Mountain Hiking Backpack Mh500, Black

It's such a shame i had to return because there was lots that i loved about this bag. But as soon as i put my 2L water bladder in the bag it didn't leave much room. The pocket on the hip straps were great especially for my phone. The colour was gorgeous and the bag was really comfy. For me it was just too small inside.

By far the best value rucksack under �50, this rucksack is more like a 30L in carrying capacity. It has an internal tubular metal frame which I've found can support 15-20kg, and a protective pad to stop sharp objects poking through into your back. The shoulder straps and hip belt are fairly thickly padded, and there are lots of adjustment points for cinching up the load close to your body when climbing/scrambling and loosening it for back ventilation when walking on gentler terrain. I've found the side adjustment straps with the buckles are also useful for attaching gear; I've used them to carry ropes, mountaineering boots and trail runners for example. This bag has lots of options for storage and compartmentalising your gear. I can access the top lid and the stretchy side pockets without having to take off the bag, and the hip belt pockets are excellent for carrying all manner of small items. The main compartment has a pouch for a water bladder which can accommodate my 3L, and the tube can be secured under stretchy fabric loops on the shoulder straps. There is a small zipped pocket that "floats" just above the water bladder pouch. The large side zip makes accessing stuff at the bottom of the main compartment easy, and the thinner front compartment accessed through a zip on the opposite side is great for carrying slim items like maps and emergency bivvy bags. The stretchy front pocket of the bag is great for carrying a variety of items, and if your shoulders are mobile enough you can reach around and access this without having to take off the bag. It has stretchy cord attachments on one side for carrying hiking poles which also work for an ice axe; you can secure the pick of the axe in one of 2 attachment loops at the bottom of the bag. These are perfect for attaching light, bulky items like sleeping bags or ground mats using carabiners or accessory cord. The only issue I find is with the venting mesh on the back, which doesn't work when the bag is cinched tight. The mesh is not taut enough to effectively separate the bag from your back. If you can only afford one rucksack for a variety of mountain sports taking place over 1-2 days, this is the one to buy. It has lots of thoughtful features and an intelligent design that can accommodate hiking, scrambling, and mountaineering. Given that it's not designed as a technical rucksack, it performs excellently at carrying technical gear. The only thing to bear in mind if using it with a harness is that the hip belt will not sit comfortably above the harness and may obstruct access to the gear loops, so it's best to fasten the hip belt behind your back to keep it out of the way. This isn't a knock on the bag, however, as it's designed to be a hiking rather than mountaineering rucksack. It also isn't large enough to carry enough gear for winter camping of any length or summer camping trips longer than 1 night, but again it isn't designed for either of those purposes.

In general I am one of the biggest Decathlon fans you can meet. The backpack is not too bad, but compared to it's predecessor is lacking behind big time. I still have it's predecessor QUECHUA FORCLAZ AIR 20 + which is a state of art, functionality and sturdiness. The new one is much more narrow and very difficult to fill in and leaving less capacity. I just tested today with transferring shopping from the old one into the new one and the new one had problems fitting in all the things the previous one could, although both are 20L. Ventilation on the new one also does not seem as good as the previous model. The pockets on the side of the backpack are pretty much useless as you cannot afford to put anything of value or you don't want to chase down the slopes after it falls out. Is there any way I can purchase another QUECHUA FORCLAZ AIR 20 + ? It was one of the best backpacks I've had and seen and I am not sure why and how we got to this stage. Apologies for the grim review, but I am really disappointed when a good product gets worse. I have still not made up my mind about returning it altogether. BR, Yordan

It's generally a great bag with plenty of great features. My main issue that means I'll have to sell this bag, is that the back cannot be adjusted for my size 5ft 3. The arm straps therefore will never be suited to my body and thus the bag is unfortunately not going to work out as its putting all the weight on my shoulders and making me very unbalanced

Brill