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Vango Rucksack Reviews
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Vango Explorer 60 + 10
by DirtyDonkey One thing I learned throughout my bronze and silver Duke of Edinburgh awards is that comfortable, reliable equipment is of paramount importance. The most important piece of kit is undoubtedly the rucksack - it keeps all your clothes, food, camping equipment, maps etc. clean and dry (or not!) and can really make or break the trip. For my ... bronze award, not really knowing anything about walking and camping, I hired a rucksack very cheaply through my school. This was a huge mistake - it was uncomfortable, smelly and just generally awkward to use. Having learnt my lesson, I went out and bought one of these prior to my silver award, and what a difference. The rucksack has a 60 + 10 litre capacity - plenty of room for a 4 day/3 night trip. It has a total weight of only 2.1 kg, which is a good starting point if you don't want to heave around a lot!! The straps are quick and easy to adjust, and the zipped base allows easy access to clothes etc stored right at the bottom of the bag. The hip belt is one of the most comfortable I have tried, and this is particularly important as it is the function which moves the weight off your back and shoulders and onto your hips which can carry the weight much easier and with less risk of injury. There are many pockets on the front and sides, ideal for maps, compasses and snacks. The bag is compatible with hydration sacs, although I have never tried one, as well as hooks for walking poles or ice axes, if you're really serious! The detachable waterproof cover is ideal for the weather I am used to up here in Scotland, but at the same time the mesh keeps your body dry and comfortable and sweat-free. The sternum strap just adds to the comfort due to the weight distribution, and also provides a safety whistle, which is essential for hiking out in the hills. Overall, I really enjoyed this product and it improved my overall experience drastically. I would recommend it to anyone thinking of walking and camping recreationally, doing DoE awards, or scouts etc. However I am not sure about the validity of the bag for the more experienced and serious walker; Vango do recommend the bag as entry-level. Read the complete review |
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Vango Trail 45 Litre
by fizzywizzy I've always been more of a rucksack gal than a suitcase lady. If I'm honest I'm a bit smug about it. I find it hilarious to watch people try to haul their heavy cases over cobbled streets and up staircases as I throw my luggage over my shoulder and get on with it. The older I get the less worried I am about my clothing, increasingly ... becoming a candidate for Milletts Cover Girl of the Year, so I'm happy to shove everything into the rucksack and hope for the best. The only problem with a rucksack is that standard sized rucksacks don't meet the maximum size requirements for the budget airlines cabin baggage and stowing baggage in the hold is too costly. There's also the consideration that since we bought our flat in Slovenia we don't really do long trips anymore and I don't need to take much clothing when travelling as I have everything I need over there. A smaller backpack was what was needed to solve this little quandary and, feeling the financial pinch at the time, I put myself in the capable hands of Lenny, a colleague who is an army cadet leader in his free time and knows a thing or two about outdoor gear. He knew roughly what I wanted to spend and came back with two of these Vango Trail 45 Litre backpacks. This is an ideal rucksack for people who can travel light and may be of interest to people who do a lot of hiking because it does have some features you wouldn't get in a very basic model. If you are the sort of traveller who is willing to hand-wash items while on the go and carries things that can be used for a variety of purposes you'll manage well with this capacity for a couple of weeks. If you pack it wisely, rolling clothing rather than folding it, you can really get quite a lot in. These days we don't usually plan much hiking with the backpacks but sometimes, arriving somewhere new, we might find ourselves walking further with our luggage than we'd anticipated. Fortunately the Vango Trail is comfortable to carry, even when at its heaviest but you should have a trial run at home, experimenting with the adjustable should straps to get the best carrying position. One of the things I like about this rucksack is that I don't find any slippage of the strap position with prolonged carrying; I've had this problem before with other rucksacks and it's frustrating to have to stop repeatedly to re-tighten the straps. The shoulder straps are nicely shaped so that they offer cushioning in the right places. I'm guilty of mistreating my rucksacks and frequently carry them on one shoulder if only going a short distance and so far the stitching where the straps join the body of the rucksack has held up well (other rucksacks of mine have not held up as well to such abuse). Additionally there's a padded hip belt which fastens at the front though I never use it. Another great feature which helps when carrying the rucksack for prolonged periods, or even for short periods in hot weather, is the airmesh on the places where the rucksack is in contact with your body which is a bit like a wicking system, pulling the moisture away from your body and making it a bit less unpleasant to carry the backpack. I say less unpleasant because there's still some moisture, it's not perfect. The main material is hard-wearing and easy to clean if it gets dusty; to quote the exact technical specification the body is Excel 600D polyester, I'm assuming the D stands for denier. Our backpacks are black with grey trim which doesn't look too bad when they get a bit dusty and dirty if shoved around on the ground, or if rolling around in the grubby luggage compartment of a Kosovar bus. Unlike a particularly irritating day pack we have in the flat in Maribor, this model does have too many hanging down bits that get in the way; in fact it's rather lacking in the 'what's this