I have to Confess, I live on a budget at the moment and I don’t have money to burn on expensive kit, however this doesn’t stop me from enjoying and taking part in the outdoors. I thought I would write this piece to review a rucksack at the lower end of the market.
I recently acquired a LIXADA rucksack that I am planning to use on single day expeditions like climbing a Munro or an overnight in a bothy. Its 45 litres which is about the right size for a winter walk or an overnight in the summer months. I have a 30 litre rucksack I find OK for summer time walks but, given the nature of the mountains in winter, the extra spaces is required to carry more equipment. When I tried the rucksack first, it felt like perfectly good quality gear at a fraction of the cost of branded kits. However, I’m not under any illusion that is it probably as great quality and won’t have the life span of better kit, but for my purposes my first impressions we good.
The main compartment is separated in two with an opening at the top,and a pocket opening with a zip at the bottom. The top pulls shut with a tie chord and has a flap over it just as any standard rucksack has. There is a zip pocket up the front of the rucksack providing quite a shallow pocket, although I don’t see much point of this!
There are also zip pockets in the waist belt which could be extremely handy for carrying things you need easy access to. Each zip has a handy toggle on it that would make it easy for disabled people say to open, or if hands or fingers were particularly cold.
The product has a large array or straps which look perfectly sturdy and secure with exception of the clip on the main compartment. I have not seen a clip like this before and it doesn’t look very sturdy but I have and open mind and hope I am wrong. The rucksack also has straps at the sides to make it able to compress the compartment and keep a good shape which is important when out on the hills.
At a retail price of only £18, I think this was a good buy and will be ideal for getting my walking interest off the ground again. However, it remains to be seen whether or not this product with last the length of time that a superior brand would, but that remains it be seen.