Even on the smallest of daypacks, those designed to carry a single vegemite sandwich and no more, padding seems abundant on the shoulder straps. But here I was, about to head out for twelve hours in Central Australia with clothes, food, emergency kit, and loads of water, and it would all be carried in a pack with no shoulder strap padding. How would my shoulders cope?
I’ll get on to how my shoulders fared soon, but first let’s look at some details. Lowe Alpine’s Aeon packs comes in four different sizes: 18, 22, 27 and 35L. There’s also a slighter smaller female range (the Aeon ND). There are also M-L and L-XL sizes, offering slight differences in the overall length and width of the pack. However, the Aeon also includes a size adjustment feature allowing lengths to be extended; even the M-L model I’m used was easily adjusted to fit my L-XL torso.
The Aeon includes Lowe Alpine’s AirContour system. Although unlike like some other systems that pull the pack away from the back (which in itself has pros and cons), it performed well in the 38°C+ temps we walked in. The waist and shoulder straps have additional breathable holes for added air circulation.
An external sleeve allows a water bladder to sit outside the pack’s main body, making bladder replacements and refills easy. An elastic-mesh front stuff pocket offers a convenient way to quickly pack or unpack an item of clothing without having to open the pack. Deep, elastic mesh side pockets are also great for water bottles. The pack has two side compression straps, hiking pole straps, and an ice-axe loop.
It’s a roomy pack. It doesn’t taper down like many smaller packs, and the main pocket zips extend a way down the pack, allowing it to really open up. Aside from the mesh pockets, the entire pack fabric uses Lowe Alpine’s TriShield fabric, which they claim is up to six times more tear resistant than similar nylon fabrics.
As a multi-functional day pack, the Aeon 27 performed well. Perhaps a legitimate gripe is that it doesn’t include a rain cover. Obviously, we didn’t need one in central Australia, but Lowe Alpine offer an after-market one that can be purchased separately.
As for those unpadded shoulder straps? The pack was remarkably comfortable. Even after a full twelve hours of hiking, my shoulders were fine.
Review: R.Handel
Need to know
Intended use: all round day pack
Capacity: 27 lt/1650cu.in
Weight: 0.854kg M-L, 0.93kg L-XL
RRP: $184.95
More info: www.lowealpine.com.au