Original Mountain Marathon MM 32L Classic mountain marathon large

Al .
Reviewed: 04 June 2008

BRILLIANT

Light, great usage flexiblity (is that a real sentence...hmmm), comfortable, loots of cubbyholes

obviously not being a "flow" design your back gets a little damp, but that's not a problem with a wool baselayer. duomat can be a fiddle to refit when pack / bladder is full.

Bougth this to replace a Berghaus 64zero that got stolen. Decent price considering it's technical ablity. top mesh pocket holds GPS in good signal position, waist pockets hold gloves and have key catchers (as does the main lid pocket, btw)

read JC's detailed view for the full story, no point in me repeating it :-)

Jester*
Reviewed: 09 May 2008

UPDATED AND IMPROVED.

Lightweight- but missing nothing.

High D-rings on shoulder straps means my camera bag is at my chin!

I was looking for a lightweight sack, as the winter saw me using a 60 litre sack which was too big and heavy for the job. I wanted something lightweight which could carry all my gear for a winter walk, crampons, ice-axe and snow shovel included. The OMM Classic marathon 32l sack seemed to fit the bill, being made of a lightweight ripstop material with attachment points which can take everything from ice axes to skis.
On buying this I noticed that an instruction manual could be downloaded from the OMM website. Surely a daysack which requires a ten page instruction manual must be overcomplicated? How wrong I was. There are some small features which are built in to the sack which means that a quick examination would overlook them and it’s worth sitting down and going through the manual to get the best out of this sack.
The sack has one main compartment which has two dividers at the back, one for the Duomat, a sit mat which doubles as back padding (and which combines with another Duomat to form a full sleep mat) and another for a hydration system. The space for a reservoir is good and easily takes a 2l unbottle. The lid closes over a single snow lock, and fastens using one central adjustable strap, and the main body can be stabilised by elastic side compression straps.
The lid has two pockets, a non waterproof zipped secure pocket and a mesh outer pocket, which can store wet gear. The lid closes with a single strap. I usually avoid single strap fastenings, but this has been stable and secure.
There are two side mesh pockets and a front mesh pocket which extends for most of the length of the rucksack, useful for wet gear or for storing maps or waterproofs where they can be easily accessed.
The sack is comfortable to wear, the Duomat provides excellent padding and is very comfortable. The waist belt is lightly padded and has a well sized sipped pocket on either side, large enough to easily swallow a large GPS. Reaching round allows you to access the two mesh pockets, which have elastic cord fittings to securely hold items. I was impressed with these, I could reach back and access a first aid kit, remove it, and importantly, replace it in the pocket without having to take the rucksack off.
The chest strap was very innovative, the securing clip doubles as an emergency whistle, and an effective one at that. The shoulder straps are good, lightweight and comfortable, but source of my only niggle. The D-rings on the straps are very high, and as I carry a camera case attached to the D-rings it put the camera case just below my chin. This may be due to it being designed to take an optional OMM chest pouch which possibly hangs lower than my case.
All of this weighs in at a low 775g, and the manufacturer gives advice on lowering the weight down further to 630g, by removing items when not in use, such as the Duomat or ice-axe attachments.

This is an extremely well thought out and well made sack. The lightweight ripstop material is not as resistant to abrasion as some other sacks, but being aware of this means you are less likely to throw it down where it could be punctured, and the advantage gained by the low weight is more than worth it.

Imperial Dave
Reviewed: 15 August 2007

WHAT A GREAT DAY-SACK! SIMPLY THE BEST!

lightweight, strong, cleverly built, lots of pockets and storage, comfortable to wear, nice colours!

slight struggle to use this for overnight trips unless you are going very light. Will generate more of a sweaty back compared to some other packs (but this doesnt bother as the positives far outweigh the negatives)

A great all rounder that I use for all my day trips and also as a holiday pack to carry the beach stuff etc. Without doubt the most comfortable backpack I have ever worn. It has a myriad of clever pockets and features including pockets on the hip belt and mesh compartments on the back and sides.
If you are after a light, stable, attractive and versatile pack for day walks then look no further. If the size is not quite enough move up to the larger Mountain Mover which is also a brilliant pack

Windy
Reviewed: 07 April 2007

FANTASTIC LIGHTWEIGHT PACK

Lightweight,very stable,comfortable, plenty of mesh pockets.

Durability,fabric not that strong for scrambling etc,just watch you don`t snag it on any rocks.
I am getting the OMM Jirishanca for the climbing/scrambling bits.

Been using this pack for the past 6 months over the summits of North Wales in all weathers, it has never let me down. Highly recommened.

tdave@walkeryri.org.uk
Reviewed: 25 August 2006

Light daysack that doubles as an overnighter.

Lightweight sack that doesn't skimp on features. It has a zipped lid pocket, two very useful hip-belt pockets and mesh side pockets for oddments. Carries a lightweight load comfortably too.

Durability. Some of the seams in the straps are starting to open, but it's not in a loadbearing spot.

Probably too big for a summer daysack, only barely large enough for overnight trips.

I like this 'sac. It's been everywhere i've been since Easter, which is a fair few trips. It's unfortunately neither one thing or the other. It's a tad too large for a day sac and a tad too small for a solo overnighter. It's nice to fit all your gear into a 32l 'sac, which i can do with a shared tent (it did the business for a 3 day. 2 night trip reecntly). But on a solo trip, i found i had to put too much outside, making the extra 250g of the Mountain Mover a better bet for those trips.