bit for?' department which is just fine by me although it does mean that you can't make adjustments to pull in the sides when you haven't used all the capacity. A very well stitched grab hand on the back of the rucksack just at the base of the lid section is very useful when you just need to shift the bag a small distance. Identical zipped side pockets are a very useful addition; I use them for keeping toiletries separate or for stashing things I'm likely to want while travelling. The lid has a small zipped section which is perfect for books. All the zips are covered with a small flap which is good for security as they make it difficult for someone to stealthily unzip a pocket while your attention is distracted. One of the more interesting features of this model is a hydration bladder pocket which is tucked neatly in the main compartment o the rucksack. I've never had any cause to use it myself because I've never taken the rucksack out on a hike that warranted it, however some people might appreciate it and as my dear departed grandmother would say it's a feature that will 'eat no meat'. Lenny informs me that there's a knack to filling the bladder with liquid but it's easy when you've sussed it. He buys this one for the kids he takes on camping weekends finding that the capacity is ideal and the price makes it a good value buy given that these things can stand a bit of knocking around and they have the hydration feature which the kids think is great. A feature I have used is the little strap for securing walking poles. It's a simple little feature but it holds my walking poles securely and in a position that doesn't interfere with walking. The dimensions are 55 x 42 x 15cm and the rucksack weighs 800grams when empty. Ryanair, usually the most stringent of the budget airlines, permits a piece of hand luggage with maximum dimensions 55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm so this rucksack is ideal. A couple of years on after frequent use (and abuse) our Vango Trails are still going strong. It's safe to say that I would thoroughly recommend this design. They've served us well and continue to do so, standing up to heavy rain brilliantly and scrubbing up well from time to time. Thanks to Lenny buying frequently from a local independent supplier we were able to get a substantial discount on the cost of our rucksacks. Currently the Gap Year Store (an online retailer) is selling it for £19.99 (that's with a 20% discount). This is a good price as the Vango website has this listed at £32.99. It's probably worth shopping around however to check the combined price of rucksack plus postage. Note: if you expect to be doing a lot of walking while carrying your rucksack it's advisable to try rucksacks in store first with the advice of an expert, even if you then purchase one online. Models do vary quite a bit and you need to know it's going to be comfortable. Other colours are blue and cactus though black is stocked by more retailers. Read the complete review |
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Vango Explorer 50+8 Litre
by ceebee27 I bought this rucksack having borrowed a larger Vango rucksack from my brother and being really pleased with it. Having decided that the 70L one I had borrowed was far too big, I decided on this smaller 50+8L one which I have found to be a much more appropriate size for me. I really like the rucksacks made by Vango as they are cheaper ... than other brands, but the quality of them is really quite good. I have used this rucksack on a couple of trips now and have found the material to be of a very good quality and despite having had it thrown around a lot by bus drivers and airport staff, the material has not ripped anywhere and the bag shows little sign of any wear. The zips, buckles and drawstrings are all of a good quality too and I have had no problems with them at all. Wearing the backpack is very comfortable, and although I've never had to walk too far with it, it is very easy to carry and the hip strap is well padded and comfortable. There is a whistle attached on the chest strap, which I've never used, but would imagine is a good feature for anyone planning to use the bag for trekking or other outdoor activities. The rucksack was advertised as having airmesh fabric on the parts where it touches the body, but I haven't really noticed a benefit of this over rucksacks I have work without it. The side pockets look very sleek as they expand outwards once they have things in them, so if they are empty they sit in line with the bag. It can be quite hard to get bulkier items such as a water bottle into the side pockets as the opening of the pocket is slightly shorter than my bottle, but the actual volume of the pocket allows plenty of room for a bottle if you can get it in. There are also small mesh pockets at the bottom which are useful for keeping things you want to be able to grab quickly. I find them particularly useful for keeping tissues or plastic bags in. The overall size of the bag is really good for backpacker trips. I've never had any trouble fitting all of my stuff into the bag before I leave (and there's still plenty of space for stuff I inevitably pick up whilst travelling) and even at full capacity, I can still carry the bag easily, which I couldn't with a 70L bag. One of my favourite features of the Vango rucksack I had used before this one was a rain cover which unfortunately this bag doesn't come with. I have just used the rain cover from my old rucksack as it is a very useful thing to have if caught out in the rain, plus it packs down very small. Overall I'd definitely recommend this rucksack for anyone wanting a value for money rucksack for a backpacking trip. It's comfortable on short walks, such as to and from bus stations and it's a really good size too. Read the complete review |
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2 reviews Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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1 review Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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1 review Manufacturer: Vango / Type: Rucksack |
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