The Salewa Alptrek 50+10 Backpack is ideal for a slimmer female and it felt immediately comfortable with a medium thickness of padding at the rear, hipbelt and shoulders. The cut-out design of the shoulder straps and hip-belt work really well to aid a more customised fit. The back was also easy to adjust to suit my height although tall women should note that I am 5ft8in and I needed it set to the longest length.
Fiona Russell’s Best On Test
The Salewa Alptrek 50+10 Backpack is ideal for a slimmer female and it felt immediately comfortable with a medium thickness of padding at the rear, hipbelt and shoulders.- Slim fit
- Female Design
- Comfort
- Pockets
- Raincover
- Hipbelt pockets
- fiddly lid
- Vague Eco Info
| Quick specs | |
|---|---|
| Price: £210 Weight: 1780g Capacity: 50 + 10 litres Materials: 100Dx280D Nylon Twill and 210D Nylon Honeycomb Closure: Detachable lid, drawstring top Back: Internal frame, EVA pads with 3D channel ventilation Hipbelt: Adjustable padded “split” hip belt Pockets: Side zip to main compartment, large zipped front pocket, 2 zipped lid pockets, front net pocket, 2 side net pockets, zipped lower compartment, hydration sleeve, 2 hip belt pockets, zipped pocket for raincover Features: S, M, L torso adjustment, side compression straps, trekking pole fastening, double ice axe fastening, rope fastener, raincover, 2 x daisy chain loops Sizes: one size (45-53cm torso) Women’s/Men’s Version: no URL: https://www.salewa.com/en-gb |
At 50-litre volume the Salewa Alptrek is one of the smaller packs on test but that meant I wasn’t tempted to over pack. In any case, you can gain an extra 10 litres by removing the lid and adding more items to the top of the pack. A rain cover is a useful extra for waterproofing, especially when the lid is removed.
Items in the main compartment are accessed from the top and also via a long side zip. A lower zipped compartment is useful for stashing a sleeping bag and there is a zipped divider between the top and lower part of the pack for packing versatility.
Additionally, there is a large, zipped side pocket, three useful external stretch pockets and two more zipped pockets in the lid. I like lots of different places to pack items so I was impressed with the range and sizes.
I was surprised to discover that the pack is one of the heaviest on test yet even when fully packed it feels compact and evenly weighted. It sits comfortably against the back and hips and doesn’t sway about or feel top-heavy.
A few niggles include a slightly sticky zip on the lower main compartment and a fiddly detaching/attaching system for the lid. The hip pockets would benefit from being larger.
The pack is made with a material that boasts a “Salewa Committed” icon. This means it fulfils two mandatory criteria and one additional criteria for sustainability although after reading the information at www.salewa.com/en-gb/salewa-committed I’m still not clear how eco-friendly the product is.
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
