Review: Montane Trailblazer LT 20L Backpack

The Trailblazer walks a bit of tightrope (or should that be razor sharp arête?) between runners’ packs and hikers’ daypacks. While it’s lighter than many hydration vests, it boasts the capacity of a small daypack and is waterproof too.

This adds up to a pack that’s ideal for fast and light mountain adventures in summer conditions. It’s easy to run with, yet it can carry enough provisions for a successful, long and safe day in the fells. It’s too large for race-day and isn’t suitable for winter, but warm season speed hikers will love this pack.

A good pack is one you mostly forget your wearing. After three substantial mountains’ worth of running, scrambling and hiking, I was still enjoying wearing the Trailblazer and my interior kit was still dry as my humour had become 23 hours into the challenge. The body-hugging harness had served its purpose beautifully, meaning the pack felt like a part of me throughout and one that, occasionally, I’d forget I was wearing at all. The mesh back panel kept things ventilated and, although I was often working up a sweat, it seemed to wick moisture away effectively. It was also telling how quickly the pack dried after each outing.

The main body of the pack is basically a compressible dry bag and I like how uncomplicated it is. There are no additional compartments or valuables pockets within the main sack. Instead, items like keys and phones can be secured in the zippered chest pockets on either strap. Once the pack is loaded up, adjusting and tightening the compression and harness straps is usually a doddle, though the small size of the components makes this tricky when wearing gloves. The elasticated webbing on the front of the pack can be tightened or loosened (depending on how much stuff is in the main compartment) using a cord lock, which makes the Trailblazer look a little odd when only half full. However, this design does help to keep everything compact, which is what the peak-bagging doctor ordered.

I like the elasticated mesh pockets on the exterior, which give loads of additional, accessible storage. This was where I decided to stash my soft flasks, energy gels and Trek bars and, while it was a little fiddly to retrieve items myself, I always had my hiking buddies to grab them when necessary.

There are a few little details I’d change. I feel that the zippered chest pockets on the straps could have been designed with hydration in mind. When it comes to a hydration pack, I like to be able to sup from soft flasks while moving. However, this may be a personal preference thing. After all, the Trailblazer works well with a hydration bladder, with a dedicated compartment between the main body and the mesh back panel. Secondly, when all is tightened up, particularly when the pack isn’t full, there are quite a few dangly bits that have to be tucked in somewhere.

However, minor gripes aside, the Trailblazer is a superb pack for fast and light hikers, scramblers and runners who value plenty of storage. Montane has done a great job at rethinking the daypack, stripping things back to basics before sprinkling on a little bit of magic.