Haglöfs Roc Helios 25 Pack | Performance

The Roc Helios is probably the most singleminded pack we’ve come across this year. It’s an unapologetic, minimalist, 600-gramme technical climbing and mountaineering pack that makes few concessions to more general usability.

For a start, it’s white because that’s the colour the light, crackly but super tough VX 07 Dimension Polyant X-Pac sail-type fabric happens to be. It has just one small zipped side pocket that will hold your keys and a spare tenner if you’re lucky. And the fasteners and buckles are kept to a minimum.

The ‘suspension’ system is a zip-down, dense foam back panel giving access to the main compartment, some simple, curved shoulder-straps and a minimal, removable waist-belt. Additional stowage is courtesy of a simple shock-corded next come compression system. And you get simple ice-axe loops, though you have to fit the top cords yourself.

None of which sounds very promising, but the thing is, it all works pretty well. The pack nestles neatly and comfortably into the small of your back. The thin waist-belt sits above harness level to avoid jumbling and has no loose ends. The shock cord holds spare clothing in place. The rope holder cinches down nicely and seems secure enough in use. And the side pocket will take both a set of keys and an iPhone 5 or similar medium-sized phone.

Not only that, while the flop-open back panel is a pain to use with the pack vertical, it does actually make sense when you do the whole ‘spin it round’ on your waist thing. Of course the lack of pockets means anything you’re not carrying in your shell clothing will likely be in the pack, but it’s easy to get access to it without fully removing it.

One oddity is that although there’s an internal hydration sleeve, which we also used to stash small items inside the main compartment, there’s no dedicated tube outlet or guide loop on the shoulder straps, so you’ll need to improvise unless you’re happy to have a free-swinging bite-valve, which we’re not.

And the elephant in the room? It’s very, very white. Not the most practical colour out there – Haglöfs web-site pointedly carries advice on cleaning your pack using a ‘soap-based detergent’ – but something of a statement, which you’ll either love or find faintly embarrassing.