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Thanks for your kind feedback. Glad you found the video helpful. As I point out in the video, the side pockets seem pretty spacious when the main pack is empty. However once you've loaded all your gear in the main pack, then you lose a lot of space in the side pockets. So I am unable to fit my 1 litre Nalgene water bottle in a side pocket once the main pack is full. Instead I place it inside the main pack, somewhere near the top so that I can get to it easily. Of course, this means that any time you wish to take a drink of water, you need to take the pack off. This might not seem convenient to many folk. However, personally, I do not have a real issue with this. My thinking is that I usually only need some water now and again while walking during the day, and by taking the pack off you get a little rest from carrying a heavy load. I also take the opportunity to have a snack as well (eg, an energy bar). It's usually better to snack regularly at intervals over the course of the day to keep up your energy levels, rather than solely rely on lunch alone. With regards additional water carriers, I also carry an *empty* 2 litre Platypus "bottle" - you know the ones that are basically a clear plastic bladder that you can roll up when not in use. My main use for this is to fill it up with water once I set up camp. This saves having to constantly refill my 1 litre Nalgene bottle (eg from streams) for use while cooking & boiling water. Then once I break camp the next morning I simply empty any remaining water from the Platypus bottle, so that I'm not carrying extra weight (2 litres = 2kg). Saying that, I have actually had occasion to carry a full 2 litre Platypus bottle in addition to my 1 litre Nalgene bottle. I remember once particularly hot summer's day in the Cairngorms. I was out hiking and about to head up to the top of Braeriach. I knew that water sources up high would be scarce, so I decided to play it safe and carry extra water just in case. Finally, an alternative to a "solid" water bottle such as the Nalgene bottle is to use one of those backpack water bladders that have a long tube that you thread through a hole from the inside of the pack to the outside. Typically the tube (& valve) is then attached to the front shoulder harness. Then any time you want a drink, you just use the tube to draw water from the bladder reservoir inside the pack. I've used these way back in the past, but I now prefer bottles. The main issue I found was with the hygiene of the inside of the long tube over time, especially if it had been packed away in storage. It started going green and mouldy. I find that bottles are much easier to keep clean, and to fill up from streams. So, a very long answer to your question!! Whoops. Anyway, I hope this helps. And I do hope your scouting teens are going to have a fantastic time hiking and camping in the great outdoors! Kind regards.

@@quaylochoutdoorswhat a thorough and kind reply. Much appreciated thank you. We plan to all walk the West Highland Way in a year or two so there’s no such thing as too much information! Catherine :)

@@WessexMan Ha ha 😂. Glad that it was my lack of looks that gained me a like. There's hope in this world yet! Thanks for your kind words. Enjoy your backpacking 👍

Thanks for your kind words. Yes, luckily I was well prepared. Sometimes I do wonder why I bother to carry such extra kit, but it only takes a slight trip or a fall to remind yourself that you never know when you might need it. Meanwhile, my wife is now fully recovered and back to normal activity. Thank you for asking. Kind regards.

Thanks for your kind comments. Yes, I did manage to squeeze in the Akto along with the bivvy bag, tarp and chair. However, it was rather a tight fit. And note in the video that I placed the tent quite low down inside the backpack. Normally, I would keep the tent towards the top of the pack, so that more accessible when first reaching camp. Glad you enjoyed the video! Kind regards.

Glad you enjoyed it. 👍 Thanks.

Hi. I haven't really given the backpack much of a good bashing yet - eg, not done a multi-day trip with it to see how it holds up to continuous rough usage. The back aluminium flat rods seem sturdy enough. They help give the pack some rigidity between the shoulders and the hip belt. As for the height, the adjustable back harness attachments slide up and down the aluminium bars. I'm 6ft tall, so I have these set at the maximum height (the top of the aluminium bars). And so far I've not had a problem. However, if you need to set a lower height, then may be your suggestion to stitch these in place would make some sense (assuming I have understood your question correctly?). My only problem with the pack so far is the flimsiness of the buckles on the straps. I accidentally stood on one of the buckles and it snapped! So now I've got to replace this. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Cheers.

@@quaylochoutdoors hiya thanks for the reply, i loaded it up the other day and after a ccouple of miles it started squeaking, definitely gonna have to sew in some support, maybe even screw some plates to the aluminium bar. just thankful i gave it a 3/4 load test, its the kind of squeak that drives you batty hehe. the pack overall feels really comfy

The backpack has external aluminium back support. Basically 2 x sturdy aluminium flat bars that are mounted vertically to provide some rigidity to the backpack between the shoulders and the hip belt. The following Amazon link for Eurohike provides some further details. Scroll down to the Product Description where there is a diagram explaining the features of the backpack. Also continue to scroll down where you will see some Q&A items. One of the questions is "Does it have a frame?". The answer given is "Yes, it features a sturdy frame to add support and rigidity to help reduce back and shoulder strain." www.amazon.co.uk/Eurohike-Ventilated-Adjustable-Lightweight-Travelling/dp/B0DCMXQ654 Hope this helps? Kind regards.

Thank you for your kind comment. As for your question, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by rear loading straps for a sleeping bag? I usually put my sleeping bag within the lower zipped compartment of the backpack. I do not hang it on the outside. Perhaps you are talking about the lower outside straps that can be pulled tight around the lower zipped compartment? These are actually quite long, and you could possibly hang something like a sleeping bag on the underside of the backpack outside and secure this down with the straps. I did take a couple of photos to show what I mean, but it seems I can't directly attach these photos in my reply to you. So I've placed them in a shared public folder on Google Drive. Here's the link: drive.google.com/drive/folders/1QcopvtRNh3A5Ak23FQk8A5Q2mw4b3T4T?usp=sharing Not sure if this answers your question? Please let me know. Kind regards.

@@pfote65 Thank you for your kind words. My wife is now almost fully recovered. Kind regards.

Thanks 👍. Glad you found it useful.

Excellent! Enjoy 👍

@@BitsMissing Thanks. Glad it was helpful 👍

Thanks 👍

Thanks. Glad it was helpful. Yes, a 65 litre backpack is about the right size for multi day hikes and camps. And even for a single overnight camp. You don't have to fill it up if you don't need to. And with its empty weight being under 1.5 kgs, then it doesn't really matter if you're not using all the space on all your trips. Enjoy!

Yup, sure does!! Indeed, I just checked via Google. There's a bunch of retailers now offering it at £19. eg Ultimate Outdoors, Millets, Blacks. Kinda makes you wonder why they are promoting this at such a generous low price? Do they know something we don't? :-) Anyway. As I said in my video, gotta be worth a try! Especially now it's just £19. Cheers!

Picked one up the other week from go outdoors for £20 absolutely love it

Absolutely. It'll be fine. If you can get it at £28 from Blacks, then compared with other brands it's a bargain. Whatever you do, if you're just starting out, don't spend a fortune on camping gear until you've been on a few trips to see whether you like camping in the first place! My own gear has been built up over many years, not all in one go. And if you find that camping is not for you then you can always sell your gear on eBay or wherever. Enjoy!

Thanks Christopher. Glad you enjoyed it! 👍