I bought this pack for a multiday fastpacking adventure in Scotland. I could fit everything I needed for bivvying outside and general survival in the Scottish wilderness. The pockets are well designed. I like the roll top closure of the main compartment. I put a dry bag inside it, as I was using it in Scotland with a wet forecast, so I have no idea how water resistant the fabric of the pack is. It is light but also appears to be quite durable. However there are a few things which are really annoying.
The chest straps are elasticated, which means they don't hold in the position I set them at, when I start running. Any degree of bounce makes them come loose within seconds. I had to tie a knot in them about 200m into my first run with the pack, defeating the whole point in having adjustable straps, as now I can only adjust them to account for more/less layers of clothing with extreme difficulty. They need to be made of non-elasticated webbing, as on my other packs, which hold in place far more securely. There is no need for elasticated chest straps. Anything across the chest that has more stretch than a sports bra is pointless.
I had to buy this pack, as the women's trailblazer packs of similar capacity are more than double the weight of this one and I needed everything to be as light weight as possible. It would appear that Montane don't believe that women are capable of fastpacking, or they would have a womens specific Trailblazer LT pack. This matters because…
