{"id":267,"date":"2019-03-27T12:14:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T12:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturetravels.co.uk\/blog\/?p=267"},"modified":"2025-04-15T14:30:43","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T13:30:43","slug":"review-of-thule-versant-70l-backpack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturetravels.co.uk\/blog\/review-of-thule-versant-70l-backpack\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of the Thule Versant 70l Backpack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bob from the Nature Travels Team puts the Thule Versant 70 litre men\u2019s fit pack through its paces on a multi-day trip to the Jotunheimen mountains of Norway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year we reviewed the Thule Capstone 32L and Thule Capstone 50L packs, and liked them very much, so when the nice people at Thule asked us to take a look at the larger Versant 70L, we were delighted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it just so happened that I had a hiking trip in Norway coming up, which would provide an excellent opportunity to test the pack over an extended period.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Getting
Getting ready for the day at Memurubu. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

We would be trying out a new tour itinerary starting from the Gjendesheim cabins, going over the Besseggen ridge (one of Norway\u2019s most popular day hikes) to Memurubu, up and over again to Gjendebu, through the Svartdalen valley to Torfinnsbu, and finally down the lake to Fondsbu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the hikes themselves, we\u2019d only need daypacks (I took the Capstone 32L) as the tour would be making clever use of the public boat connections to ferry our main luggage between the overnight stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, with all the lugging about en route at the start and end of the trip, plus that the boat jetties where you drop and collect your bags tend to be some distance from the cabins, there would be plenty of opportunity to be walking with the Versant for extended periods as well.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"The
The Versant is big enough to take everything you need for a longish trip, and the top compartment is extendable if you need to squeeze in just one more thing. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Now I don\u2019t normally consider myself old, being a mere spring-chicken-like 48, but sometimes you can\u2019t help feeling that the world has moved on. When I first hoisted a backpack in my younger days, it was just that \u2013 a bag that you strapped to your back \u2013 and little more. Hardly anything was adjustable and if the frame wasn\u2019t quite the right length or the straps dug in a bit, you just put up with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward a few years and the humble backpack has evolved. Now there are compartments for this, pouches for that and optional attachments for the other of every conceivable kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the Versant, virtually every bit of it is adjustable and personalisable, from the back length to the amount of hip belt (really useful that, actually, when it came to adjusting the pack for comfort) to the height at which the chest strap sits.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"If
If you can\u2019t fit everything you want into the Versant, you\u2019re probably taking too much! Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

So I admit to feeling a little puzzled with some features initially, as there\u2019s a lot going on with this pack. But considering the Versant has a very good chance of outlasting its owner, spending 10 minutes getting to know it from the outset will be time well spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few minutes of stubbornly scratching my head trying to figure out by myself how some bits worked, I finally swallowed my pride and watched the video, which is of course what I should have done from the start. How simple everything becomes when you know how it\u2019s done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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