The Big Agnes Garnet backpack is very well made and with good quality materials, including “Mipan regen”, which is a GRS-certified 100% recycled nylon. The brand makes other sustainability claims, including “working towards being 100% PFAS-free across all product categories” but these seem rather vague to me. (See for yourself: https://www.bigagnes.com/pages/sustainability-mission.)
Fiona Russell Recommends
The pack is very well made and with good quality materials, including “Mipan regen”, which is a GRS-certified 100% recycled nylon.- Female fit
- Adjustability
- comfort
- Eco Fabric
- Hipbelt
- Rain cover, exrtra cost
- Small Clips
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £259.99 Weight: 1740g Capacity: 60 litres (plus 7 litres) Materials: 100% recycled high tenacity nylon, dual density foam, twill fabric base, nylon taffeta lining Closure: detachable lid, drawstring “spindrift” collar Back: internal aluminum perimeter frame, curved back panel with body mapped foam Hipbelt: double adjustable, articulated, foam Pockets: 2 zipped in lid, bladder sleeve, 2 side and 1 rear stretch mesh, zipped rear, 2 zipped hipbelt Features: three torso length adjustments, sternum strap, side compression straps, 2 trekking pole web and bungee cord loops, daisy chain loops, bottom lash loops, top grab handle, loops on the base for attaching cord Sizes: one Women’s/Men’s Version: 63l Parkview URL: https://www.bigagnes.com/ for UK sales: www.ultralighoutdoorgear.co.uk |
The female-specific design is excellent with three height adjustments, a solidly but comfortably padded back, contoured shoulder straps and an anatomical hip belt, plus added dual stabiliser.
All this means you can gain a neat almost hug-like fit. There was very little swing or movement from the pack even when fully loaded. One quibble is that as a slim female I was close to running out of hipbelt tightening capacity.
There is plenty of packing space including a large main compartment that is accessed via a top drawstring opening. The volume can be enlarged to 67 litres if you remove the lid and stack more items at the top of the pack. This makes the pack feel top heavy, though, and without the lid, the cinched closure is not waterproof so you would need to purchase a separate rain cover.
There is no divider in the main compartment, nor a lower zipped compartment, which means your kit is packed into one area. I had to rummage to find items.
However, a major strength is the range of pockets. There are a couple of zipped pockets on the detachable lid, two roomy zipped hipbelt pockets and another rear zipped pocket. The best pockets are the large stretchy side and rear pockets.
The zip pulls are big and easy to use and the clips feel adequate although I think they look rather flimsy compared to the robust nylon fabric. The smaller clips also seem too small and I worry I will break them if I accidentally step or kneel on the pack.
Another small quibble is the lilac-coloured straps and detailing, which will easily become dirty.
There is an added “trash” sack that hangs on the side of the pack. I removed this as I found it flapped annoyingly.
Written and tested by Fiona Russell
Fiona is 5ft 8in and a slim build. She has tested the packs on trails and hills when filled with enough kit for a couple of days of walking and an overnight wild camp. The packs were weighed on digital scales.
