Apologies about the picture. Those of you who are observant may have noticed the 35L sign on the front whereas I am reviewing the 45L, the only difference from the picture is the 45L so it should not make too much difference (Pedantic Pats)
I bought this bag not long before heading off to Nepal in March so I didn't have much time to field test it before the trek. I had bought a smaller Hi-Tec backpack before this one which to be fair served me well, but in recent walks in the mountains I found more and more frequently the bag was getting very tight once fully loaded. The bag was a 25L-30L capacity but I found I was really having to jam everything into it before setting off.
This backpack I bought from a reputable store (online) from the UK from whom I have bought a few items in the past. It cost 39.95GBP which equate to a little under €50 including delivery costs. That is pretty good value as comparable backpacks (not exactly the same bag) cost €30 to €40 more in the stores in Ireland. You do get the advantage however of trying them on and picking one that fits your back but when push comes to shove for me cost always matters more.
The backpack itself it very well equipped and is made from hard-wearing polyester. Nearly all backpacks at the moment boast some sort of Airmesh back which allows for ventilation and this one is no different. There is a zipped lid and a cord fastening so at least if your zips break your backpack remains closed.
One feature I was looking for that my old backpack is the built in rain cover. On some bags I had seen the covers are not built in meaning on a really windy day luminous rain covers can be seen flying around Wicklow, this one however is securely attached to my backpack and neatly tucks away.
There is a frontal storage pocket which seems to fit perfectly around my Water hydration bladder which is an added bonus, my hydration bladder has a tendency to leak so being able to keep it separate from all my other gear is an advantage.
There is a padded hip belt as well as a chest strap, these are great and keep the strain off the shoulders. I used to get pains in my shoulder after particularly long walks and since getting this backpack they have been far less severe. The chest strap helps with that. Like most modern backpacks there are straps for securing walking poles, there are 2 external sides pockets for drinks bottles, flasks etc and 2 side zipped pockets for additional items. For tightening up the entire load there are side compression straps although I have not needed those as of yet.
Some drawbacks that I have found with the backpack relates to the strap quality. The frontal straps for closing the bag and securing it around your waist was extremely fragile. Now I managed to change them easily with my old bag but nevertheless it is a quality concern.
Another down side, while small is the colour. There is some cream / white elements on the bag which after a good soaking in Nepal turned the bag a very dirty colour. One I am still cleaning. This is not a major issue but if you want to use the bag for other reason, flying, gym, weekend away etc. it makes you think again.
All in all I am very happy with this backpack, it does everything I need it to do, fits all my gear comfortable and so far at least seems to be quite robust. I give this backpack a rating of 3.5 out of 5. Some areas could be improved upon but altogether a good choice for a backpack.
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