The Fluid 32 uses a 100D SiliSeal Ripstop Cordura Nylon body and a 315D SiliSeal Cordura bottom, making it extremely durable and capable of withstanding abrasions from the trail or an accidental poke with an ice axe.

The Fluid 32 features Mountain Hardwear’s HardWave framesheet that offers both cool ventilation and load support from this unique and light weight structure, combined with a comfortable hip belt that’s wide enough to offer extra support on  your hip, but not too wide and thick to limit movement and agility on the trail.  The hip belts also feature a mesh lining that helps keep you dry and two very small zipped pockets that can hold your car keys, chap stick or some spare change.

The HardWave suspension system keeps the pack light, firm while allowing it to vent heat away from your body.

The lid features a large top compartment and inner zipped pockets for keeping valuables and first-aid items handy. The pack also features a hydration pocket that you can access externally to easily refill it when necessary.

One of the things we really liked about the Fluid 32 pack, are the compression straps. These help keep the contents of your pack from moving around, which helps when you’re scrambling over rocks or moving at a fast pace.  We adjusted the straps, pulling them in tight during a brisk hike to make it to our campsite before dark. Yet, as we compressed the straps, the pack didn’t feel uncomfortable or move higher on our back. In fact, it allowed us to move quickly up the trail and jump over rocks without loosing our balance or feeling heavy.

Another nice feature on the Fluid 32 is that there’s plenty of external pockets for just about anything. We liked the stretch woven side pockets that can hold anything from a 1-liter water bottle to a pair of gloves or any extra gear that you might want to get at without taking off the pack.

The bottom accessory straps allow you to carry a lightweight sleeping pad or other equipment.

We also liked the accessory straps that allow you to attach a lightweight sleeping pad and there’s an ice axe loop that makes this pack great if you’re headed to a remote waterfall for an ice climbing adventure. The front flap can also hold a climbing helmet; if you pack light enough, and the metal latch feels secure and makes it easy to access items in the front pouch or the top lid.

The Fluid 32 worked great during our overnight pack into the Oregon back country where we took a minimal amount of gear. While we trekked 10 miles in less than two hours at a fast pace, (the trail weaved in an out of river beds and through steep, heavily wooded terrain) the Fluid 32 never seemed like a burden to carry. We were able to fit a bivy, sleeping pad, two days worth of food, water, a lightweight stove, and our 1o-essentials easily into the pack with room to spare. For those wanting to go out even lighter, you can remove some of the accessory straps, but the compression straps will solidly support the gear in your pack so it’s not flopping around on you.

If you’re tempted to start becoming a fast or ultra-light backpacker, the Mountain Hardwear Fluid 32 is a great way to get your feet wet at $130. A slightly larger version, Fluid 35 is also avaialble. For more information, visit www.mountainhardwear.com

Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack: Functional and Classy

By Rick Shandley

Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is a daypack you can use for business and pleasure. Excursion is part of the new BRX collection, a series of active travel luggage Briggs and Riley has every reason to be excited about. We ran with the Excursion Backpack for several months, generally on a daily basis. There were the grind commutes into LA to participate in the rat race. And there were out of town trips where there’s always a chance to explore and get some exercise on nearby trails or state parks.

Typically, the Excursion was loaded with files, laptop computer, and the usual knickknacks that support a human during the dog days of a work week. There were those bemusing days of multiple stops…in traffic…where the mind wonders if moving to Montana is really an option or just a pipe dream.  And there was lots of city hiking from the public parking lots, covering a few blocks, then ducking into a once magnificent office tower and up the elevators to work on some project. On a daily pace, the Excursion worked great as a mobile office.

Inside the U-shaped laptop sleeve, a 15-inch HP Pavilion laptop computer was adequately cushioned and separated from the Day Runner, manila files, and notepads. Specifications on this daypack (Product # BP118 in the BRX collection) indicate the laptop sleeve will fit up to a 16-inch laptop.

What’s impressive is this Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack looks like the high-end piece of luggage it is. Whether you are checking

Excursion carries down jacket, hydration bladder, and everything you need for a day.

in to a luxury hotel or walking onto an aircraft with your business-class upgrade paid for with air miles you so wish you didn’t need, the Excursion fits in well. The Excursion has an overall profile that allows it to easily slide into the overhead storage bin of an aircraft, under the jaundiced gaze of the flight attendant, with no style points being deducted.

