Ferrino boulder 48 litre pack
Posted: Sun 23 Sep, 2012 3:05 amFerrino boulder 48 litre backpack
This pack was supplied by Rico for me to review.
First Impressions:
First thing was to weigh and inspect the pack. The pack weighed in at 1592 grams. You can add 85 grams for the supplied rain cover if used. This is about 400 grams heavier than my Osprey 58l pack.
I was pleasantly surprised by the build of the pack. It compared well with my Osprey. The straps are a little heavier and the waist buckle a lot more substantial (a weak point in the Osprey). Like the Osprey, the back is made to be very breathable. An open weave material sits against your back and this is padded around the shoulder and waist straps. The pack itself is held away from the body by a flexible steel framework. The padding over the shoulders and around the hips is very comfortable. The shoulder strap is 70-80mm wide and the hip strap a comfortable 120mm.
Storage:
There is a good size zipped pocket on the left hip strap, big enough for my Motorola defy. The pack lid has a zipped pocket and inner zipped mess pocket with a key hook. On each side of the pack, beneath the compression straps there is a long, shallow, zipped, bellows pocket and these run down into a mess drinking bottle pouch. At the base of the pack there is a Velcro fastened pouch that faces into the back, for storing the removable rain cover. The inside of the pack is two compartments with the smaller compartment to the bottom and accessible via a dual action zipper. All zips have easy to use cords fitted. The material separating the two compartments is managed by a draw string and can be opened up to one long compartment if desired. The top compartment is also closed by a draw string under the lid pocket - similar to many packs. There is a key hook inside the main compartment as well. A slot in the fabric allows you to run tubes or cables from the main compartment to your shoulder strap (but not from the lid). I like the dual compartments and thought this a big plus, but gram misers might disagree. There is no separate hydration chamber and no bladder hooks.
Strapping:
There are two side compression straps on the left and right side and two vertical compression straps that allow the top and bottom compartments to be separately adjusted. The top straps also hold down the lid pocket. The straps themselves are 20mm woven straps fitted with good strong clips. There are attachment points for ice picks or similar and loops for tripods or the like. Two removable straps are supplied (42 grms) that could be used for fastening snow shoes or a sleep pad.
Specs:
According to Ferrino the pack material is described as 420D HD • 420D JAQUARD HD • Reinforcements in DuPontTM Hypalon® The carrying system is described as a D.N.S. back.
Using the pack:
The shoulder straps can be lengthened at the ends where they clip onto the pack (as would be expected), and the chest strap position can be easily adjusted up or down by about 130mm. Also on top of the shoulder you can adjust the straps for lift. The inner end of the waist strap also provides a very small amount of lift adjustment. My one big gripe is the back suspension is one-size-fits-all and it cannot be lengthened or adjusted. I have a long back and found this was not my ideal fit. If there was a 'long' option I'd go for it. My 21 year old daughter found it a very comfortable fit. Also, I think it was probably a little less "springy" than the Osprey. The straps are well padded.
I have used this pack on two day walks and one overnight trip with my daughter. It is a surprisingly sturdy pack and should suit anyone looking for an entry level pack for this type of walk. On the second trip it rained heavily for two hours on the way out. The pack cover was easy enough to fit and worked well.
This pack was supplied by Rico for me to review.
First Impressions:
First thing was to weigh and inspect the pack. The pack weighed in at 1592 grams. You can add 85 grams for the supplied rain cover if used. This is about 400 grams heavier than my Osprey 58l pack.
I was pleasantly surprised by the build of the pack. It compared well with my Osprey. The straps are a little heavier and the waist buckle a lot more substantial (a weak point in the Osprey). Like the Osprey, the back is made to be very breathable. An open weave material sits against your back and this is padded around the shoulder and waist straps. The pack itself is held away from the body by a flexible steel framework. The padding over the shoulders and around the hips is very comfortable. The shoulder strap is 70-80mm wide and the hip strap a comfortable 120mm.
Storage:
There is a good size zipped pocket on the left hip strap, big enough for my Motorola defy. The pack lid has a zipped pocket and inner zipped mess pocket with a key hook. On each side of the pack, beneath the compression straps there is a long, shallow, zipped, bellows pocket and these run down into a mess drinking bottle pouch. At the base of the pack there is a Velcro fastened pouch that faces into the back, for storing the removable rain cover. The inside of the pack is two compartments with the smaller compartment to the bottom and accessible via a dual action zipper. All zips have easy to use cords fitted. The material separating the two compartments is managed by a draw string and can be opened up to one long compartment if desired. The top compartment is also closed by a draw string under the lid pocket - similar to many packs. There is a key hook inside the main compartment as well. A slot in the fabric allows you to run tubes or cables from the main compartment to your shoulder strap (but not from the lid). I like the dual compartments and thought this a big plus, but gram misers might disagree. There is no separate hydration chamber and no bladder hooks.
Strapping:
There are two side compression straps on the left and right side and two vertical compression straps that allow the top and bottom compartments to be separately adjusted. The top straps also hold down the lid pocket. The straps themselves are 20mm woven straps fitted with good strong clips. There are attachment points for ice picks or similar and loops for tripods or the like. Two removable straps are supplied (42 grms) that could be used for fastening snow shoes or a sleep pad.
Specs:
According to Ferrino the pack material is described as 420D HD • 420D JAQUARD HD • Reinforcements in DuPontTM Hypalon® The carrying system is described as a D.N.S. back.
Using the pack:
The shoulder straps can be lengthened at the ends where they clip onto the pack (as would be expected), and the chest strap position can be easily adjusted up or down by about 130mm. Also on top of the shoulder you can adjust the straps for lift. The inner end of the waist strap also provides a very small amount of lift adjustment. My one big gripe is the back suspension is one-size-fits-all and it cannot be lengthened or adjusted. I have a long back and found this was not my ideal fit. If there was a 'long' option I'd go for it. My 21 year old daughter found it a very comfortable fit. Also, I think it was probably a little less "springy" than the Osprey. The straps are well padded.
I have used this pack on two day walks and one overnight trip with my daughter. It is a surprisingly sturdy pack and should suit anyone looking for an entry level pack for this type of walk. On the second trip it rained heavily for two hours on the way out. The pack cover was easy enough to fit and worked well.