The OMM 32 Litre Classic Back Pack PDF Print E-mail
Written by David   
Monday, 16 February 2009 15:26
I had scoured the various forums where veterans of the run voiced their opinions.  As you would expect, everyone had a favourite; some preferred the Raidlite, others the OMM or the Aarn.  What was quite clear, however, was that the classic had been used successfully for years.  It had changed little and being an advocate of that old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” I went for the OMM 32 Litre Classic. The first thing that strikes you about the pack (apart from the lightweight and strong build) is the incredible amount of thought that has gone into the design.  From the lightweight ripstop material, to the easily adjustable straps, it has been designed to fit around the athlete, allowing him or her to function at maximum efficiency.  The capacity seems about right for my needs, although I have yet to fully load it  - going to need several dress rehearsals to pack away everything I need for the Sahara, however, there is always the front pouch option which bolts on to the pack. 

 

 

Anyway, first outing for the classic was the high Alps as I had decided to take a week skiing.  I used to race many years ago during my military years and after that I went through the process of becoming a skiing instructor.  So, while I wasn’t quite as energetic on the slopes as I might have been 10 years ago, my equipment still had to meet some pretty tough requirements. In the past I had used climbing packs – too big and bulky for fast downhill work where what I needed was something to take a load and hug my body, while giving me freedom to move.  I loaded up the pack, keeping in the duomat for padding.  Even with 6 kg of camera gear, lunch for 4 (my skiing colleagues seemed to think that it would be good training for me to carry their food as well!) a spare fleece and thinsulate gloves there was room to spare.  It packs down really well, which meant that even in tight turns, nothing moved around, potentially upsetting balance.  I put two water bottles into side pouches and I have to admit that initially II found it difficult to extract them.  However, once I had worked out where they were it became second nature.  The big error was not taking a couple of small stainless steel flasks – which would have fitted very nicely into the same pockets – mainly because with the wind chill on the top of the glacier it was down to –35 degrees.  Front pouches were perfect for snacks, spare buff and odds and sods.  I had reached the point in the past where I would do anything other than wear a pack – my opinion has changed.  To be honest I didn’t even know I had it on most of the time. 

So, the initial trial was extremely positive and I would thoroughly recommend the classic as a utility pack for skiing and my heavy climbing sacks have been put to the back of the storeroom.  On the downside I managed to break a rib in a fall so MdS training has been put back for a couple of weeks – but once we are loaded and running I will update you on the pack.

 

 
Last Updated ( Monday, 16 February 2009 15:53 )
 

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