I'm a big Merrill Fan, so I was surprised to see the fabric beginning to fray at some seams, brand new, even before I stuff it to the max and put those seams under pressure. My interpretation of this is that the fabric might have been so precisely cut that there is no slack, zero, and so there isn't quite enough fabric and where there is a wobble in the stitching, the seam comes close to having no fabric. But it is a really, really pretty pack and it is going to fit my exact needs perfectly. I've started using the pack and one important person looked at me, noticed the pack, and smiled approvingly. It's so pretty, it makes people smile. Mine is shiny blue, with silver. The reason I chose this pack in the first place is because of the built-in rain cover. The size, the comfort, the fit, the color, they hydration bag slot in the top, the weight, for all those reasons I ranked it a 5 star, but took one star away for the slightly fraying fabric. The pack design, as it fits one's back, is excellent, with coolness, breathability, and just a good feel on the back. It is not so much my pack that is the disappointment, but it takes away from what I thought buying Merrill meant, high quality footwear. It is going to rip up quicker than a true high-quality pack, but it is so cool in every other way, I'm just going to enjoy it anyway, and chalk it up to a sign of our times. Thanks for a fine product. Tamar, Seattle