TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
- 4,000 cubic inches / 65 Liters; 5.0 lbs.
- Dual aluminum stays adjust to the contour of your back
- Padded shoulder straps, padded waist belts and padded lumbar area for maximum comfort – with airflow system to reduce heat
- Full length adjustable torso and adjustable shoulder straps for a more comfortable fit
- Separate sleeping bag compartment
The Explorer 4000 is packed with features normally found only on more expensive backpacks. A full length adjustable torso allows this pack to be adjusted for those 5′1″ all the way up to 6′4″. The padded back and airflow system provides padding in the perfect spots while allowing substantial airflow to prevent your back from getting too hot. Its contoured shoulder, lumbar, and hip pads help ensure a comfortable trip. The Explorer4000 also features a padded water bladder pocket for your favorite water bladder up to 3 liters in size. Side zippered pockets, mesh pockets, and a top zippered pocket provide plenty of room for smaller accessories. There’s even two spots for walking sticks. A top-loading main compartment and a sleeping bag compartment complete the pack. Includes bright yellow attached rain fly and is hydration system ready.
Rating: 
(out of 22 reviews)
List Price: $ 124.99
Price:
Related Products
{ 5 comments }
Review by Curt Daniels for TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
Rating:
I read the earlier review about the sleeping bag pocket being too small, but bought this backpack anyway. Sure enough, you weren’t lying! As soon as I took the backpack out of the box, I grabbed my sleeping bag and tried to stuff it in there. After about 5 minutes of jockying it around, I did manage to BARELY get the thing zipped up. However, the sleeping bag I used is my summer bag. If I tried to stuff my winter bag in there, with bivy sack and stuff sack, there’s no way it would all fit. This can be a problem if you’re intending on doing a legitimate backpacking trip in high altitudes with cold weather. All this being said, I’m in the Army and I take a different approach to this issue than most civilian hikers probably do. In my opinion, you don’t need to have your sleeping bag available for quick access. The only time you use it is at night, when you’ll have time to dig in your bag and get it anyway. Since the sleeping bag pocket is too small, just throw your sleeping bag in the big compartment…this compartment is large enough to easily hold a winter bag. Use the sleeping bag compartment for more important items that you might actually need to access quickly (medical kit, rain gear, flashlight, signaling device, GPS, knife, etc.) Therefore, problem solved. No need to return the bag.
Another negative I saw mentioned in a previous review is all the excess straps that hang loose. Not a problem…just get some 100mph tape and tie it all down. Too easy.
The rest of the pack seems to be quality. The material seems durable and there is a good deal of padding along the back and straps for a comfortable fit. Everything is adjustable so you won’t have any problems getting this backpack to fit all shapes and sizes of hikers. It also has a quickly accessible rain cover which will definitely come in handy during those suprise thunderstorms.
All in all, this pack seems to be pretty reasonable for the price you pay. I’m going to Colorado for a 3 day hike soon and will be taking this pack with me. I’ll update this review upon return to let you know how it holds up in the elements.
Review by A. PRESING for TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
Rating:
This is my initial review on the bag. I will add a followup review after a 3 day backpacking trip next weekend.
Pros: (Quite a few, generally happy with initial inspection)
Lots of adjustments
A decent number of pockets and options for storage(example would be a mesh velcro pocket on the face of the bag good for maps, energy bars, etc.)
Straps seem to be of decent overall quality, and there is what looks like a sleeping bag/sleeping pad strap near the bottom of the bag. There is also two straps on the very top of the bag that seem like they could be used to strap something down. Nice to have the option to securely strap some gear to the outside of the bag.
2 Mesh water bottle pockets on either side, couldn’t tell by the product description or pictures but they are there! Phew.
Bright Yellow Rain Cover is located in a nifty pocket at the very bottom of the bag, nice feature.
A few loops on the outside for strapping things down.
Holds up to a 3 liter bladder with an exit whole and clips to keep in reach.
Seems to be of Durable build and quality. Field tests soon.
Cons: (Only one real con for me, two cons if you are taller)
Sleeping bag compartment is SMALL, well actually its initially more of an issue with it’s opening. I have a decently small winter bag that I can’t fit in when its in it’s stuff sack, at all. If I take the bag out of the stuff sack and stuff it into the compartment, it just BARELY fits, nice to know that it could though. For me, I will most likely use the straps on the outside of the bag to hold my sleeping bag, I have hooked it up and it seems to work pretty well(Almost like it was made to hold a sleeping bag). 4000ci is not that much room for a winter backpacking trip so having my sleeping bag on the outside will create a decent amount of space for say my clothes, sleeping pad, and cooking gear in the sleeping bag compartment. If you are someone who must have a sleeping bag compartment, this will work for summer camping but a winter sleeping bag will be very tough to fit in, the one and only con for me but big enough to deter some people. If you are someone who doesn’t mind sticking the sleeping bag on the outside where it would work out just fine in the bag’s straps, then this con is not that much of an issue.
