Nick Brain
Reviewed: 29 October 2002
THIS IS A SCHOOL BAG - DON'T USE IT FOR WALKING
It'll probably hold a lot of school books or sports kit.
Incredibly unstable once full.
Short chest strap.
Not very waterproof.
Minimal external pockets.
No straps for tying stuff on anywhere at all.
Zip leaks like a sieve.
Padding on straps isn't great.
Shoulder straps are stiff and thin edges rub.
Zip pulls all the way down to the bottom of the bag - and all your stuff falls out as a result.
I bought one of these without really thinking it through. 3 weeks later I bought a Lowe Alpine Walkabout 35. The Atlantis is a bag for sports kit or school books. It's not for walking.
At 26 litres and given the shape, you can't get a full set of waterproofs and some food and water into it - and if it's stuffed full it loses that sleek profile and becomes an unstable ball on your back which will roll all over the place.
The design of the zip is madness itself - you can unzip the main pocket down both sides all the way to the bottom so the pocket becomes a flap and all your stuff falls out. This happens when you are trying to rummage to the bottom to get that thing you packed first cos you thought you'd never need it.
Because there is no flap over the zip, which runs over the top of the bag, the rain pours in to the extent where I had to tip it out of the bottom after 3 hours walking in drizzle.
There is nowhere to put poles, hydration packs or anything more than a very small water bottle unless you put it in the main pocket. We did manage to sling a hydration pack under the drawstring elastic and duck tape it in place but it's not ideal.
If you're barrel chested or female then you'll quite probably find you can't do the chest strap up, which given that the bag leads a life of its own on your back, is quite essential.
For the brief period I used it I found if I leant forward (eg to steady myself whilst crossing a river) the bag tried to jump over my head and pull me forwards (into the river).
The straps aren't very comfortable, although I didn't use the bag for long enough to break them in.
If you like to live life on the edge and want a bag which will jump around and try and pull you over it, go buy. If you want something to get your stuff to the gym, go buy. If you want a bag to keep your stuff dry and handy while you're up the hills, you'd be better off with a carrier bag.
