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The North Face Women's Ray 20 Pack
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Price:
£45
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Weight: 795 grammes
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Features:
210HT ripstop Cordura® 420D nylon fabric, women-specific E-VAP™ yoke-style shoulder harness, airmesh backpanel, stowable hipbelt, hydration compatible, internal organiser, front zip stash pocket, X-bungee sternum strap with Safe-T whistle, light loop, rain cover, side water-bottle pockets, reflective hits.
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Lightweight, good ventilation, and a sleek profile.
A dangerously high chest strap.
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The Concept The Ray 20 belongs to TNF's range of women's 'performance' sacs and has been designed primarily with fast-movers in mind. As the daddy of the range, it can also just about cross over as a summer day sac, so long as your gear's ultra compact and lightweight. 20 litres is pretty minimalist for a day out though, hence the emphasis on a lightweight design for runners.
Features
Features range from the minimalist to the slightly pedantic, although most come down on the right side of the equation. The pack has a nice slim profile, without the interference of any protruding side pockets other than mesh water bottle holders. These have a slightly angled entry, so it's possible to take out a water bottle whilst on the move - just. Also included are a pocket for the raincover, at the bottom of the pack, a hydration system pocket, and a back pocket which is large-ish (given the overall size). There's nothing on the waist belt though, for easy access to snacks, valuables, or other essentials.
The back system uses E-VAP™ technology, which combines mesh fabric and a foam pad covered in larger ventilation holes. The latter is V-shaped, mapping the areas of greatest compression between your back and the sac ie. it's widest at the shoulders and then narrows to follow the trickle of sweat down your spine. The E-VAP™ system serves instead of a built-in space between the back panel and the main pocket, this being a lightweight pack. The waist and shoulder straps use the same technology.
Additional features include a compression cord on the back, complete with reflective tags, and, bizarrely, a personal organiser in the main pocket. Why?
In Action
Our first impressions were good. The Ray 20 is pretty light but it still manages to feel sturdy and well-reinforced, unlike some lightweight packs. We also liked the long, thin profile, which stopped the pack from snagging on anything. Admittedly, it's not really high enough in volume for a day's scrambling, but if you are going to be moving through narrow spaces, there's not much to catch anyway.
The Ray was also pretty comfortable to wear, with ergonomic, curved shoulder straps and thin(ish) but dense padding on the shoulders and around the waist. As more spongey foam padding compresses anyway once there's any weight on it, this worked as well as anything. The chest strap was a bit of a problem though. It's attached far too high and rests too close to the throat for comfort. This is something to watch out for, especially if you're below average height, in which case you might want to try a different sac.
The pockets were a bit of a mixed bag, if you'll excuse the pun. The raincover pocket and hydration pockets are useful, and there are elasticated straps on each shoulder for tucking away the tube of your hydration system, so it doesn't flap around on your chest. Exit points from the hydration pocket aren't too numerous though - if you like your tube on the left shoulder then you aren't in luck. Access to water bottles in the side mesh pockets is less of a problem, although a slightly more angled opening would help. The mesh side panels also take the place of belt pockets for snacks and the like - there's an opening at the side of each one as well as the top, so you can easily extract a few nibbles whilst on the move. It's a good lightweight solution, although anything you store in open pockets would obviously have to be well packed. There's no replacement for a zipped storage area when it comes to stowing away valuables though. The back pocket is the only option for these, although it's larger than your average wallet and key holder, and not the safest of places. We'd rather have an extra zipped pocket than a personal organiser, which is bizarrely tucked away inside the main part of the bag. It gives an incongruous city feel to what's supposed to be a lightweight day or racing sac.
Ventilation-wise, the E-VAP™ technology on the straps wicks well, and also reduces the weight very slightly. The back system makes less of a difference as there isn't really anywhere for the moisture to go, so you still end up with a bit of a sweaty back. This is the same for any back system though, and the E-VAP™ technology works better than most as it doesn't hold the moisture like a sponge.
One last thing, if you're as perplexed by the world dominance of baby blue-coloured women's gear as we are, you can also buy a dark red Ray 20. Phew!
A light, but fairly sturdy, pack for fast-movers. The slim profile and breathable E-VAP™ technology are plus points, although the high chest trap is a negative, along with the lack of accessible pockets. Still, if you're running, or taking minimal gear on a day walk, then this is a good all round pack at a reasonable price.
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Performance
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Value
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Pushed for time
A lightweight pack for fast-movers with a sleek profile, good water bottle and hydration system pockets, and ergonomic straps. Beware the chest strap though, and don't expect to be able to get at items like valuables or nibbles while on the move.
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