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Karrimor Sabre 45 Rucksack |
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Written by Tony Bristow
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Page 2 of 2
The pack comes minus the PLCE side pouches. These have to be bought separately, which is a shame as they are very useful and, at about 12 litres each, make the pack into a very useable size. I bought 2 of these pouches from Ebay - one standard and the other a medical pouch (this pouch had a zip running ¾ length ways, which enables the pouch to be fully opened like a book to reveal the contents. The pouches are attached by two zips running vertically the length of the side walls, 2 plastic buckles at the top and 2 compression straps - for each pouch! Not much chance of those falling off then! However, if you were to then add the side pouches, that brings it up to a total of 5 compartments in all.
The padding consists of a large central section and the shoulder straps. The belt is wide and strong, but not padded. There’s an internal frame pad which can be contoured to the shape of your back to aid comfort as well. |
 We tested the pack both here in the UK and in the extreme environment of the Brunei jungle. Everyone who tried it liked the pack and found it comfy to wear and use. It showed no signs of wear and seemed to happily shrug off the harsh conditions. Carrying jungle kit there was enough room in the main pack to carry everything except water. This we carried in a 1½ litre bottle in each side pouch, then pulled the compression straps tight to hold it in and reduce the width of the bag. Occasionally I got caught up trying to get through too small a gap but mostly the bag caused no problems at all. |
Conclusion:
I can see why many consider this pack to be the best in its class. My only negative point was the lack of side pouches included as standard. If you want to use this as a serious kit carrier the side pouches are essential. With some of the competition including side pouches with their packs as standard this increased the cost of the pack by at least £20 when buying them separately.
This aside, I think this piece of equipment is a very good rucksack and I would definitely buy one if I wanted a medium size pack. |
Reviewed by Mark Aspell
Copyright Bushcraft UK 2007
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