Montane Trailblazer® XT 35L Backpack

seems pretty rugged so far, and is nice to use, once you have set it up properly.

Adjusting the back is a little awkward, but is only something you would really do once, so not a great bother. The elasticated chest straps took longer for me to get into a comfy position, and the toggle fittings are awkward to move about.

The waist band is super padded and nice and comfy, and the placement of the stretchy hip pockets is really nice to use. You can also reach around to get to the wand pockets should you need to as well. The wand pockets and side compression straps are fine, do what you would would expect.

The chest pockets are OK. They do stretch, and can take a soft flask or trail treats with no bother, but they are a tight fit for modern phones.

There is a hidden front pocket which is useful for flatter items such as a map, and would keep it separate from the main compartment. The main part has top and side opening, but you need to pop the side compression strap open to use that usefully. The top opening is good, nice and wide, and easy to use.

The lid has a good top pocket, and a secure underlid pocket for keys etc.

There is also a single axe/pole loop which is nicely hidden away into a little recess with an accompanying elasticated toggle further up the sack.

All in all, I like this pack.. it does run a little warmer on the back than my previous pack, but the back is well padded, so not entirely unexpected.

It does seem cavernous for its 35L capacity as well. Would…

An excellent fastpacking pack! I ran 105km along the Norfolk Coast Path with this pack containing a bivvy, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, food, water, and spare clothes with no issues. The suspension works really well and once the back panel and load-tension straps are correctly adjusted chafing is not an issue despite carrying a reasonably heavy load.

My one concern is the longevity of the dual chest straps, they have unusual clips which would probably be better substituted for standard pinch clips as although they worked well for me they don't appear particularly robust. I imagine I will have to replace these over the lifespan of the pack. the rest of the pack appears to be reasonably durable and should last for a number of years.

Overall I can recommend this pack for someone looking for a mid-size rucksack for daily use or a fastpacking pack for multi-day trips.