What an awesome pack. I could sum up the review in those four words but I'm guessing you'd like to know a bit more...?
Oh go on then...
Having had a 30 litre Karrimor pack before, this is more of a quality pack with a number of neat touches, some of which you'll use and some of which you won't. Nice to have the opportunity though...
Picked up the pack for around £50 on offer which was great as it retails for around £65-£75.
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| Montane Medusa 32 |
The pack has a single top opening with Montane's unique 'pull system' which means you grab the two sides of the top cord and pull it open. I like this system of opening and have found it pretty easy, even in snow with cold fingers and gloves on. To close, you hold one side of the pull cord and tug the other side.
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| Looking down on the pack (drawcords left and right) |
The back of the pack has a foam padding in a delightful orange colour. The pack fits fairly close to the back so inevitably sweat can be a problem on your back. But this is something you learn to live with if you're like me and don't like 'mesh' or 'air gap' type packs that make you feel like you're falling backwards as the pack sits so far from your back! It's also proved pretty effective at shedding snow which is a nice bonus.
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| Back of the Montane Medusa 32 |
There is a 'buddy' pocket at the top of the pack which (as you can see) can be opened by your 'buddy'. The 'rim' (lip) of the pocket is reinforced so when the pocket is opened, items don't come cascading out. The minor 'downside' (if that's a fair term) is that when empty the top pocket 'sags' slightly as you can see.
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| The top stiffened pocket |
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| Montane Medusa 32 'in action' !! |
The pack fastens via a single clip that some have argued looks slightly flimsy (you can see it in the picture above in the centre of the pack). I haven't found it too bad at all.
Down to the underside of the pack, the pack is reinforced from the normal Raptor material. I did manage to put a small hole in it when I was crossing a river and slipped onto the rock and landed on my pack. But that would rip any pack. However, it is reinforced and this is a great touch. I fixed the pack with some Tenacious Tape inside and outside and it's worked fine.
On the 'back' of the pack (where the Medusa 32 logo is) there are a couple of tool loops which can also be tucked away into the pack. These will take a couple of ice axes and will hold them in. There are youtube videos on how to do this, if you choose to stash ice axes in this way. The side compression straps can also be used to put the ice axe through and keep the axes upright.
Talking of compression, the Medusa features two compression straps on each side of the pack to compress the pack or hold in equipment etc. These are neatly placed and spaced helpfully. The sides of the pockets also see two stretchy pockets that will hold part of a bottle / flask etc and the lower compression strap can be used to secure such an item.
There is a waist strap and a chest strap. The waist strap is fairly padded and the right side features a pocket, again with a 'lip' to avoid items falling out. The left side has a loop on to stash any karabiners etc.
As with most packs, the main straps can be adjusted in terms of length and with a top adjustment to help align the pack with your body and your needs.
The rucksack is hydration compatible with an inner hydration pack section and a feed out of the pack on the underside of the top left side of the lid. I've actually stopped using hydration bladders as just found them to be a bit of a nuisance!
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| Looking down into the pack (hydration bit just about visible!) |
My overall conclusion of the pack is that it packs (boom boom) the perfect punch and really suits me. I've not fully packed it except in Winter so it does sometimes have a wee bit of a sag, but that's nothing unusual with most packs. The back of the frame is pretty stable and I'd say about the perfect balance for the size of pack. It's without doubt the best pack I've worn and useful for all year round. This has travelled across the Moors, across the mountains and in every season.
Not being someone who misses having a thousand pockets, it suits me perfectly. Minimalist and probably just about the right balance of weight and durability (although if you want ultra-durable and more weighty, you're better off looking to things like the Deuter Guide range). But for me this is a great pack. I've also got its older sibling - the Torque 40 but the Medusa 32 is my go-to pack for almost all 'proper' walks, outside of full winter conditions.
One final thing to mention is that the back material / waist strap material has been designed by Montane so that it is very easy going on fabrics like baselayers, being non-abrasive. So if you're like me and take good care of your outdoors clothing, this pack scores even higher!
Not being someone who misses having a thousand pockets, it suits me perfectly. Minimalist and probably just about the right balance of weight and durability (although if you want ultra-durable and more weighty, you're better off looking to things like the Deuter Guide range). But for me this is a great pack. I've also got its older sibling - the Torque 40 but the Medusa 32 is my go-to pack for almost all 'proper' walks, outside of full winter conditions.
One final thing to mention is that the back material / waist strap material has been designed by Montane so that it is very easy going on fabrics like baselayers, being non-abrasive. So if you're like me and take good care of your outdoors clothing, this pack scores even higher!
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