Yep the monsoon can get uncomfortable if you load it to its max capacity, far more so than a same capacity two shoulder strap with sternum support backpack would be. It does shine in urban environments, where one can be crammed into tight areas with other people or forced to queue. One twist of the pack and you can be sure noone will be playing with your zippers without your knowledge. I find the bottle carrier on it is not as useful as its cracked up to be, it would have been nicer to see MOLLE webbing there in its stead. The hydration bladder pocket is also something that would have been better left to parallel carry backpack designs and not these unistrap slingers. Out of all the slingers it has a few tricks up its sleeve when it comes to loading options, the two compression tapes near its base can be used to secure a thin jacket externally to the pack incase of a sudden downpour so long as its nothing thicker than poncho or single layer waterproof. The pockets along the sternum strap are all but useful as they conform very tightly to the waist and make removal of contents a very finicky affair. The main compartment is roomy but screams out for proper organisation solutions, the two grommets along the forward face of that pocket have not proven any use to me. Perhaps Maxpedition could Gurutate on what they are really there for.
