Mountain Warehouse High 50L Rucksack

It seems that Mountain Warehouse have recently cottoned-on to the use of hillwalking bloggers as part of a marketing strategy judging by Judith’s recent review of a nice red jacket which she was disporting on our recent walkies around Cadair Idris and which she writes about here

To exactly the same end, Mountain Warehouse recently (well, fairly recently anyway) sent me two rucksacks. This was part of my charity-fund raising strategy where I ask either for a payment for reviewing something , or extra kit which can be sold. As it happens, they sent me two different packs, so I sold one and used the other – the High 50L pack for review.

The Mountain Warehouse has details about the pack here and the pictures here are better than mine and there’s a magnifying-glass thingy so you can have a closer look.

I’ve been using this pack since the end of June on day walks and it’s done about 80 miles on my back and during this time it has replaced my ageing and veteran Mountain Equipment Trek 35.

It’s features are:

Air-mesh padded back

Chest strap

Adjustable shoulder straps

Lid bungee for a fleece (or whatever)

Large extendable collar with closure clip and lace clossure

Two closure straps with clips

Zipped lid pocket

Large compartment split into two, one with velcro closure

Compression straps

Two mesh bottle pockets

Hipe belt with two zipped pockets

Two ice-axe loops

This pack has a remarkable similarity to the pack I’ve just retired, except in a couple of major respects:

My old pack has two zipped side-pockets which despite forcing themselves open when the pack is full, are deep enough that not much falls out!

and

My old pack is supposed to be 35 litres, whereas the High 50L (presumably) is supposed to be 50 litres and – they’re both the same size.

Having said this, I can’t find much to fault the High 50L despite it’s very low price – you should be able to get one for around £30, although the full price is £60, but they’re usually on half price sale.

The ice-axe fitting on the 50L is actually better than on the Mountain Equipment pack where the axe flops around and dismembers passing ramblers if they get too close.

And it seems to be reasonably waterproof, having been subjected to a couple of lively summer thunderstorms and one full North Pennine drizzly mizzly day.

And it’s been fine in the hot weather in terms of not being specially sweaty across the back and so on – I have a notoriously sweaty back – and it’s comfy and so on.

So, I quite like this pack and I’ll continue to use it, despite the apparently inaccurate claim to 50 litres, cos I like to carry loads of stuff – mainly pies, obviously, but also things like group shelters for the Durham CC guided walks and first aid kits, spare hats, doggy treats,  pictures of Kylie and so on…

Thanks to Mountain Warehouse for the extra pack which I sold in short order with the proceeds going to Mind via this web page and if you have any other stuff you’d like to bung my way….

Incidentally – I’m wracking my very brains for taking the amount raised through the blog for  Mind through the final two hundred and seventy-five quid to it’s £1000 target, the principles of which are that nobody gets owt for nowt (unless they just want to give money and get a warm and fuzzy feeling). This means that despite my entry for this year’s North-East Skinny Dip at the autumn equinox, I won’t be asking for sponsors.   Here’s a link to the skinny dip facebook page where readers will find some vairy interestink news involving Robson Green….  skinny dip

Anyway, the point is, I’m encouraging ideas – and considering a prize for the best one…