The new EXPED Verglas 30 appeared in Backpacker Magazine's Spring Gear Guide and is included in their 13 Best Hiking Backpacks of 2021. Here's their review:
When conditions soured, we reached for the Verglas . A PFC-free DWR treatment and waterproof PU coating work in tandem to keep out precip (caveat: it’s not seam-taped, so no dunking). In the name of testing, one Alaskan adventurer took the Verglas packrafting down the Knik River in nasty conditions. Despite splashes, driving rain, and a serious headwind, “My camera, puffy, and the other gear in my pack stayed dry,” he reports. The Verglas also withstands abrasion, due to a padded base and 210-denier nylon. Thanks to a snug, alpine-style fit and streamlined profile, the pack caused our Alaska tester no grief and didn’t sway during off-trail scrambles near Hatcher Pass. “The pack was comfortable even when overloaded with 25 pounds of climbing gear,” he says. (Credit goes to a rigid foam polyethylene backpanel.) Shoulder straps also attach directly to the pack bottom, which better directs loads to the wearer’s pelvis. The Verglas sports toggles for dual ice-axe carry, secure compression straps, and a removable backpanel that doubles as a sit pad.