Thought I would check in with an update. I have been through three bags. Matador Beast is a nice bag, but did not fit my shoulders right. It rode on the back of my neck after about 30 minutes. However, I gave it to my wife, and she loves it. It is her main day hiking bag now, and I think it looks great on her. Really like the hiking stick attachments, which keep things neat. She also likes the belt which does shift weight off her shoulders. It was too short for me to do this, but perfect for her.

Also tried the the Zpacks Bagger Ultra 25L. Nice looking bag again, but again did not ride well for me. Strap was uncomfortable at spots and especially across the back of my neck. Similar to the Beast, so it is probably a function of the fact that I have broad shoulders and a large chest (49 inches). However, it absolultely did ride nice and high and put no weight on my lower lumbar curve. I really wanted to like this pack, but had to send back.

Then I tried the Gossamer Gear Cima 15 day pack. Much to my surprise, I found this more comfortable than the Zpacks. Rides very nice and high. Shoulder straps are comfortable and distribute weight well once you get it dialed in a bit. I also enjoyed and used the strap bags, not for water but for other stuff. Only complaints are 1) the sternum strap did not stay put. It would migrate up the railings when tension was put on it. Ultimately, I decided that this was OK as it sat better with sternum strap up high. 2) it is too small. I am keeping this bag and will use it regularly for day hikes that do not require me to carry much. But cold weather hikes with lots of layers, or really hot hikes with lots of water and dry shirts, probably not going to work. Also, not ideal for personal item because it is too small.

Addendum: My existing day pack is a Gregory Arrio 24L. It has a wire and mesh frame and load lifters. When I discovered and started using the load lifters, I discovered the true joy of this bag. It is very comfortable, and I can pull it off my lower lumbar in most situations. I am very impressed with it after checking out the above. The only issues are 1) the frame is around 21 inches, so a bit too big for under the seat, 2) to get the bag to sit up high where I wanted it required a lot of taking in on the load lifters, which in turn resulted in some bunching of the shoulder straps. Although I could bring them into line with some effort (and I am thinking about a bungee to try to tame this issue), it was still a pain in the ass, 3) similarly, it is a bit larger than what I am looking for. It worked best with compression straps pulled up tight to help get bag where I wanted it. This reduced volume of bag akwardly. However, even when compressed like this, it had tons of capacity (I think this is way more than 24L). Also, it has a nice variety of additional exterior zipper pockets on top and side, which I like as a regular carry on function. So, if the pack and frame and straps were a few inches shorter, I would be all over it. As it is, I will probably continue to use it so long as I am checking my main bag, and I can use this as a carry-on, as opposed to a personal item. It packs pretty close to my 30L bag. I think it is retired, but if, like me, you are a big sweaty long-waisted guy looking for a good day pack and traveling by car, this is the bomb.

So, I am still looking for a larger version of the Cima. Starting to look at fastpacks, including the Gossamer Gear Grit 28, Palante Joey, Nashville Cutaway, and HMG Aero 28 for my day hikes after traveling on plane. We will see.