Why We Chose The Lowe Alpine Altus: Versatile, high spec design, good price.
This is a pack that clearly has had some serious thinking behind it.
It’s a proper mountain backpack, one of those options that will be in use all-year-round. In winter the 42:47 litre capacity makes it the ideal size for big days out when you need to be carrying all your warm kit, technical equipment, safety items and thermos flask. In the warmer seasons, it’ll be perfect for carrying your kit on a hut-to-hut trek in the Alps and we expect there’ll be plenty of people hiking with this on the Camino de Santiago. On top of all that, this could easily manage all your camping kit for a simple overnight during the weekend, though the ultralighters out there might even think it’ll be a bit luxurious in that regard.
There’s an incredible amount of volume adaptability here, with two straps on each side, a floating lid and big stretch pockets. The main external pocket on the front is perfect for stashing a down jacket and a coat, while the side ones are ideal for a big water bottle – they won’t quite take a rollmat though. Other pockets include two zipped stretch mesh ones on the hipbelt (just the right size for a pack of Jelly Babies) and external and internal pockets in the lid, the latter of which has a clip for your keys.
Access into the main compartment of the Lowe Alpine Altus is through a drawcord under the lid and also via a U-shaped zip across the front. With all the adjustment straps done up, this front zip is a little fiddly to get into while on the go, but it’s still a useful feature for when you’ve made it to your alpine hut, you’ve got the pack on your bed and you want to dig out that pair of flip flops to wear to dinner.
