Are you training for a marathon, a triathlon, or simply enjoy long hikes no matter what the weather? Whatever the reason you end up pushing yourself in all weathers, you will at some point need hydration and the longer you are out the more you will need. If you have ever tried to run a long distance with a bottle in each hand, you will know this simply isn’t a comfortable option. A hydration pack is the most sensible option for day-long training sessions.

I have always struggled standing still for any length of time, I discovered this when I was 7 and a hairdresser asked me to stand still for the duration of the of the haircut, I passed out. I can walk and walk all day, dance at a gig all night, but ask me to simply stand and my body goes wrong. I’m like the soldier face-planting the tarmac during an official ceremony.

The Meridian 75 is a wonderfully large travel bag with a load of attributes that make those longer journeys as easy as possible. Starting with pure vanity, the Meridian 75 comes in 3 beautiful colours, Lagoon Blue, Metal Grey and Rainforest Green, all distinctive enough to stand out on the luggage carousel.  The Meridian 75 comes in two sections, a large 59L main pack and 16L daypack that clips together in a neat package, there are thick flaps of material which hug the daypack in place, giving it more protection as well as providing a cleaner profile.

This is a rigorously tested bag, that has been used at least 3 times a week during the 6 months we have had it, it has travelled around London, been hiking in North Wales and Norway and recently went skiing in France. Apart from being a little dirty it still looks as good a new, there is no wear on the bottom from being dumped on the ground due to the tough nylon material, the stitching is still perfect and the padding in the back and straps remains full and supportive.

For those not familiar with Australian mountains, Bogong is Victoria’s highest mountain, Bogong is an aboriginal word for Big-fella making it an appropriate title for Skandika’s 65lt +10 trekking all-rounder backpack. My favourite thing by far with this backpack is that you can access the entire main pocket from the front as well as the top, so you don’t have to think about keeping essentials at the top of the bag or diving in head first to try and get your spare pair of socks that you just know are at the very bottom of the bag.

Following on from our look at the R10, we are now going to look at its big brother: the R25 has all the same features as the R10, but on a larger scale. As the name suggests, it is a 25L bag. The only thing missing that the R10 has is the pen holders and little pockets down the inside of the main compartment - this has been replaced with two cool bottle holders on the outside, which are  the first water bottle pockets I have seen that sink into the bag rather than stick out.

In 2014, commuter Sarah Giblin set about designing a revolutionary type of backpack more suitable for public transport. With the help of over 1000 backers from her Kickstarter campaign, the first prototype was produced. From there, she has gone on to release four different varieties of Riut bags (pronounced ‘riot’).
 

The Aether AG 70 from Osprey has been designed for multi-day backpacking and significant weight loads. It features the award-winning AG AntiGravity backsystem and the custom-mouldable fit of Osprey's next generation IsoForm hipbelt.