TGO Rating: 5
This is the first GoLite pack I’ve carried that can cope with a large load. Despite being a featherweight, the load only slumped after a long uphill pull, and once I’d resettled the pack it was back to balance.
TGO Rating: 3
This is an updated version of the pack that I recommended in my 2007 Big Pack test, which easily carried 15.6kg.
TGO Rating: 3.5
The Matrix 40 is comfortable and stable but also on the heavy side and quite expensive. It’s a substantial pack with tough fittings that should prove durable. Really it’s a scaled down big pack: 60 and 70 litre versions are available.
TGO Rating: 2
I really wanted to like this pack as it’s the first one I’ve tried made from recycled materials and manufactured so as to reduce the use of chemical dyes and excess material.
Lightwave’s new Fastpack is a light, tough, comfortable pack that is virtually waterproof as all the seams are taped or welded except those attaching the back panel, which are protected by the wearer’s back.
TGO Rating: 4
I generally don’t like packs with air gaps at the back as I find these catch the wind and hold the load away from your body, affecting stability, and I still get a sweaty back anyway.
The Odyssee 45 is a functional pack that performs well. The back system is supportive and comfortable with foam padded scapular pads holding the framesheet away from the back and a wide, well-padded hipbelt supporting the weight.
The Guide 45 is an adequate pack that carries okay and has a myriad pockets (well, 13, which seems a huge number). These are useful as long as you can remember where you put everything.
The Villain shows that lightweight packs can also be fully featured. It’s made from ultra-light Dyneema, which is extremely tough and my favourite material for packs.
Osprey has made some of the most innovative packs of recent years and the Kestrel continues this trend with a ridged ventilated foam back panel and bungee loops for storing trekking poles without removing the pack.
