My go-to rucksack is my Montane Medusa 32 litre pack. But for Winters, something bigger and more beasty needs to rear its head... Drum roll and cue the Montane Torque 40...
(Note that the colour of the pack is not blue as shown below. The most accurate colour is the second picture of the opening clip. The pack is a kind of blue-green colour. The clips and the back of the pack is orange not reddish as in the pics).
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| Montane Torque 40L |
So here it is - flattened on the ground in a sad incident of cupboard squishing... But when it isn't being stored, what kind of kit can fit into it?
Well, I can easily stash a bunch of dry bags in it containing belay jacket, waterproofs, goggles, crampons, food, flask, Nalgene bottle, spare hats and sets of gloves, helmet and rope. And there's room to spare. I find the pack comfy to wear and as it's only one opening it's fairly easy to open up. Obviously the spindrift collar makes things a wee bit slower but hey. What I tend to do is pack my kit in specific dry bags in winter so I know what's where - quickly.
The base of the pack is also reinforced which is essential !
Opening the pack
At the front of the pack, the opening is a simple 'hook and loop' type of arrangement as shown in the pic below. Some may find this a little tricky in snow but I found it's much easier than a traditional opening in brutal conditions!
Bag Opening
Like the Medusa, the Torque has an open and close system that revolves around tugging one side of the cord to close the pack and then tugging the plastic on each side of the pack (shown in the third pic). The pack also has a spindrift collar as well which is mostly a great help!
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| Opening to the Torque showing inner and top sleeve - top sleeve can be extended for more volume |
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| Showing the outer sleeve closed |
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| Same pic but showing the handles you tug to open up the pack |
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| Both openings closed |
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| Rope compression strap clicked in place |
Top Pocket
Very spacious pocket at the top of the pack. The 'buddy system' means that your buddy can open the pocket as it faces 'backwards' away from your back. The material is reinforced so it doesn't 'flop' forward with your kit spilling out. Killer feature - very helpful!
Underneath and inside the pack is a zipped compartment with a key chain on it and spares for the Montane Torque - again, a great feature.
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| Torque top outer pocket |
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| Underside of the top outer pocket showing key chain and bag of spares |
Inside the Pack
Inside the pack there's a single compartment. There is a hydration bladder section which I don't use but it's there for those who do! A great feature is that you can get into the pack via a zip at the top inside of the Torque. When you unzip this, you can take out the 'VertErgo Climb' back system which is there to give the pack needed strength and support. You can also manoeuvre this and shape it to fit your own body. It's also removable for lightweight enthusiasts. Also in this section is a folded removable bivvy mat! It's very thin but again it's a great feature and you could use it to sit on as well.
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| Looking down into the inside of the pack. The black part you can see is the folded bivvy mat |
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| Looking down into the pack, the 'white' part is the VertErgo Climb back support |
Side compression straps
Two lockable / unlock able / adjustable straps either side of the pack for storage or compression of the pack. The lower strap passes through the ice axe holder but don't affect the storage of the axe if you care to stash your axe here. I personally stick my axe down the side compression straps.
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| Torque side compression straps |
The next feature
The back of the Torque 40 is the same style as the Medusa. The great thing is that the shoulder straps are clothing friendly which means they have been designed not to be abrasive on your clothing. And they work! The back is water resistant so snow doesn't weigh down and water-log your pack. The waist strap is very effective and easy to tighten - and padded with just the right amount of padding for me at least. The back also allows moisture to escape fairly well. OK it's not a mesh wafting in the air style back but it's what I like! Makes me feel more secure as it's tight to my back.
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| Back of the Montane Torque 40 |
The straps etc
You can see the chest strap in the picture (resting on the back - not done up). The waist strap is great and works very effectively. Unlike most other packs, you simply tug on the strap on either the left or right and the waist strap tightens.
This is a great winter pack. If you're doing the Alpine thing you may well want something more stripped back and with fewer straps and I can well understand this. For UK winter use or if you need to carry extra kit / spares as a Mountain Leader with a group, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
A shameless beautiful winter shot from near Heron Pike
This day was very windy and mad. But in the middle of the madness there was a few moments of clear weather!!
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| Montane Torque and Heron Pike meet |
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