Oh, but it is when you have to travel and stay away from home for awhile that was nice about this Excursion. For the times you’re strapped to a hotel for a week or more, any fresh air you get will have to be carved out of whatever time you have and place you find yourself. The Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is versatile enough to go from assigned only to protecting your laptop and files, to an day pack that permits you to get out of the hotel room and hike that trail you found online.

This scenario happened a few times. Get to the hotel room, unload the laptop and set up the nice desk with all your business related things, and fill the backpack with water, snacks, a wind parka and head back out to the rental car to end the day with a long walk. Most big American cities like Seattle, Portland, Anchorage, even New York and LA have hiking and outdoor recreation right outside the tragic clusters of conflict known as downtown anywhere. If you enjoy getting outside, as opposed to dutifully relegating yourself to the hotel fitness room, having some kind of backpack is mandatory. This one just does it with panache.

Deep U-shaped Excursion lid offers good access to gear.

Excursion offers a deep U-shaped front loading pocket and an overall capacity of 18×12x9 inches of storage. With the business collateral poured out, the laptop pocket held a two-liter Camelbak Omega Hydrotanium water reservoir with no problems. Problems no, but this pack would be even more versatile if it also had retainer straps for a water reservoir. And it would be nice to have an opening on either side of the top of the pack to run the water flow tube and mouthpiece through to the exterior, so you can use it without unzipping a corner of the top flap. That’s how the Excursion was used on trips: The Camelbak Pure Flow tube ran out through a slightly unzipped corner of the pack.

A deep storage pocket inside the main compartment and forward of the laptop sleeve offered enough room for a Cloudveil Inversion down jacket compressed into its little stuff-sack, and all the gear one might need for a couple evening hours of hiking. The mesh water bottle holder on the right side works when that’s all the water you need.  On the opposite side from the mesh water bottle holder is an inverted-U shaped pocket that can be used for holding your sunglasses or reading glasses…or another bottle of water. A zipped pocket on the outside of the main flap of the Excursion works well for storing small items like your keys and quick access support items.

At the front of the pack, just behind the large exterior pocket is a slide-out identification holder, just in case the airlines have to

Excursion is rugged enough for most any situation you'll need a dual-purpose pack. On Monday, it goes back to mobile-office duty.

FedEx your pack back to you. The large zipped pocket on the front of the Excursion holds several separate compartments for sorting business cards, storing the cell phone, a wallet, and any of the smaller items you might need. Inside the outer fabric of this large front pocket is another zipped pocket for your traveler checks, passport, or your secret stash of jelly beans. Forward, and at the absolute outside of this main exterior front pocket is a non-zippered pouch that seems to collect all the access badges on lanyards, trip receipts, and loose change just as you walk up to the airport X-ray machines.

Two daisy chained clip points are arranged on either upper shoulder of the pack. Three clip-point positions are available on each side. Like larger packs, these clip-points come in handy. We use them to clip on lens-cleaning cloth and an expedition watch with a carabiner clip. It’s a nice touch, and these clip-points are an asset when you need them.

We found the padded back-panel and the shoulder straps to be comfortable and the shoulder straps are easily adjusted with standard heavy-gauge fasteners. The Excursion does not come with a hip belt, nor is one necessarily needed. However, a chest strap spans between the shoulder straps and does a good job of keeping the pack on your back and close to your chest.

Briggs & Riley logo on leather tab atop front pocket.

And at the very top of the Excursion is a nicely padded handle with the Briggs and Riley logo embossed into the leather. Another Briggs and Riley brand logo in sharp relief is located on the top of the primary front pocket. Just beneath the top handle is yet another zipped pocket that contains an anchored clip-strap to work with other roll-on Briggs and Riley luggage. Yep, you can secure the Excursion to the top of the roll-on handle as you waltz away from baggage claim, past the limo drivers morosely holding large paper signs with names other than your own on them, as you make your way to the rental car.

The Briggs and Riley Excursion Backpack is part of several new styles of roll-on luggage and accessories. At MSRP, your investment would be about $120.00. Sure, you are paying for the name, but it’s a name associated with quality, and there is nothing we can take away from that. We found, from the day it arrived, that this pack is versatile and it immediately became an everyday item in our world. It does look like it is high-end, and for folks who must be seen only with the best stuff other folks would recognize, this backpack is the real thing. But in everyday use, the Excursion is just as rugged and useful as any daypack could aspire to be for its function and classy style.

