I've been on the lookout for a smallish pack that I could use as a day sack or even on an overnight bivi. I've looked at a few modern plastic packs but they just didn't do it for me. Nothing wrong with them I suppose but they didn't seem to have any soul, mojo, you know the kind of thing.
I looked at some of the American canvas packs but they seem very expensive for what they are so I was very interested to find this German Army Mountain Pack on the Endicotts web site and I thought I would order one to try it out. ( No connection blah blah..)
First impressions; It's well made from a heavy duty cotton canvas, it has no internal frame which means you have to think a little about how you are going to pack it. The main lid and the pocket lids are lined with something that looks like heavy PVC and the same material is used on the bottom as a weatherproof base.
A nice little detail which I hadn't noticed from the pictures is there is an open sleeve between the pockets and the pack that means something like an axe could be slipped between them for carrying.
The shoulder straps are well padded, comfortable and easy to adjust, the web site mentioned a "Facility for a 25mm Waist Strap" but I couldn't see any practical way of achieving that. No great problem, I don't like waist straps on small packs anyway.
The four main closure buckles are sturdy but of a weird design. They work well but are a bit of a pain to adjust. Maybe I'm missing something but that could have been better thought out. There are 4 strong looking nylon D rings on the lid for tying stuff onto and six places under the cotton webbing that could be used too.
Time to see what it will hold.
The outer pockets are a tiny bit short for a one litre bottle of the "Sigg" type but take the "Naglene" type perfectly. I can fit a light weight poncho in the other one and that is my immediate access gear sorted.
Inside the pack there is a pocket covering the back area with a couple of tabs to hold things in. It's just the right size for my 3m square tarp folded up and that provides padding and some shape to the back of the pack.
A four season down bag in the bottom of the pack in it's own dry bag and a "Thermarest" type mat rolled up on top, leaves just enough room for my hobo stove, a bit of grub and a sit mat. Sorted.
Fully loaded without the food it weighs in at just under 8kg. No bother.
I'll take it out a bit tomorrow and give it a proper bit of lugging about and maybe get some pictures too.
I looked at some of the American canvas packs but they seem very expensive for what they are so I was very interested to find this German Army Mountain Pack on the Endicotts web site and I thought I would order one to try it out. ( No connection blah blah..)
First impressions; It's well made from a heavy duty cotton canvas, it has no internal frame which means you have to think a little about how you are going to pack it. The main lid and the pocket lids are lined with something that looks like heavy PVC and the same material is used on the bottom as a weatherproof base.
A nice little detail which I hadn't noticed from the pictures is there is an open sleeve between the pockets and the pack that means something like an axe could be slipped between them for carrying.
The shoulder straps are well padded, comfortable and easy to adjust, the web site mentioned a "Facility for a 25mm Waist Strap" but I couldn't see any practical way of achieving that. No great problem, I don't like waist straps on small packs anyway.
The four main closure buckles are sturdy but of a weird design. They work well but are a bit of a pain to adjust. Maybe I'm missing something but that could have been better thought out. There are 4 strong looking nylon D rings on the lid for tying stuff onto and six places under the cotton webbing that could be used too.
Time to see what it will hold.
The outer pockets are a tiny bit short for a one litre bottle of the "Sigg" type but take the "Naglene" type perfectly. I can fit a light weight poncho in the other one and that is my immediate access gear sorted.
Inside the pack there is a pocket covering the back area with a couple of tabs to hold things in. It's just the right size for my 3m square tarp folded up and that provides padding and some shape to the back of the pack.
A four season down bag in the bottom of the pack in it's own dry bag and a "Thermarest" type mat rolled up on top, leaves just enough room for my hobo stove, a bit of grub and a sit mat. Sorted.
Fully loaded without the food it weighs in at just under 8kg. No bother.
I'll take it out a bit tomorrow and give it a proper bit of lugging about and maybe get some pictures too.
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