First off, lest you think the Chilcotin is a tad expensive it’s worth pointing out that it comes with a two-litre Source Widepack bladder which has a mould-inhibiting inner and an easy-to-use clip-in drinking tube. This all fits in a separate hydration sleeve in the main compartment of the pack.
The harness system is designed to keep the weight of the pack centred and prevent it pulling backwards, whilst both the back panel and shoulder straps are ventilated for warmer conditions. You also get two decent sized zipped pockets on the waist straps.
This all felt fine and stable but the sternum strap was a little fiddly to adjust and on-the-go adjustment is minimal (you have to remove the strap and place it on lower or upper loops on the shoulder straps to suit).
The 20-litre main compartment also features a small zipped inner pocket and two outer zipped pockets plus four straps for external gear storage, and the pack design looks neat and functional if a little idiosyncratic.
But as a general purpose day pack for summer use the Chilcotin is well worth checking out