Briggs and Riley brings class and rugged capability to market with their new BRX Excursion Backpack (item number BP118 in BRX series). For sure, the Excursion Backpack is a piece of luggage designed for rugged, grab-and-go travel and adventure. Excursion is one offering from the new Briggs and Riley BRX collection of top-line luggage including uprights ( in sizes 19, 22, 25 and 28-inch long), duffle bag, and toiletry kit.

Fresh Air Junkie is reviewing the BP118 Excursion and will be following up with our observations. So far, the Excursion has been on a long out-of-state trip where it was used to protect a laptop, blackberry, presentation folders and Dayrunner. On the same trip, the Excursion was also used to load-up a Camelback 2.0 liter water bladder, fishing tackle, and day hike gear while the business tools where set up in the hotel room. To this point, we’ve already determined we like the Excursion Backpack. Its design is sophisticated like any fine piece of luggage, but we found ways to have fun with this pack on the trail. It’s a cross-over item that really does lend itself to business and pleasure.

Features:

• Top loading for quick access to primary compartment
• Large front pocket with internal organizer
• Slash pocket on outside of front pocket for maps, itinerary, boarding pass, etc.
• Mesh water bottle holder on right side (when wearing pack)
• Zipped side pocket left side (when wearing pack)
• Daisy chain clip-points to secure small items outside the pack
• Laptop compatible storage in main compartment. Fits up to 16” laptop.
• Lifetime warranty, covers airline damage and that 800 pound gorilla in the room

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 18×12x9” (45.7×30.5×22.9 cm)
• Colors: Slate, Ocean (blue), Amber
• MSRP: $120.00 U.S.

One more trip coming up! This Mountainsmith Borealis AT day-pack/camera bag is good for continuous use from the moment you move your gear into it. It has worked great, and the pack system is comfortable. A sturdy harness system and waist straps are set for spending all day on your back. Borealis has enough cargo room for primary DSL camera; back up camera body and camera gear, and a lap-top. You can also eliminate the back-up camera body, use one lens, and minimal battery gear, so you can load it up with day-hike gear.

Having had this camera bag for a few weeks, it has fit right in being a grab-and-go pack.  As it is for the suspension system, the protective padding around the camera compartment is counted upon and trusted. It’s often just another piece of luggage on some endeavors. Any way you might use this camera pack, as long as it’s all the time, this pack is always ready to go. We really enjoy and value the fact that Borealis AT comes with its own rain fly, in its own tucked in, zipper closure, spot at the very top of the pack between the frame and the lap-top pouch.

Made with 100% recycled PET ReDura fabric, the Borealis AT is a great example of products and fabrics using repurposed materials. AT’s pack design and fabric seem to be sturdy and well set for the task of having a dedicated camera compartment and enough general cargo space to live out of the pack for a day.

On full-day trips, we’ve slipped in our 2.0-Liter Camelbak hydration canteen right where the lap-top would go, and love it. The

Suspension system and harness.

drinking hose weaves nicely out of the pack, over your shoulder, tucked into your left shoulder strap, and at the ready on long hikes. Camelbak water-bladder and hose system has proven water-tight and fully functional in several types of day-packs and multi-day packs.

It would be great for Mountainsmith would build a hydration pouch in the pack to act as a barrier between the water source and the camera equipment. Nonetheless, we use this bag with our daily ration of water on-board, and take the risk. If this tester has to be on the trail all day, or a good part of the morning, we need to carry enough water. We’ve also carried bottled water with the cap-seals for our water source on a couple day trips.

Mountainsmith has a full line of larger, and smaller, packs with built-in camera accommodations. The Borealis AT is set up to carry your snowboard or ski set. A zipped pocket down on the hip belt lets you stash your keys or cell phone easy enough. A Blackberry or similar digital telegraph machine can be securely slipped into the hip pouch.

Ahead of the lap-top space about mid-top-and center of the pack is the primary upper cargo area, enough to stow food, warmth, and sometimes a backup pair of trail shoes and socks. Forward towards the outer shell is that catch-all pocket where you hook up your car keys, compass, camera-guide book and battery charger along with whatever. And at the final outward exterior of the pack is the tri-pod transport anchor.

Camera locker. Click to enlarge.

Padding in the lap-top, primary cargo, and bottom camera locker, is excellent. Perhaps forty percent of the bottom half of the Borealis AT is devoted to protecting your full-size DSL camera body with lens, vertical grip and dual-battery flash, and a couple lenses. It’s the work bay of this camera pack. It’s trustworthy for bumps and thumps a day journey or air travel trip can deal it.

