Does anybody have any oppinions about the following gear

[Lesley]

On one trek my mother, suzglass, and I swapped packs, so I've hiked with both the Jade 50 and a GoLite womens pack.  Both are really great packs and are similar in design.   Both have one main top loading compartment and a front pouch.  The Jade 50 has another smaller pouch that covers the top of the main compartment and can cinch down to really compress the load.  That is where my headlamp lives.  I found the weight of the frame vs frameless to be negligible, but my mom preferres the light feel of the frameless GoLite.  The GoLite hugs the body better and fits closer than the Jade, which had some suspension built in to add some air flow to the lumbar region - a lifesaver for me.  Both packs fit well and neither has any slouch once you get them adjusted.  As far as actual sizing goes we had some fun.  I'm a solid medium in both circumference and torso lenght.  My mom has a long torso but small middle and finding a pack to fit her middle and length was a challenge. I'm really pleased with my Jade 50 and would recommend it to any woman getting into backpacking, but it's all personal preference. My feeling is: less is more. Try a few on, see what fits and doesn't, and what pinches where.  Matt will probably go on for day about his z55, be warned.
Happy trails...

[Rob]

Thanks for the reply Merlesray. It is always good to get the opinion of those who are actually using the gear. We recently went to A.O. and I had her try it on, she seemed to like the fit but said she wasn't sure about the capacity........ ....... You see she only wants a pack big enough to carry a Snickers bar and a bottle of water! LOL
But take her to the mall and she can easily lug six of those oversized shopping bags. Guess that's her way of letting me know she doesn't intend on going on any overniters.  Happy Trails...... Rob