WINTER PACKS

HIGHLANDER / VORLICH 40 £70

If budget is to be kept to a minimum you can do a lot worse than this. Lightweight 210D ripstop nylon ensures the pack is tough, and its slim-profile and fuss-free design with lots of attachment options (including dual axe and pole loops) make it a good choice for winter – when the chance of dangly bits is rather higher. It weighs in at 1300g and the capacity of 40 litres is useful for short winter days requiring additional kit. All in all, excellent value for the price.

VAUDE / ASYMMETRIC 52+8 £150

Low weight (1550g), high capacity and environmentally sound (made from 50% recycled polyester and PFC-free water repellency), this is a great pack with some useful features for winter. Deep wand pockets at the sides are great for stowing poles or shovels, you get ice axe loops, a clever compression system, lower entry for the main compartment and a floating lid. This is a very stable-feeling pack, and the weight transfers well on to the wide hipbelt. Many will love its streamlined look too.

MONTANE / YUPIK 65 £160

Sometimes you need a bigger pack, if a night out or extra equipment for mountaineering or extreme conditions is on the cards. The Yupik 65 (1801g) is a superbly featured backpacking or mountaineering rucksack. Featuring a ZephyrAD adjust-on-the-fly back system, the Yupik’s support comes via a mesh-covered mounded panel system rather than a suspended back system. Two massive zipped stretch pockets on the front, lower entry points for the main compartments, excellent wand pockets and hipbelt pockets round out a bigger capacity pack (65 litres.) For a tough winter overnight it’s perfect.

LOWE ALPINE / CAMINO TREK AIRZONE 40:50 £110

An excellent value rucksack from iconic pack-makers Lowe Alpine, the Airzone Camino Trek is designed for long distance walking but is also handy for winter day trips. If you’re of average size (there are only two back lengths and neither are adjustable), and prefer your rucksacks to sit off your back instead of on it, the Airzone could be a great choice. A light weight (1053g) and a good set of features – lower access points, ice axe loops, wand pockets, a floating lid to expand capacity and a stretchy bungee on the back – make it a capable all-rounder.

DEUTER / GUIDE 45+ £155

A larger option to the Futura Pro (p28), the Guide 45+ offers premium features specific to the winter mountaineer, including a removable hipbelt for harness use, attachment loops for a helmet, a built-in sit mat, ice axe loops and an adjustable lid for overloading. The capacity is extendable by eight litres and the whole pack is fortified with Deuter’s excellent build quality and durability. It’s not the lightest at 1700g, but that’s not bad considering its features – the comfort and robustness this promises make the tradeoff worthwhile. It is also available in a version for taller climbers – the EL.

OSPREY / ATMOS AG 50 £170

Featuring the AntiGravity trapeze suspension system to make loads feel like… well, they’re not there, the Atmos 50 won Trail’s recent 40-50L rucksack test, and with good reason. It’s all about fit and comfort with the Atmos, and in the words of our reviewer putting this on “felt like relaxing into a favourite armchair”. A secondary FlapJacket lid allows you to remove the main lid to save on the 2057g weight, there is a low-access zip, plenty of stash pockets and a useful 50-litre capacity for big winter days.

The two back sizes are both adjustable too.