as I could without drawing and coloring a pop-up book.Hope this helps ?I love this pack . It’s built tough . Can stuff it , stretch things and it stays looking like new . I’d like to modify a few little things in it but all in all is great ! I’ve not had it completely packed with all of my long trip gear yet . ( I don’t have the lightest gear , I buy tough gear to last n sometimes it’s not so light ) I wonder how it will ride sticking out so far with the weight but trying it on n walking a few hundred yards at home wasn’t bad at all ! I had no food then either but . I would guess it’s close to 45 lbs .no scale to verify yet . Have not had main compartment completely full yet either , ran out of stuff I wanted to take ! It was a short hike/overnighter . Basically practice with gear and pack , trying it out . Planning a full pack , in my woods before the real deal . Nothing crazy just never backpack camped before . Either car camp or camper or had hunting cabin . Getting into hammock n tarp now . I’m packed with redundancy , knife for cooking/fish cleaning one for wood processing , extra knife for ? Hatchet , bow saw , hand saw . Stainless cookware , 2liter bladder , collapsible pole n micro reel , water purification cup n water bottle , first aid kit , candle n holder , wood stove , alcohol stove ,cordage , warm clothing , down sleeping bag, sleeping clothing , and other needed stuff for a trip I’m planning . That being said , there is lots of room yet ! I really like this pack , for the money , it’s well worth the $99 Hope this ramble helps yaUPDATE ; The ability to organize so much better than I was accustomed to is such a great benefit for me with this pack . I wish it were more waterproof . It actually will soak in some moisture even , as far as holding it in the fabric . Not a deal killer by any means for me but would be awesome if it was water resistant at least . That being said , spraying it with silicone spray is a decent option , helps a lot anyway . The only thing I make sure to do is always hang it or sit it down on a dry whatever . I have recently cut a piece of waterproof material I found as a lightweight , completely waterproof material (?) and incorporated it as a type of rain cover/ground cloth . Mostly from damp ground and foliage though , I tend to not use the pack in real wet conditions so far . Have been blessed with good weather/conditions most of the time I’ve taken the pack out . $99 is a great value . I’ve heard it up to over $150 now ,... not sure if it’s a $150 bag but if your in need/want , that’s not a crazy price . I’ve had lots of different additions to my bad via the webbing , from roll up tinder pouch on the belt , to small fire kit possibles bag , and a “kitchen” bag for quick coffee/tea , food knife ect . It’s a great bag in most aspects. I want to share the details of my packing experiences to help others decide on it . It’s a great bag for short few overnight trips n for gear organization . It holds a lot of gear comfortably . Be careful though , it will make you a gear head or a bigger one ! I now have most of my gear in lightweight roll top bags n stuff sacks, all water proof or very water resistant . I am very happy with this bag all in all . Hope the rambling helps yaI have been looking for a Bushcraft backpack for a while now that was medium in size and I stumbled upon this helikon-tex Matilda backpack and after watching a few videos on YouTube and reading some other reviews I decided to purchase from Amazon. I wanted something molle compatible, lightweight, and with enough space for most of my gear. I also wanted something that was quality and will last me a decent amount of time. I also didn't want to pay a lot of money for something that I'm going to be carrying through the woods and abusing pretty hard on my adventures. My initial impression of this backpack was that it is sturdy and has enough room to store everything I need and after transferring all the stuff from my old backpack into this I have to say that this backpack is more superior than most I have used. I can organize my stuff way better and in a less cluttered and easy to find way. This backpack has a plastic support piece with an aluminum bar down the middle so it stays stiff and is really comfortable on the back. the shoulder straps are also very comfortable and very sturdy and do not feel cheap whatsoever. The waist strap also helps to keep the load on your hips and works fine but I will probably switch it out for a better one. Just personal preference. It can be removed easily. So I decided to wait until I went out in the woods and tried it out to give a review and I have to say that for a hundred dollars that this was one of the best purchases I've made for the outdoors. This has made my travels more comfortable and keeps me more organized. Great product from a great company.been looking a this and another bag as my main kit to take on hiking and bushcraft trips. I took the plunge with this after recommendations from countless video reviews. I love the pouch system its keeps everything organised instead of having to search through a rucksack bin. the mole attachment it fantastic already have pouches attached etc. in my main compartment currently I have my sleeping bag, sleeping mat, pillow, bivvy bag, jungle blanket, spare clothes and tarp outside pouches contain cooking set, first aid kit and food (ordered a bottle pouch and a first aid pouch as well) will update the review as I will be away on a 2 day expedition soon! straps feel comfy and not overbearing when it is fully loaded fingers crossed my positivity will stay!Update 28th march 2022 recently used this bag on a two day expedition in the mountains. This was perfect for me. if you have broad shoulders and good upper body strength this pack sits more and places weight on shoulders which is perfect for me. I don't like bags that place weight on hips as it makes me less mobile. with this compared to a usual rucksack I was like the Duracell bunny freed up leg weight knew what kit was where and very comfortable for me as well. Others on the expedition wondered how I fitted all the equipment in. this took max capacity very well!will update about wear and tear in the next coupe of months! still for me a 5* product!Looked great out the bag, however that’s where it stopped for meMain bag ripped across thread line first trip out and 2 tips appeared on external pouch second tripLooks and feels real light weight.The pack is very light, well built, spacious, and above all very comfortable even under full load. The shoulder straps are thick and so is the hip belt. Everything is well thought, no straps are dangling. Plenty of mole attachment points, hydro sys holes, and a bladder clip. Very happy with the purchase!Fantastic small pack, that holds more than you'd think. The molle straps allow a lot more to be added. Very comfortable and can hold a lot of weight easilyCame very quick and spot on, I haven't used it yet but will use it when I do the Welsh 3000 in June 2021 and give you a update