Ortlieb Velocity Backpack 20 Litre

Advantages: Lighwreight well made rucksack
Disadvantages: There are to many straps

...I recently needed a new backpack because my old one was rather worn and large for my purposes. So of to good old ebay I go, on the hunt for a new one. Firstly I looked at the some of the sports bags like Adidas, Reebok and Nike. None of these however fitted my personal criteria. I was looking for something that would fit comfortably on my shoulders whilst on my bike. It needed to be practical, lightweight, with lots of compartments for my bits and pieces. So I have a look through the camping section on ebay and soon found the bag I was looking for, the Karrimor Vault 20. The bag itself is black and grey and has the Karrimor logo neatly stitched on the front, this looks like a union jack at first but on closer examination turns out to be two "K's" back to back in inverted colours one side being silver/black and the other black... Read review

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Advantages: High Volume and Superb stability with heavy loads
Disadvantages: Military image - olive green

...You don't see the Vulcan around much these days but I had one and it was a rock steady backpack. Manufactured by Berghaus for the serious mountaineer but affectionately used by the military and forces due to its high volume and stability when loaded to the maximum. Features 100litre volume with two detatchable side pockets (very useful for expeditioners who have trekked to a base camp and then require a day pack for day walks etc) - the pack comes with straps to turn the side pockets into a small backpack. A feature copied by many other manufacturers. Internal frame that can be moulded to your back. High density foam in the right areas to prevent chaffing and rubbing (eg hips, shoulders and lower back - good lumbar support) My one had a divider between the main sac - not sure that this was common but very useful to keep dirty... Read review

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Advantages: very comfortable, all day 3-4 season boot, all terrain, fully laden
Disadvantages: initial outlay is large but they will last for years. no half sizes

...for several days on the trot. They are suitable for most terrains and although not a mountaineers boot they are suitable for scrambling over rocks. They are classed as a 3 to 4 season boot which indicates they are suitable for all seasons except real bad winter conditions. The winters we get here now are fine but heavy, prolonged freezing cold conditions would require a more specialised boot as would climbing or scrambling in icy surroundings. These boots are also very suitable for use when carrying a fully laden multi-day backpack. The Berghaus GR20 GTX boots are available in either women’s or men’s; women’s sizes range from a 36 to a 42, men’s range from 39 to a 48. Increments are in full sizes only; they don’t do half sizes but the fittings are quite wide. A pair of size 36 weighs around 700g and a size 42 weighs around 850g so they aren... Read review

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