At the beginning of summer, Girlguiding launched a new casual backpack, noting it’s “a great choice for casual use, the gym as well as camps and outdoor activities”. I’m a fan. I own the fold-up Giving Girls Adventure bag and that’s great but a bit on the small and flimsy side. A proper backpack – yes, I’ll give that a go.
First things first, it’s purple. Well, “plum” and in reality, that’s a little on the pinkish side. Girlguiding say “as voted for by members”. I don’t remember getting that survey. They launched a new casualwear line earlier in the year, which is in raspberry pink and I do remember getting and voting in that survey. Girlguiding adult stuff is blue so you get a fairly equal split of people who want things that aren’t blue and people who sigh at “pink again!”. I’m not quite on either side of that split but I guess I’m closer to the “not blue” end when it comes to casualwear.
I’m glad we’re moving towards casualwear because it’s something the Scouts do very well. iScout was magnificent. To be fair, part of the reason they’re so good at casualwear is because there’s nothing warm in their uniform. That beige shirt covered in neatly-sewn badges does look good at formal events. Girlguiding doesn’t generally look so good at formal events but you can’t deny that a uniform consisting of a polo shirt, two hoodies, a fleece and a softshell jacket is a very practical and wearable uniform, even if a hoodie doesn’t look so smart at Remembrance Parade.
So, the backpack. It’s a 30l bag made of cordura with a small front pocket, a large middle section which contains inner pockets for small things like keys & coins and a large rear section. There are mesh side pockets and compression straps just above them and criss-crossed elastic across the front pocket for stowing things. The straps are reasonably wide and adjustable, with daisy chain webbing down them so you can attach things to the straps and a D ring on each. There’s no hip or waist belt but as this is a casual backpack rather than a hiking pack, I can forgive them for that.
I first used this bag for my day out on Brownsea Island. It’s a good size for a day bag and happily swallowed a jumper, a lunch, a packed-up raincoat and my various small bits, which were safely and handily stowed in the front pocket. However, when I first put it on, I was very aware of the square ends of the shoulder straps. Normally they’re tapered to meet the webbing or straps that connect them to the bottom of the bag but this was solid square. They stick into your arms a little. I was surprised how quickly that either stopped bothering me or I forgot but it was something I wasn’t keen on.
Other than that, it performed admirably. It carries weight well. It’s very happy to play at being a tripod. You can shove things into the webbing at the front. Yeah, it’s a good day bag.
But then I took it to Dartmoor. It would have to carry more stuff, for longer and further. Hiking bags are quite specialised: was this one up to the job?
Well, again it swallowed my baggage with no complaints. I did keep misplacing stuff but that’s my fault because I’m used to a single main compartment and I kept forgetting where I’d put things. Again, those squared-off straps bothered me at first. But other than that… no complaints here.
I didn’t require anything specialised or technical from it, to be fair. Maybe if I was accustomed to walking poles I’d want somewhere to stow them but I’m not and I didn’t. Ditto a helmet attachment. Even a hole for a drinking bladder. I know a lot of people love them for hiking. I’m not a fan. A proper hiking bag should maybe have some of those features but I don’t use them so I didn’t miss them.
I thought I’d miss a waist or hip belt. Nope! In fact, I realised that normally I’d be making my fingers a tiny bit sore playing with the dangling ends of the belt’s webbing but no such opportunity. It’s ludicrous to praise a bag for being really hands-free but it’s about all I can say. Maybe I’d want a belt if the bag was heavier but I didn’t miss one.
By the way, I soon stopped noticing the square straps. Even when I eventually took my fleece off and had bare arms, when I might have expected them to rub, nothing. Forgot they were shaped that way. I’d still suggest Girlguiding get them tapered next time but they’re fine.
I attached my compass lanyard to the D ring on the strap to my left and then wound up all the excess and pushed it through the daisy chain webbing immediately below, where it held it nice and firmly. GPS tracker went on the opposite D ring. I took my flask of bitterer-than-expected hot chocolate and put it in one of the mesh side pockets, with a carabiner through the compression strap buckle. It held it securely. My bottle went in the other. It’s bigger in every way but the elastic mesh enveloped it nicely, with no fear of it slipping out.
I can’t tell you how waterproof it is; it didn’t rain. But the inside is lined with a white fabric that has the same plastickiness as a child’s raincoat and the outside is Cordura, so I imagine it’ll be fine, whether it gets rained on or whether you shove your swimming stuff in it.
Three days isn’t a lot to judge a bag on but I’m happy with it, give or take the quibble over strap shape.