Sort by
Backpacking Products
12/24 results
View All
£313.36 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Crux
AK70 RT
Roll top 70 litre rucksack with removabe lid for hauling heavy loads into remote places, where durability, reliability and a great carry are key.
Special Offer
£199.99 (inc Vat)
You save 27%
Macpac
Ascent 65
Single compartment mountaineering pack with ActiveX harness and moulded back panel, made from EcoAztec fabric.
£187.69 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Deuter
Aircontact Pro 60+15
A large capacity rucksack with a super effective back system
£178.00 (inc Vat)
You save 11%
Millet
Prolighter 60+20
This is a light, burly climbing pack that will give you more than enough space for your mountaineering equipment whever the adventure takes you.
£176.72 (inc Vat)
You save 11%
Lightwave
Wildtrek 70
For 2 -5 day treks and loads maxing at 18kg this superb pack gives stable load carries at a sub 1.6kg rucksack weight. An outstanding feature is the watertight base compartment which sits flat when not in use.
£160.87 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Deuter
Aircontact 50+10 SL
Women's backpack with comfortable adjustable back system and zipped front entry into the main compartment.
£160.87 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Deuter
Aircontact 55+10
A Men's 65 litre (total) capacity pack for multi-day load carrying on treks and travelling. Revised for 2019 the pack's weight has come down to 2270g.
£156.14 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Lightwave
Wildtrek 60
For 2 -5 day treks and loads up to 15kg this beautifully designed pack gives stable load carries at a sub 1.4kg rucksack weight. An outstanding feature is the watertight base compartment which sits flat when no...
Special Offer
£155.99 (inc Vat)
You save 25%
Mountain Hardwear
South Col 70 Outdry
Mountain Hardwear South Col 70 Outdry | expedition backpack
£152.33 (inc Vat)
You save 12%
Lowe Alpine
Manaslu ND50:65
Women's pack for long distance trekking and travelling, with extendable volume and access to gear from the front as well as the top lid, plus there is a separate bottom compartment too. Essentials on the move s...
£152.33 (inc Vat)
You save 12%
Lowe Alpine
Manaslu 55:70
Men's pack for long distance trekking and travelling, with extendable volume and access to gear from the front as well as the top lid, plus there is a separate bottom compartment too. Essentials on the move sto...
£141.90 (inc Vat)
You save 10%
Lightwave
Wildtrek 55W
For 2 -5 day treks and loads up to 15kg this beautifully designed womens specific backpack gives stable load carries at a sub 1.4kg rucksack weight.
12/24 results
View All
Backpacking in Britain in the spring, summer and autumn is a delight, especially if you have the right equipment. By this I mean that everything is lightweight, compact, fit for purpose and in a good state of repair. The amount of stuff that you will end up carrying will be quite substantial, so you will need a rucksack that has a good quality back system and carrying harness, an ergonomic design to keep the pack stable and you will need to be confident that it will last through the duration of your trip, without question. On top of all this you don't want the rucksack itself to be the weight of an elephant when empty. If you're looking for a travel back and don't mind about weight, see the Travel Packs section. Lots of those have a smaller daypack that can be mounted on the back.
Lightweight outdoor gear has made great strides in recent years, and nowhere is this more evident than in rucksacks. The finest examples are made by Lightwave. The Fastpack and Wildtrek series have welded or taped seams for an extraordinarly high degree of water resistance and a built in waterproof drybag. They are very strong for the weight, and the Wildtrek is available in different back lengths to suit different users. More lightweight rucksacks suitble for walking, climbing and scrambling can be found on the Expedition and Technical rucksack page.
The Deuter ACT Lite range is also worth a look for those keeping an eye on the scales, and is also available in women's fit models. They are lighter but slightly less durable than the ever popular Deuter Air Contact range, which have a well designed back system that aims to promote airflow and keep your back cooler and drier. The Air Contacts have plenty of features- side pockets, compression straps, rain covers, are generous in size for the stated volume.
Lowe Alpine's Ridge and Horizon have a similar high level of durablity and are fully featured, excellent all round rucksacks. The back systems are very adaptable and will suit a wide range of body types, as do our range for men and for women from Karrimor. These are well priced and a favourite with Duke of Edinburgh groups.
The ability to alter the size of your pack, ie in the case of a 60 - 80 litre pack is very popular, but whilst this may seem good there are more things to go wrong on such a pack and this will also increase the packs weight. And just think, are you ever likely to need / want to carry 80 litres worth of gear. Remember: you will find that you don't carry much more for a two week trip than you do for a three day trip when backpacking.
Other useful features for such a bag are: good compression straps on the side to keep the carry stable and compact and room to strap maybe a tent and karrimat on the outside. Ideally everything should go inside the bag, the use of a thermarest helps to make this possible. Compartmented packs are useful so that you can keep your sleeping bag etc. easily accessible without tipping eveything else out of the bag.
For more specialist users, ie those that will be away for extended periods, who may need to carry lots of climbing gear as well as backpacking gear etc. take a look at our Technical and Expedition section.