UKC

Anyone tried the 20L Tupilak vest from Mountain Equipment? 
 

looking for a 20ish litre pack preferably with a vest style harness for a hut to hut trip coming up. I have a deter Vertrail which is great but a touch too small for this trip.

just wondering if anyone has tried the Tupilak, if so how is it? Can the front pockets carry bottle and a phone etc? Is the main compartment reasonably sized (claimed 20l but some packs include the side pockets in this)? I’ve tried the rab Latok 20 too which is nice but the harness pockets are rather uselessly sized/shaped - too small for bottles and a phone. 

I have the 20l Tupilak vest pack and love it. You can easily fit two bottles and a phone in the front pockets. I've used it for everything from an overnight bivvy trips to multi day trail runs. If you really stuff it then it becomes a little less comfortable as there isn't any adjustment on the shoulders but that's to be expected. The material is pretty bombproof and it's supplied with elastic if you need to strap more stuff I.E wet jacket etc to the outside. 

I have a Black Diamond Distance 22, broadly the same product. The concept works surprisingly well, have used it as a running vest, daypack for less technical mountaineering trips and occasionally for MTB trips. My BD vest has a surpisingly good set of front pockets- each side could fit a 500ml soft flask, phone (quite a small one - pixel 5), a few cereal bars and maybe a buff or a skinny windshell. They definitely need a little care when packing to avoid anything poking through the back or pulling you off balance as there's little padding or adjustment available. 

I'm impressed by mine. So far, I've used it for:

• The Saunders MM - plenty big enough, even in an unbalanced team with me carrying more than my fair share.
• I used it for the Ottoz route on Aiguille Croux recently as a day hit and it worked well and was good to climb in. I was pleasantly surprised by how it felt laden down with a 60m rope, half a rack and personal kit too.
• Other bits of running with it cinched in.

All in all, would definitely recommend!

I really like my pack by Instinct - similar design but the Instinct ones are really good for running if that is something you would also use it for. 

I find my distance 14 to be good enough for this kind of thing in Winter - A solo day out not carrying any rope, rack or helmet, but just extra warm kit food crampons a gully and water. As long as you're not trying to carry overnight kit - my only thought is that you might find it cheap distance 20 second hand and save a packet. 

thanks for all the replies, I’ve ordered one to try. 
 

I didn’t really like the bd distance, as the main compartment seems really small - can fit more in my Vertrail 16. I need it for a hut to hut 5 day alpine trip, probably won’t properly run with it but just moving fast and I really like the vest type harness 

Have a look at the innov8 racepac 20L. I've used it for several hut2hut alpine trips and found it ideal. Cheap too.