Montane Trailblazer® 30L Backpack

I bought this as a winter pack for DofE expedition supervision and it has been brilliant. Thirty litres is the perfect size for all the kit required and the two shoulder strap pockets are perfect for nav equipment and my phone. The two large hip pockets are ideal for gloves, food and other quickly needed bits. The large elasticated pocket on the back is perfect for maps.

The only niggle is that the pocket on the top could be waterproof rather than mesh, but this is a very minor issue on an otherwise brilliant pack.

I was looking for something light weight, comfortable, compact with just enough room for overnight bivvying/fastpack/trailrunning

The positives,

- very comfortable and adjustable

- about perfect capacity for overnight bivvy with enough room for all the associated accessories needed for an overnighter

- stretchy mesh pockets on lid and rear of backpack.

-additional gear loops on rear of pack. I threaded thin bungee chord through the gear loops that gives me even more storage for example layers of clothing.

-inner lud pocket for valuables with key clip

-well thought out design features.

The negatives (not many but nonetheless important factors),

- first of all the stretchy mesh pockets will not survive long. For example the corners of a metallic packet of dried food would be enough to pierce through the pockets. The stretch material should be slightly more durable.

And lastly the biggest bugbear which is a deal-breaker are the front shoulder strap pockets. Although the pockets are good they are simply not big enough. They should at least be big enough to fit a 500ml soft flask in both pockets. This could easily be remedied by the design team by either widening the shoulder straps thus making the pockets bigger or adding some stretchy fabric to the pocket to allow them to expand.

If Montane fixed the pocket issue I would mark the bag a 4/5, if they fixed both issues it would be a 5/5. Other than the negatives its a great bag.

I should start by saying that the pack is very comfortable, and easy to adjust to get a really secure fit. My issue with it is how hot you get. I don't move particularly quickly, around 3.5 to 4 miles per hour walking, haven't run in it yet, but after 5 miles or so the back is completely soaked with my sweat. Now I don't think I sweat particularly heavily, and definitely know people who sweat more, but it was really unpleasant. The sweat had actually gone through to the inside of the pack making g the contents wet ! Its not even very warm yet , so God knows what it will be like in the height of summer. It is a real shame, especially as the pack is advertised as having a back panel that aids ventilation. I was considering buying the 44l version for longer trips, but will be avoiding it now. All in alli wouldn't recommend the pack for anything other than slow walking.