A composite plastic frame-hoop, the component that gives this pack its rigidity and uprightness, snapped somewhere along the timelines of a long road-trip. As mentioned earlier, this camera-pack is a piece of luggage sometimes where it rode for many miles and hours on the road along with other luggage to last for days. Don’t really know what event took place to make it snap. It was never tossed or dropped, or intentionally squished. But it happened. The pack is still very strongly supported by the length of composite spine of the pack because it is still shaped through harness system of the pack. This pack has not missed a beat nor seems to function significantly less than the fully arched frame hoop.

By Rick Shandley

Specifications:

Internal Dimensions:   20” x 9.25” x 12.25” (51 x 23 x 31 cm)

Dimensions:                  21” x 10” x 13” (53.5 x 25.5 x33 cm)

Fits camera sizes to:     7” x 6.5” x 12”

Volume:                          1586 cu. In. (26 Liters)

Weight:                           5lbs. 1 oz.    (2.3 kg)

MSRP:                              $189.95

For your journey to higher performance levels, the Hydrapak 2010 Morro series is serious about the climb!

Hydropak’s new Morro was designed for all-day mountain bike missions where keeping hydrated and nourished is just as important as that helmet on your head.  And for you day hikers, the need for water is no less critical. And you are going to need some carrying capacity to store your fleece pullover, Power Bar’s, and anything you don’t want to carry in your pockets. The team at Hydrapak have been building hydration and storage gear for the mountain biking for years now, and the Morro is their flagship day-pack that let’s you know Hydrapak gets you.

Hydrapak sought to design a pack to accommodate a daylong supply of water, and with enough storage capacity to keep all the gear you’ll need for a long day of busting trails on a mountain bike or on your feet.

So we took the opportunity to take the Hydrapak Morro on a couple day trips that included bike rides and trail hikes. Our overall take on the Morro is that it’s well thought out, sturdy, and held enough water and gear to last a long day. Here are some of our observations:

All around Storage:

Nylon interior of main compartment is roomy enough to accommodate additional clothing items for change in temperature.  Sweatshirt, gloves and hat are easily stored while textured pull grips on the zipper allow tired hands to retrieve items quickly.

Inside flap of the main compartment houses a soft line pocket with Velcro closure for cell phone and there are also two sleeves for pens and pencils.  Two additional zippered pockets are located at the top and bottom of inside flap, where continuous necessities such as First Aid may be kept.

Morro is a hydration pack designed for Mountain Bike excursions, but it's great when you're on foot.

Side Storage compartments are ideal for snacks and held secure with adjustable straps so items remain intact.  While these side compartments are beneficially constructed, two are not really necessary. An outside meshed drink holder in lieu of one side compartment would be advantageous, as it would allow for additional thirst options.

At the back of pack, a side-loading zippered pocket cradles an inside mesh pocket.  For the music enthusiast, iPods or portable devices are held secure with elastic bands and clip.  A three  -tiered outlet for headphones makes it easy to pull the wires in and out.  Sunglasses may be tucked away in another arc-shaped  pocket at the base of pack.  A beneficial addition to the back of the Hydrapak Morro would be greater reflected material for evening outings.

Plenty of Hydration:

A sturdy, pliable, bladder offers almost three liters of water storage capacity. Bladder was a cinch  to fill up, and easily secured with flap and sliding enclosure.  A hook is provided to hang inside the second main storage compartment. The water tube is strong and can well serve the thirsty traveler, though the positioning of the hose opening at the bottom of pack makes for a lengthy, but necessary, route.  The hose opening  on the Morro pack could also be a little larger, as it was a bit of work to pull the (mouth piece) bit in and out. However, the soft plastic bite valve feels comfortable and easy on the teeth and gums.

Breathable Fabrics:

Material used on the Morro shoulder straps and backside of the pack absorbed perspiration on upward climbs and strenuous calorie-burning sessions, but additional padding would have been an added benefit to the pack, especially on the shoulders.

Compact in size without compromising space, Hydrapak 2010 accomplishes intended goals.  The day hiker or cyclist can be assured they will be well hydrated and able to safely stow personal items to their ultimate destination.

By Mary Webb

Specifications:

• Capacity: 800 cubic inches (13.1 Liters)
• Volume: 100oz water bladder (2.96 Liters)
• Drink hose: Big Bore
• MSRP: $110
• Colors: Black (as tested); Orange/white