Atom Packs The Atom+ EP50 £250

While bigger brands remain wedded to traditional backpack styles and designs, Atom Packs is a market disruptor with a far more cuttingedge, forward-thinking approach.

Giving a British twist to the US ‘thru-hiking’ movement, the Keswick-based cottage business makes ultralight, highlycustomisable backpacks with well thought out features, tailored sizing options, and a fine balance between weight, durability, comfort and structure.

The off-the-shelf The Atom+ EP50, for example, weighs just 750g (that’s 1100g lighter than Salewa’s Alptrek 55+10) and delivers a close-to-the-body carrying experience that’s so comfy and light-touch you almost forget it’s on. Load transfer is good – courtesy of the removable carbon fibre hooped frame (55g) and foam pad (15g) – and the materials used (EcoPak EPX200, 210-denier Robic Extreema, Dyneema mesh and 500-denier textured nylon) feel tough enough for extended trail abuse, despite being light.

Our favourite features are the shoulder strap bottle pockets, onthe-move accessible side pockets, and huge stretchy stuff pocket.

IF WE’RE BEING FUSSY

The price is rather sky-high. The ultralight construction isn’t suited to heavier loads over 13.5kg, some will prefer more stiffness and structure to the back system, and ventilation isn’t particularly strong. “Extreme demand” means you may experience wait times for your order to be dispatched.

VOLUME 50L

WEIGHT 750g (including two hipbelt pockets)

SIZES Small, medium, large, extra-large

Verdict

A wonderfully lightweight pack with excellent trailready features – but it might polarise opinion.

“Lightweight & feature-rich”