The Ultra Tour 40 has been designed for active mountain users who demand low weight, durable performance and useful, practical features that make adventures go smoothly. The large roll-top closure makes loading quick and simple and the phenomenally strong fabric will withstand some serious abuse. The 40 litre capacity makes this versatile pack suitable for multi-day treks, adventure racing or big mountain routes.
Montane have used their RAPTOR Zero fabric for this lightweight pack, this fabric is made from Robic yarn that has fantastic tear strength, in fact it has better tensile strength and higher tenacity than standard Nylon 6 fabric. The fabric has a hydrostatic head of 1000mm, combine this with the roll-top closure and minimal seams and you have a highly water resistant pack. Please bear in mind however that it is not 100% waterproof, so if you have precious items keep them in a waterproof stuff sack.
Comfort and support is provided by a simple framesheet with padded contact pads that feature moulded ribs to enhance breathability and wick moisture away from the body. These pads are covered with a soft open mesh to reduce friction and abrasion on shell garments. The same contact mesh is used to line the shoulder straps and hip belt to keep the low profile carrying harness body hugging with excellent breathability and quick drying. The shoulder straps feature a brilliant chest strap that is definitely worth a mention, the ultra low profile buckle is positioned on the far left so it doesn't dig into your chest and "snaps" onto a plastic strip for easy attachment and removal even with cold numb hands or bulky gloves. The position can be adjusted to suit and the webbing is soft and stretchy; I'd say this was the best sternum strap I've encountered in many years.
Access to the main compartment is via the cavernous roll-top closure, this allows you to literally stuff your kit into the pack and then rolls up to create a tight weather resistant seal. You can either secure the closure by clipping the two halves of the buckle together to form a loop (Ortlieb dry bag style) or use the side buckles to apply top down compression. These side buckles can be removed if you want to reduce overall pack weight.
Despite being a minimalist and lightweight pack you still get plenty of storage options with twin zipped stretch mesh hip belt pockets, two stretch mesh water bottle pockets that are angled for ease of use, a large stretch mesh front stash pocket and two mesh shoulder strap pockets for electronic devices or soft flasks. On the outside of the pack there are two webbing daisy chain strips that hold the twin trekking pole holders, these holders can be re-positioned to suit your kit or removed completely for weight reduction. Twin Z shaped side compression straps keep heavy or awkward loads under control and you get a set of base compression straps on this model to add a sleeping pad or additional kit. An internal hydration sleeve completes the list of features.
-
RAPTOR Zero fabric which is tough yet exceptionally lightweight with a superb DWR and formidable tear resistance
-
Ultra lightweight MONTANE ‘Comfort Vent Back Pad’ has perforated, moulded ribs that provide excellent ventilation and wick moisture away from the body
-
Low profile shoulder straps and hip fins with CONTACT Air Mesh
-
Chest harness with left hand positioned clip
-
Body curve hip fins
-
Double tension waist harness for extra stability and pack weight equalisation
-
Large front stash pocket
-
Two side angle stretch mesh ‘easy grab’ water bottle pockets
-
Versatile stretch mesh pockets on shoulder straps
-
Zipped hip pockets
-
Large wide mouth pack opening with roll-top dry bag closure
-
Base compression straps
-
Z-shaped side compression straps
-
Daisy chain webbing strips on main pack body
-
Removable trekking pole attachment loops
-
Removable side roll-top attachment webbing and buckles
-
Reversible mitt and glove compatible buckles throughout
-
Hydration bladder compatible with internal storage sleeve
-
360° ‘DUSK TILL DAWN’ head torch reflectivity