Not for TALL people. This bag seems to fit me ok but I am not a very big guy. I’m about 5′9 – 5′10 and it is a close fit. I think it will work just perfectly for me but if you are above 6 ft or anything, beware(then again I am pretty new to backpacking and this is MY first pack).
Overall:
In the end, I bought this smaller bag over the cheaper and larger cuscus bags because of the many reviews those had with cheap build quality. They get a lot of space with their big bag but have a lot of issues with bag quality. I sacrificed some space for quality and extra features. I am a little disappointed by the small backpack compartment but if I have my pack on the outside, this bag should work quite perfectly. I’d say for summer camping this bag is Perfect and for winter camping, if you can stick your sleeping bag on the outside, this bag is near-perfect. I will do an update in about a week after I give this bag a good hard test.
4/5 stars for not being 100% “perfect” but an overall good bag.
UPDATE:
Went for my November 3 day backpacking trip and this bag performed perfectly. Was comfortable and carried all of my gear with ease. I was able to pack up everything and more. The pack worked as good as I hoped it would and with the sleeping bag in the straps on the outside, it was a non-issue. No complaints, no problems, this bag is awesome. Great deal. Love it.
Review by ish824 for TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
Rating:
I got this bag about a month ago and have used it twice since then- once at a music festival, once backpacking. I was able to fit my tent, clothes for 3 days, one jacket, one hoodie, one sweatshirt, and some food in the main compartment of the bag when I went backpacking, and I still had room left over. The pockets are GREAT- 3 zippered pockets, 3 mesh pockets, and 2 in the lid. My only complaints are that the zippers on the sleeping bag compartment are hard to open and close, and the compartment is a little small, but I have a larger mummy bag and was able to cram it in there.
Review by Camilo Velez for TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
Rating:
I bought this backpack and took it to south east Asia for three weeks, great purchase! Although it is a little heavy (5.6 pounds), it is very well built, the quality of its materials is very good and the attached rain fly is very useful. It feels good and the weight is well balanced between your hips and your shoulders, so its easy to carry and to adapt to different users. For this price, I recommend it, great purchase! The only downside of this backpack is its weight, that’s why I don’t give it five stars.
Review by B. Dobson for TETON Sports Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack
Rating:
I must start by saying that I’ve grown very fond of this bag. I’ve been backpacking and WWOOFing through Europe for over 9 months and I still have a few to go. This bag is basically my home.
Let’s start with the pros. PRICE – quite affordable for a bag of its class. There are many convenient pockets and straps. I’m able to fit everything I need to survive. It’s effectively waterproof and has the rain-fly thing for heavier rains. The material is extremely durable – hardly a scuff on it and not a single tear in any of the fabric (seams are another story; see below). It shrinks down alright when not fully stuffed. And most importantly, when adjusted correctly, it IS comfortable. This is crucial for me, as I’ve been doing a fair amount of hitchhiking and find myself walking 5-15km at a stretch if is lady luck isn’t shining.
If it’s got all of those pros, what cons could possibly drive me to only give it 3 out of 5 stars? The seams. Zippers, straps and buckles have busted seams. It started VERY early. Within only a couple weeks of use, the inner adjustable velcro strap that folds over the left-side interior aluminum back brace tore its top seam; the bag has sat crooked since then. The seam around the zipper on the bottom where the rain-fly is stored is giving way, and I’ve used that only a handful of times. After about 2 months of heavy use, the seam holding the buckle on the bottom right strap broke, as did the lowest of the four seams connecting that strap to the front mesh pocket area (I used these straps to hold my heavy coat when I’m not wearing it – I was able to reattach the buckle using duct tape, needle and thread). Luckily, none of these have been enough to put the bag out of commission.
One final minor annoyance, but not necessarily enough to detract from the merit of the bag, is that I wish rain-fly were slightly larger. I have to store my sleeping bag on top, and with the bag strapped up there the rain-fly simply doesn’t cover it all.
In conclusion, I really do like the bag and I hope to get many more years out of it. But to have seams busting within the first month of use is unacceptable. Regardless, what’s done is done. I will simply try my hardest to repair these issues when I get back stateside and have the luxury of actually emptying the bag of all its contents – a rather daunting task, I assure you.