The quality of this backpack is top-notch. The workmanship, materials, stitching, and so on are all very well done. At 15 litres, it’s a solid base for a lightweight setup that I mainly use for trekking trips and day hikes.
The side pockets are perfectly fine for things like a water bottle, a tarp or a stool. The padding on the shoulder straps could have been a bit thicker, so I solved that with extra hook-and-loop pads that you strap around them. Not everyone will need that. It’s a shame that there’s no hip belt available as an accessory. Since this model carries quite high and is fairly small, that would be difficult anyway. Because the hip belt is missing and the padding is not really thick, it’s important to keep the backpack light. That’s the tricky part, because the excellent quality makes it very easy to overpack. The backpack sits flat against your back, with no ventilation channel. That may be an issue for some.
I would have liked the inside of the backpack to be in a high-vis colour, for example orange, so you can see what’s inside more easily. On the front of the shoulder straps you can also fit small pouches, for example for a multi-tool. Because there’s no hip belt, you need to attach other horizontal GP pouches to your belt. That works too.
The lack of a hip belt can cause the backpack to shift (right <> left) in certain conditions. The carry handle is good and strong, like the rest of the backpack. Inside the backpack there is a sufficiently thick pad for comfort on your back. Strangely enough, the slot for that is open at the top, so water could easily get in there. Savotta also supplies a seat pad. I think the standard pad can be taken out and replaced with that seat pad, so then you always have that seat pad with you as well.
There are plenty of videos about this pack on YouTube, but unfortunately very little about useful mods for this backpack. It sits a bit in a niche, but if the backpack fits your concept, you’re buying something top-class. I’ll be taking it out soon and will then see how it performs in practice, and what still needs changing.
