UK Active Outdoors review the Oxygen Rucksack

0 Comments | Posted By Corrina Jeffreys

Where and how tested?

We tested it in a range of places and situations, including leisurely family walks in the woodlands, and extended treks in the cold wintry mountains. We used it instead of our normal gear in as many situations as we could, all of which were relevant to the usage of the average 35L rucksack.

Comfort

Once on the rucksacks features are prominent, it has pre curved steel frame in the back panel which allows the bag to sit slightly away from your back, and the shoulder straps feel comfortable and wide enough to spread the load but not too wide that they rub. pre curved hip-belt is thinly padded with holes cut away to allow air to circulate which makes them light but still supportive and less likely to rub like thick padded straps.

Stability

I packed the rucksack to full capacity with extra layers and other essential kit you need to take when you are off for a walk in the hills. I threw it on and clicked all the buckles in and bent over forwards and backwards and from left to right to test how stable it felt. I thought the curved frame inside the rucksack might make it feel uncomfortable or less connected to you, but it fact it was very stable and hugs your back well. On the one of the walks I had a quick jog down a forest track to check we were going the right way, and although the sac bounced up and down as much as any would it still felt well attached and didn’t throw me off balance.

Durability

Lightweight ‘Nylon ripstop’ materials are used where possible in this rucksack and this material feels light and thin but also tough. The bottom is the part of the rucksack which normally wears the most for me, on the Oxygen rucksack the bottom is reinforced in this rucksack which makes this part of the bag feel much more durable. The buckles used to secure the bag and strap up the hip belt are again a lightweight design and have also been designed to make them less likely to hook to branches and rocks. They do work well, although they are relatively small and I found them a little more tricky to do up when I had gloves on.

Waterproof test

The rain-cover is stashed away in a Velcro pocket at the bottom of the bag. I used the cover during a couple of rain showers and was impressed. I also walked behind a waterfall in the Brecon’s, but forgetting just how wet it was behind there didn’t put the rain-cover on. I got a good soaking from the back spray, and although we had one damp corner on the map stowed in the back pocket the bag did pretty well without the rain cover.

Ventilation

This rucksack has a Hybrid Air system, this allows good air movement and shouldn’t make you sweat as much as if you had the fabric of the bag sitting up against your back. I found that it worked well when we got a soaking in the rain and I didn’t sweat at all, the real test will come in the summer for this area which we intend on adding in a few months time.

Pockets

There are a number of handy pockets, the handiest for me being a zip-pocket at the top of the bag.

Conclusion

This bag has been tested by both myself and my wife. We are different in size, strength and shape, but both found the bag to be comfortable to use and easy to adjust to fit properly, and it didn’t rub for either of us. Overall I think that if you are looking for a rucksack that is affordable, comfortable and lightweight this is a good choice. You often trade off lightweight for durability, although I think this bag has struck a good balance of the two. A rucksack with a simple designed like this can provide better long term performance as there are less things to go wrong and for this reason alone I think this is a good buy.

For a more in depth review visit UK Active Outdoors