• The Gen 2's membrane (the flat, main piece of fabric) is built to minimize seams and the amount of fabric used in the frame itself. This results in a stronger, yet lighter NICE frame than the Gen 1. It weighs 4lb 6oz.
• The new Futura yoke is lighter and reduces body contact area for better ventilation.
• The side compression straps on the early production Gen 1 have been replaced by female buckles. Compression straps have been moved to the packbags. The packbags are compatible with both generations of the NICE frame, and the ALICE frame of course. A strap kit is available that will adapt Gen 1 or 2 frames and packs to each other.

The area of the Futura yoke/framesheet that contacts the back is narrower than before. The Gen I NICE framesheet needed a 'slip tool' for torso length adjustments, which was a flat sheet of plastic that was inserted in between the framesheet and the frame, disengaging the velcro and allowing the framesheet to be adjusted up and down. The Gen 2 yoke now has a removable stiffener, which doubles as the slip tool. To adjust the yoke height, the stiffener is removed from its pocket in the yoke, and shoved in between the back of the yoke and the frame, disengaging the velcro and allowing the yoke to slide up and down. If the pack is being used alternately with and without body armour, and quick adjustments are necessary, I recommend making small marks with a marker on the yoke to indicate pre-set positions after setting the pack/frame up.

Also changed is the Load Carrier Accessory. The Gen 2 load carrier (go here for the Gen 1 load carrier writeup and photos) does away with the rubberized mesh 'wings' on the side; instead relying on the side and vertical compression straps to keep the load stabilized. The inner surface of the load carrier has a textured, rubberized non-slip surface. A fiberglass stiffener has been added to the outside. The side compression straps extend from the load carrier instead of from the frame - a change that was made quite early on in the product line.

The strap kit is partially illustrated in the far right photo. It includes four short straps for the side compression straps, and four long ones for vertical compression and lashing. They utilize National Molding's new non-slip male buckles. Under certain conditions, loads shifting or movement can cause straps to loosen up if tension is relieved, and the webbing starts working its way back through the buckle. The non-slip buckle incorporates a tensioned bar, which only allows the webbing to be pulled through when being tightened. The bar wedges itself when the webbing is pulled backwards. The bar is released by pressing on the front of the bar, and must be depressed while pulling the webbing back through the buckle. Releasing it locks the webbing again.

Side pockets and Hydro pocket - Say you've filled up that main bag and need more storage space. Here's where the origami comes in. By releasing all the compression straps, the main bag swings down to expose two vertical and separate long pockets behind it. Each pocket has a capacity of 450 c.i., and has a zippered opening on the sides. They can be accessed by disengaging only one or two of the compressions straps on that side.There is a stiffening sheet on the inside of each pocket. The two pockets connect to each other in the center with two side release buckles. By releasing the buckles, the two pockets swing outwards to expose the back panel pocket.
The Hydro pocket on the back panel has a zippered opening and will accomodate a hydration pouch (100 oz camelbak bladder shown in the pic below). It's not a flat pocket; it expands to a capacity of about 650 c.i. and is a good place to stow a jacket or rain gear. There's a hydration tube slot at the top of the compartment for routing of a bladder tube. There's some slack in the side pocket buckles to accomodate a full Hydro pocket.

The Crew Cab definitely has some surprises in store for those who haven't seen it. The key descriptive phrase would be 'and wait...there's more!'. Dana has gone outside the box and utilized the main bag and side pockets to form additional load-carrying space, instead of the familiar method of adding external pockets to a main pack bag. The Crew Cab/NICE frame combo offers a daypack, 3-day pack (or more), and load carrier, all in one self-contained, expandable unit.