I recently had cause to purchase a replacement rucksack when preparing for a holiday abroad.
Allow me to state here that I do not normally use a sack of this size for mountaineering work, preferring to have such an item so that I can tote my luggage around at airports, hotels, hostels etc and still maintain a "hands free" approach to carrying the families other necessities!
In past years I have used a Cobmaster 85 (I think), it seemed to be of reasonable size and rugged enough to withstand the rigours of airport luggage handling, yet not be so expensive should anything damage it. I was unable to find this old and trusted item following a rearrangement within our house, which necessitated the replacement! The same ideal of low cost but high expectation is what drew me to the Regatta range.
The item I bought from a local outdoor and home ware shop was a Regatta Survivor II in 100 litre size. The cost if I remember correctly was £34-99, which struck me, not only as reasonable, but downright cheap! The build appeared to be of reasonable quality and of suitable colour to meet my demands. Upon getting the item home and removing the manufacturers packaging, some surprises sprang to mind. There are more pockets than you could shake a stick at, despite being essentially a no external pocket design. The main compartment looks to be split 70/30ish and is separated by a drawstring flap. This means that you can have the flap open and have one huge 100-litre pocket (good for carrying long items) or tighten the cord for two separate pockets of the capacities mentioned.
In order, from the top down: -
An elastic cord at the very top, for attaching a foam sleeping mat.
Top pocket of about 4 litres capacity, with double opposing zip entry.
An internal valuables pocket, quite small but ideal for me to carry a Swiss Champion Survival kit, which is the size of a large wallet. Single zip access.
Main 70l pocket as mentioned, at the opening is a 20cm flap with a strong draw cord and cord lock.
Against the back, there is an internal pocket - which houses the internal frame. This frame consists of two metal strips on a plastic rectangle, the pocket can be used as a hidden storage should it be thought necessary.
Side pockets as long as the 70l pocket, one each side, single zip access.
Back pocket as long as the 70l pocket and about 25cm wide, single zip access.
The above three pockets are essentially flat but provide external storage for flat folded items or documents etc.
Secondary 30l pocket as mentioned, double opposing zip entry.
At the very bottom is a pocket housing a pack cover for use in the rain but other items can easily be carried in this pocket, it has single zip access.
Zips are covered with a generous storm flap and have a corded tag.
There are also a multitude of straps on this rucksack: -
Front edge of the top pocket more secure point of attachment for a sleep mat etc.
Corners of top flap to aid positioning of top flap when not filled to capacity.
Side pocket compression straps sewn around the side pockets these I found to be a real advantage when packing the sack with clothing as it meant I was able to tighten down the resulting pack to a good strong, dense lump!
Main and bottom pocket securing straps pretty standard these days with plastic snap fittings. They never slipped or gave way no matter how much I pulled at them.
Another set of straps around the bottom pocket for attaching a sleeping bag etc.
Load bearing.
The shoulder straps are very comfortable and have adjustment for pack/ shoulder height and chest size. It has a chest strap, which is fully adjustable for width and height and is elasticated. Im personally not a great fan of chest straps, but it did mean that when handing over the pack to the baggage handlers, I was able to wind the chest straps around the main carry straps and secure them together lessening the possibility of them getting caught on handling machinery and causing a rip or tear.
There is a good-sized waist strap with a snap fitting and was able to accommodate my generous waist measurement. This strap can be secured back to front i.e. fastened around the sack, again to prevent dangling straps and as compression for the lower half of the sack.
There is a carrying handle sewn between the shoulder strap securing points should it be necessary.
In use, the back is sufficiently padded to be comfortable with two strips of padding either side of the spine, and the waist area has padding across the width of the sack plus about 20cm on each side of the waist strap itself.
The entire range from Regatta has capacities from 15 litres up to the monster that I bought, and from the looks of the flagship, the rest of the range is of similar quality and strength to handle whatever you can throw at them. I have no reservation in recommending this range of rucksacks, especially to those looking for something from the budget end of the spectrum. It certainlt exceeded my expectations.
