My lowe alpine alpine attack 45:55 just arrived in the mail today any thoughts on the pack?

Why don't you tell us?

What EB said.
FWIW, I've got an older Alpine Assault 40 that I use every now and then. The thing is great, I'm just trying to wear out the DD Bomb Pack first (a tough thing to do) before taking on the Lowe..Yikes! I'm dating meself.
Best of luck with the new pack. Hopefully you have many successful summits/hikes with the pack and its sentimental value makes it priceless over time.
Be well,
JM

ExcitableBoy wrote:Why don't you tell us?

This.

Seb, tell us more. I would be curious to see how your new pack does for you?

Well after looking at it critically i can all ready see a few problems i will list them bellow:

1. it has a steel stay which is super heavy for a stay and isn't adjustable.
2. Out of the box it isnt strip able at all, the hood, the compression straps, the metal buckle at the front nothing is strip able (apart from the stay and bivy mat) i ended up cutting of the ends of a few of the straps now the the hood and the top compression straps and the front buckle are now able to be stripped.
3. lots of straps hanging loose making me think it wouldn't be the best crag pack.
4. the top compression strap is useless for actually compressing a load down instead it just brings it to the center.
5. no removable hip belt means allot of weight (relative) permanently fixed onto the pack.

But dont let this deter you though it still has tons going for it! once again listed bellow:

1. High strength to weight ratio of the fabric making this a super burly pack with out being to heavy
2. the hip belt is really comfy up to about 30 pounds unfortunately the comfort quickly drops.
3. The entire thing makes a decent crag pack once striped of hood and other features.
4. It has a neat rope and crampon carry system that works well for most occasions.
5. Can be used to bivy in due to the size (55 liters) (don't take my word for that i am short)
6. Haven't tested yet but decent ice axe attachments not as good as some but better than the traditional system.
7. Big enough base for a big cheap synthetic bag.
8. Good build quality (very tidy seems, reinforcement points and use reinforced fabrics appropriately)
9. Apparently stronger than a dyneema rips stop according to an email i got back from lowe alpine *shrugs shoulders* it's true... i guess.
10. Hip belt is stow able leaving behind a good stabilizing strap that dosnt interfere with your harness.
11. Brilliant deal for the quality, fabrics and features all came to just over £110.
That's just what i have gathered from a week or so of having the pack i plan to write a full review after a few months and update it regularly.
P.S sorry about the giant post.