Vango Sherpa 65 Litre Rucksack Travel Bag Pack, Black, One Size

We paid a lot for this as our daughter was taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's award scheme and needing to hike for over 6 hours and camp overnight. We're glad we did though as she said it made the ordeal far less gruelling due to being able to adjust the straps so that the weight could be distributed from her shoulders to her hips and pretty much everywhere in-between. A good, well-designed product.

Not sure about this rucksack. It seems very narrow and difficult to get kit into it. I'm no expert at packing so maybe it's the way I'm doing it but it's a real struggle as it's so narrow. Also the bottom side pockets where the water bottles should go are very tight and I have so far not been able to fit in the water bottle without a real struggle, lots of pushing and shoving which I doubt my son will be able to manage. This is a real pain. Also it doesn't appear to be elasticated so doesn't 'grab' you bottle seems pretty useless to me and maybe best used as some extra storage.The bag is also a bit hefty and as it's for a DofE with quite a lot of kit to pack this adds to the overall weight to lug about. I am not sure about the weights of similar rucksacks so maybe this is an issue with all of them in this price range.I have now packed this full and jammed the water bottle into the side pocket hoping that this will loosen it up a bit. I'm hoping over time that the whole rucksack will loosen up so it's easier to pack.The side zipped pockets are extremely useful. We've managed to get quite a bit of kit in there such as survival bag, first aid kit, torch etc and I can imagine might be room for some spare food.The top of the rucksack has a very useful zipped compartment on the outside which is very handy to put items you need to get your hands on quickly without opening up the whole rucksack such as map, waterproofs, hat, suncream etc. Also inside the top is a zipped compartment which is also quite roomy and useful.At the bottom of the bag you can access to the bright orange rain cover which is self attached so you can quickly whip it out and over the whole of the rucksack and as it is attached by a clip you don't have to worry about it coming away and getting lost. Only issue I guess with this is if you attach something horizontally to the bottom such as a sleeping mat not sure then I don't think it is wide enough to fit over.To the front of the bag is another zipped comparment running vertically although can't fit much in there possibly good for map or more food items or some other smallish item.I can't help feeling I wish I would have got a bigger rucksack but as this was recommended by the Scout Leader we went with it. If we have to purchase another rucksack in the future I think I would rather do it from a store than online now that I know what to look for.I think this will do for now though and I do realise in order to get a larger rucksack I'm going to have to pay more. I agree with other posters that it's pretty average although with some useful features such as the side pockets and other storage areas plus the rain cover. The quality isn't quite there but you get what you pay for so will do for now.

This rucksack is perfect for D of E. It was £20 cheaper online compared to shop prices. Lots of room and pockets and also includes rain cover.

The back is not adjustable enough. Build quality is good, it's well made and designed, for a man

This item has a 2 year warranty. The waist buckle broke within a year, but the seller has not responded to our request for support. Fortunately the original equipment manufacturer has much better customer service.

very nice and robust product.

Agree with comments on a previous review. We bought for our son's DofE expedition and he used it on the practice trip. He found it difficult to pack (it's too narrow), it's heavy, he couldn't attach his (3 man) tent as the straps are too small, and it didn't sit well on his back/waist. We replaced with the Osprey Rook for the actual expedition, which was a much better rucksack eg wider so could easily fit all his gear, was lighter, more comfortable, etc.

Great size for travelling, many pockets to put things. Comfortable to wear