You can seet he range at http://www.regatta.com/productList.asp?a=3&b=15&d=8
All the best
Ogri the trog
Allow me to state here that I do not normally use a sack of this size for mountaineering work, preferring to have such an item so that I can tote my luggage around at airports, hotels, hostels etc and still maintain a "hands free" approach to carrying the families other necessities!
In past years I have used a Cobmaster 85 (I think), it seemed to be of reasonable size and rugged enough to withstand the rigours of airport luggage handling, yet not be so expensive should anything damage it. I was unable to find this old and trusted item following a rearrangement within our house, which necessitated the replacement! The same ideal of low cost but high expectation is what drew me to the Regatta range.
The item I bought from a local outdoor and home ware shop was a Regatta Survivor II in 100 litre size. The cost if I remember correctly was £34-99, which struck me, not only as reasonable, but downright cheap! The build appeared to be of reasonable quality and of suitable colour to meet my demands. Upon getting the item home and removing the manufacturers packaging, some surprises sprang to mind. There are more pockets than you could shake a stick at, despite being essentially a no external pocket design. The main compartment looks to be split 70/30ish and is separated by a drawstring flap. This means that you can have the flap open and have one huge 100-litre pocket (good for carrying long items) or tighten the cord for two separate pockets of the capacities mentioned.
In order, from the top down: -
An elastic cord at the very top, for attaching a foam sleeping mat.
Top pocket of about 4 litres capacity, with double opposing zip entry.
An internal valuables pocket, quite small but ideal for me to carry a Swiss Champion Survival kit, which is the size of a large wallet. Single zip access.
Main 70l pocket as mentioned, at the opening is a 20cm flap with a strong draw cord and cord lock.
Against the back, there is an internal pocket - which houses the internal frame. This frame consists of two metal strips on a plastic rectangle, the pocket can be used as a hidden storage should it be thought necessary.
Side pockets as long as the 70l pocket, one each side, single zip access.
Back pocket as long as the 70l pocket and about 25cm wide, single zip access.
The above three pockets are essentially flat but provide external storage for flat folded items or documents etc.
Secondary 30l pocket as mentioned, double opposing zip entry.
At the very bottom is a pocket housing a pack cover for use in the rain but other items can easily be carried in this pocket, it has single zip access.
Zips are covered with a generous storm flap and have a corded tag.
There are also a multitude of straps on this rucksack: -
Front edge of the top pocket more secure point of attachment for a sleep mat etc.
Corners of top flap to aid positioning of top flap when not filled to capacity.
Side pocket compression straps sewn around the side pockets these I found to be a real advantage when packing the sack with clothing as it meant I was able to tighten down the resulting pack to a good strong, dense lump!
Main and bottom pocket securing straps pretty standard these days with plastic snap fittings. They never slipped or gave way no matter how much I pulled at them.
Another set of straps around the bottom pocket for attaching a sleeping bag etc.
Load bearing.
The shoulder straps are very comfortable and have adjustment for pack/ shoulder height and chest size. It has a chest strap, which is fully adjustable for width and height and is elasticated. Im personally not a great fan of chest straps, but it did mean that when handing over the pack to the baggage handlers, I was able to wind the chest straps around the main carry straps and secure them together lessening the possibility of them getting caught on handling machinery and causing a rip or tear.
There is a good-sized waist strap with a snap fitting and was able to accommodate my generous waist measurement. This strap can be secured back to front i.e. fastened around the sack, again to prevent dangling straps and as compression for the lower half of the sack.
There is a carrying handle sewn between the shoulder strap securing points should it be necessary.
In use, the back is sufficiently padded to be comfortable with two strips of padding either side of the spine, and the waist area has padding across the width of the sack plus about 20cm on each side of the waist strap itself.
The entire range from Regatta has capacities from 15 litres up to the monster that I bought, and from the looks of the flagship, the rest of the range is of similar quality and strength to handle whatever you can throw at them. I have no reservation in recommending this range of rucksacks, especially to those looking for something from the budget end of the spectrum. It certainlt exceeded my expectations.
You can seet he range at http://www.regatta.com/productList.asp?a=3&b=15&d=8
All the best
Ogri the trog
