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Kit review: Lowe Alpine Kongur rucksack

Written by Fiona August 15 2013

I love a rucksack. Anyone who knows me – and certainly those that live with me – will have seen the evidence. Like most women have shoes for every occasion, I have a pack to suit all situations, from off-road running to kayaking to mountain hiking to overseas holidays. But sometimes my rucksack become worn out or I see a better rucksack to fit a particular need and so I like to test as many rucksacks as come my way.

kongurSo, how could I refuse the chance to try the women’s Lowe Alpine Kongur women’s rucksack (sent to me by Travel Outdoors). This rucksack can carry between 65 and 75 litres, which makes it ideal for multi-day backpacking or heading off on holiday.

For these sorts of tasks I am looking for a rucksack that is robust, easily adjustable and comes with lots of pockets, as well as a rain cover. The Lowe Alpine Kongur ticks all these boxes.

The rucksack features:

  • Fully adjustable ND TFX 4 Back System for women
  • Large zippered front panel for easy access to main compartment
  • Main compartment with zip-out divider so you can have one large, or two smaller, compartments
    • Rain cover
    • Side pockets and internal lid pocket for additional storage
    • Hydration compatibility.

My review of the Lowe Alpine Kongur rucksack

This is not the lightest rucksack in the 65/75l category but it is very high quality and looks like it has been built to last. The adjustable back system allows users to get the pack really comfy whatever your height. The aim is to have the rucksack positioned high on your hips and without your shoulders being weighed down by whatever you have packed into the rucksack.

I found the waist strap quite stiff but it is very padded and this means it can take the weight of up to 75l. It is adjusted to fit with useful straps that pull forward. The extra pockets, such as in the waistbelt and in the hood, give lots of choice for stowing all the bits you need to take away on a multi-day hike or holiday.

Another feature I really like is the zipped front. This allows you to access clothing or kit inside the rucksack from the top and front the front. If you need to lie the pack down then the front sip is the most easily accessible. My old-style rucksacks only allowed for access from the top and lower compartment, which often left me rummaging elbow-deep for items in the top half.

There are also lots of straps for making the pack as neat and balanced as possible. If you are carrying fewer items you can compress the Kongur rucksack to suit, while for larger loads the straps are easily expanded.

In my experience, a pack that is larger than 75l is very heavy to carry and so this is about the largest I would go for if backpacking or travelling for a longer period. Large loads should be carried in bags with wheels in my opinion (but maybe I’m a weedy woman?!).

The pack is in a two-tone black and grey, which isn’t the most beautiful but rucksacks should be about the practical rather than the pretty so I am only pointing this out if you like to match your rucksack colours with your walking jacket or vice-versa!

For a shade over £100 (£109.99 from Travel Outdoors) this is a good buy. There are lots of more expensive rucksacks if you like other brands or if you plan to use the rucksack day-in-and-day-out for years. There are cheaper packs that will have fewer features and may well be designed from lower quality materials.

 

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