garethw
10-03-2012, 10:11 AM
Hi there
I just took delivery of my new pack… after a careful search and invaluable help for this forum; I opted for the Lowe Alpine Sting.
I’d have preferred it in OD, but they seem as rare as rocking horse droppings… So I bought the Camo version.. Not a huge fan of this type of woodland, but it’ll no doubt lose some of its brightness with use….or I’ll just get used to it.
I got it from the xmod site for £78, they were very professional and it arrived here in France in two days… Shipping was a bit steep but, whichever pack I chose I’d have that..
The Karrimor SF stuff here is a lot dearer than the UK…. But I’d still be looking at over £200 for a Sabre plus pouches. So a Sting it was!!
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%206.jpg
First impressions were good. The pack is very well made, no loose threads.. all stitching looks A1.
The pack felt lighter than I expected, with an announced weight of 3.56kg… So I got out my Reuben Heatons fishing scales and weighed it… 2.8kg (without the extra pouch straps, and webbing)
So after a good look over to see what I had, I loaded it up.. My under quilt and sleeping bag disappeared easily into the bottom of the pack.. followed by my DD hammock..Still loads of space.
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%207.jpg
The pouches easily coped with my Zebra cook kit, 2x NATO water bottles and a crusader cup on one side and my tarp and cordage in the other.. I still have loads of space for food & clothes.
I must admit that I was surprised how much it swallowed. I was able to add two small Molle pouches to the front, which take my fire kit, FAK and MSR Pocket Rocket stove + gas.
Next I took it for a try out.. doing a couple of miles to see how it felt with the load. Here again it’s very positive… It felt very comfy…I was less hunched over than with other packs. I’ll mess around with the adjustment, but so far I left it at 19, as I measured my back at 19.25 inches… (may go up to 20… we’ll see)
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%208.jpg
Any things that I didn’t like….
Well the shoulder straps are far narrower than my other Molle ll / Alice hybrid pack; I think I’d have liked them wider with a bit more padding.
The yellow in the camo is quite bright… hopefully it will dull a bit…
The plastic clips & buckles are not as substantial as fastex or others…
Others have mentioned the zips on the side pouches.. Well yes they are thinner than the main fixings but they are YKK so should last ok.
In all I’m very pleased with my acquisition…
Cheers
Gareth
I just took delivery of my new pack… after a careful search and invaluable help for this forum; I opted for the Lowe Alpine Sting.
I’d have preferred it in OD, but they seem as rare as rocking horse droppings… So I bought the Camo version.. Not a huge fan of this type of woodland, but it’ll no doubt lose some of its brightness with use….or I’ll just get used to it.
I got it from the xmod site for £78, they were very professional and it arrived here in France in two days… Shipping was a bit steep but, whichever pack I chose I’d have that..
The Karrimor SF stuff here is a lot dearer than the UK…. But I’d still be looking at over £200 for a Sabre plus pouches. So a Sting it was!!
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%206.jpg
First impressions were good. The pack is very well made, no loose threads.. all stitching looks A1.
The pack felt lighter than I expected, with an announced weight of 3.56kg… So I got out my Reuben Heatons fishing scales and weighed it… 2.8kg (without the extra pouch straps, and webbing)
So after a good look over to see what I had, I loaded it up.. My under quilt and sleeping bag disappeared easily into the bottom of the pack.. followed by my DD hammock..Still loads of space.
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%207.jpg
The pouches easily coped with my Zebra cook kit, 2x NATO water bottles and a crusader cup on one side and my tarp and cordage in the other.. I still have loads of space for food & clothes.
I must admit that I was surprised how much it swallowed. I was able to add two small Molle pouches to the front, which take my fire kit, FAK and MSR Pocket Rocket stove + gas.
Next I took it for a try out.. doing a couple of miles to see how it felt with the load. Here again it’s very positive… It felt very comfy…I was less hunched over than with other packs. I’ll mess around with the adjustment, but so far I left it at 19, as I measured my back at 19.25 inches… (may go up to 20… we’ll see)
http://www.gwenllyn.com/woodland%20camo%208.jpg
Any things that I didn’t like….
Well the shoulder straps are far narrower than my other Molle ll / Alice hybrid pack; I think I’d have liked them wider with a bit more padding.
The yellow in the camo is quite bright… hopefully it will dull a bit…
The plastic clips & buckles are not as substantial as fastex or others…
Others have mentioned the zips on the side pouches.. Well yes they are thinner than the main fixings but they are YKK so should last ok.
In all I’m very pleased with my acquisition…
Cheers
Gareth