Vaude Brenta 35 (2014)

The Vaude Brenta 35 narrowly missed out being featured in the top eight in our test. It is a well-featured 35-litre rucksack with two hip pockets, a floating back system that adjusts, a rain cover, two wand pockets, a clipped webbing pocket on the front that is ideal for a jacket, a valuables pocket under the lid and the usual fittings for a hydration bladder. It’s comfortable and supportive when on, and ideal for long winter day walks or shorter backpacking trips. It’s quite a plain design, which some people might like and some people might not, and the finesse of some of the details is a bit lacking: the zip handles on the hipbelt pockets are tiny, and need ties to remotely work with gloves, the ice axe loops are thin and some of the stitching is a bit hit and miss, giving concern about durability. The straps are also less padded than some we looked at, though not woundingly so.

Verdict

The Vaude Brenta 35 is overall a very good sack in a similar vein to the Osprey Talon 33; only a few details let it down.

Review by Simon Ingram

Just missed out on being in Trail magazine March 2014