Back home I'd gotten a package of guide books and my pack returned. I really liked a lot of things about my Eagle Creek pack. I had a few pet peves, but it was as good as any of the other travel packs I've seen and better than most. I'd sent it in to have the zippers repaired (Eagle Creek covered this even though it's a '95 pack) - they send me back an entirely new pack - the '99 model which has fixed most of my complaints! This company rocks for customer service. Spent the rest of th night going through the guide books I'd ordered from Amazon. It looks like I'm going to need a Madagascar visa - but no idea how / where to get one.