In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:
Maybe I'm just thriftier than others, but I still think that £155 is a pretty high RRP for a small pack.
Perhaps a fairer comparison would be to the Blue Ice Firecrest 28, Black Diamond Blitz 28, or Rab Latok 28, all of which are climbing specific, all of which have lower RRPs, and all of which weigh less.
The obvious trade-off for the weight is durability, which you're vouching for based on your experience with your older Trion 38. However, it looks like the material may have changed since then. I couldn't find a lot of information about the material, but what I could find was the older model was "100% polyamide", and the newer model has "Main material 90% polyamide, 10% polyester". We know the even a small change in fabric composition can completely change its performance. Do you have more information on the materials to confirm if they are actually the same composition and weight?
The other reason I might go for the more expensive Mammut is if the fit is super comfortable. The best thing to do would be try one on, but the reality is that I don't have anywhere in reasonable traveling distance that would ever stock such a specialist pack, so I'm always going to be ordering online. Other packs (e.g. Firecrest) do come in different sizes. You mention that the pack is too short for you and that the waist belt becomes a "belly belt", but also that you find the fit "hard to fault". So, does that mean you're still ok with the short fit or not?
I'm being hypercritical here because I'm really interested in this pack. You may not think the price is high enough to be a negative, but it's certainly a factor I need to strongly consider. The high-end price point is justifiable if the pack lives up to it, but there seems to be a fair number of reasons to give me pause: ambiguity over weight vs. durability, ambiguity over fit, unnecessary zips that could reduce water resistance (I agree on the side zip being surplus), untidy straps, and possibly too-small chest pockets.
Post edited at 10:44