Macpac 35amp Tested

Macpac 35amp Tested

Price: £110.00

Weight: 1050 grammes (700 grammes in 'stripped' mode)

Features: Lightweight 35-litre race pack with non-absorbent Helium race harness and removable hip-belt, UV40 nylon fabric, removable front mesh pouches, twin ice-tool / pole carrying attachments, webbing loops, mesh pocket, large back pocket with water-resistant zip, drain holes, hydration system pouch with two outlets, twin shoulder water bottle attachment points, emergency whistle incorporated in sternum-strap buckle, removable hip to shoulder foam pad back panel, haul loops, reflective padding and four mesh stuff pockets.Two mesh lid pockets. Choice of back lengths.

Neat, light and massively well featured Expensive and quite specialised

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The Concept The 35amp was designed primarily as an adventure race pack in adventure race-mad New Zealand. And New Zealand being as it is, the pack doubles as an ultralight alpine pack by necessity. It's also very featured with loads of places to strap on bits and bobs or attach water bottles. You can use it as is for maximum comfort, or jettison the hip-belt and internal foam pad for a minimal 700 gramme weight.

Macpac says the pack was developed with input from adventure race professionals, so it should be spot on.

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Features Check out the list above. How can a 35-litre pack have so many features? Adventure racers are forever shoving bits of kit in pockets so you get no less than four mesh stuff pockets, two in the lid and a big external zipped pocket with water-resistant zip out back.

The simple wrap-around waist belt can be removed and replaced with two of the side compression straps to save weight and the back system is a simple blend of mesh, reticulated foam and a removable internal foam pad with polythene plate for support.

You also get twin waterbottle holsters on the shoulders, hydration pouch, pole / ice-tool carriers etc. And the ultimate neat adventure race touch - the chest strap buckle on the left incorporates a tiny emergency whistle. Neat and cunning. It's available in two fixed back lengths.

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In Action We're not really into the sort of adventure race events that require a 35-litre pack so we used the 35amp for a combination of general mountain duties and lightweight backpacking - see this OM article.

It's a large pack given its nominal 35-litre capacity and we found it would comfortably take enough kit for a weekend backpack. You need to keep the load relatively light though. The back system isn't particularly supportive compared to an internal-framed pack, but was comfortable enough with the 13 kilos we packed across Kinder.

It's helped by the deceptively effective hip-belt. It's a simple wrap-around item, but hugs the hips and transfers weight surprisingly well. More relevantly, if you're a fast mover, slackening off the hip-tensioning straps means that the belt and pack move independently which makes for a much more natural and efficient fast walking or running action.

We also found the pack worked best when full or near full, with less kit - despite the compression system, the load would tend to collect at the bottom of the pack and bounce around.

The numerous external stuff pockets come in handy for carrying food and spares like hats and gloves and we can also see the point of the clip-on mesh front pockets that fix across the chest / abdomen. Unfortunately they look a bit like a weird mesh net bra, but once you get over the self consciousness, they do work well, even if they could be larger.

Macpac say you could also use the Amp as an ultralight alpine sac, which is true, particularly with the hip-belt stripped off for access to your harness gear loops. Like most unstiffened packs though, you need to pack carefully and accept that there'll be a certain amount of discomfort with a full rack and ropes stashed away on the walk-in. We'd also be dubious about the long-term abrasion resistance of the lightweight rip-stop nylon used for the main sac body; even though there's a haul loop fitted, we wouldn't want to drag the Amp over abrasive rock.

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Verdict

It's actually pretty hard to mark the amp. Build quality is excellent and it carries very well with loads of stuff pockets for all those bits and bobs, we particularly like the way the floating hip-belt allows unencumbered walking while still transferring weight onto your hips.

In its specialist role as a race pack, we reckon it's a winner and you can add another star to our verdict below. For more general use, it's a little too large to be a day sac and the minimalist back system means careful packing and relatively little support. When packed to capacity, or perhaps overcapacity, it goes into barrel mode and adding a full hydration pack rounds out the centre of the back system. As you drink, the bladder slims down and the fit of the pack actually changes, that's just when it's filled to or above capacity though.

As a lightweight alpine pack we reckon it'd be stable on the route, but less suited to the walk-ins with a heavy-ish load. As a lightweight backpacking sac it's very capable too, though as with the Golite range, you need to think about how you pack for maximum comfort. The real kiler is the £110 price tag, which means you have to want one a lot. We suspect most buyers will be serious adventure racers and they won't be disappointed.

For lightweight backpacking, Golite's packs are significantly cheaper and we suspect the Macpac will be priced out of the market. Good pack if you find it cheap though. Also available is the 20amp with 20-litre capacity and priced at £70.00.

Performance
Value

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Macpac web site

Pushed for time: Great race pack, capable lightweight backpacking sac and okay for lightweight alpinism too. The 35 Amp is nicely made and fully featured - we particularly like the comfort and mobility from the floating hip-belt - with lots of race-specific touches and the ability to strip it down to 700 grammes. The downside is a hefty 110-quid price tag that rules it out for all but the most committed. A shame as it's a nice pack.

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