What the manufacturers say:
From long day hikes to ultralight backpacks, the Sprinter 35 XT hits the sweet spot in size and features to cover it all. The top-loading design lets you stuff it full to make the most of every liter, and we've added an aluminum mono-stay down the frame sheet for better weight transfer and control with heavier loads.
Price: £116.85
Platypus Sprinter XT 35
A day pack designed by one of the market leaders in hydration systems, the Platypus Sprinter XT35 is the companies middle ground pack, appealing to both the day hiker and lightweight weekender. Capacity varies between 33/36 litres for the smallest variant to 39/42 litres for the large with inbuilt 3 litre reservoirs.
| Gear capacity | 2010 cu. in. / 33 liters | 2010 cu. in. / 33 liters | 2380 cu. in. / 39 liters | 2380 cu. in. / 39 liters |
| Reservoir capacity | 3L | 3L | 3L | 3L |
| Total capacity | 2200 cu. in. / 36 liters | 2200 cu. in. / 36 liters | 2560 cu. in. / 42 liters | 2560 cu. in. / 42 liters |
| Pack weight | 2 lbs 4 oz / 1.02 k | 2 lbs 4 oz / 1.02 k | 2 lbs 7 oz / 1.1 k | 2 lbs 7 oz / 1.1 k |
| Reservoir weight | 6 oz / 170 g | 6 oz / 170 g | 6 oz / 170 g | 6 oz / 170 g |
| Total weight | 2 lbs 10 oz / 1.19 k |
Platypus Sprinter XT 35 - Helen Metcalf
I was quite excited to be testing and reviewing this 35L pack, as it’s a very different design to my existing packs. It also looks pretty tough and weather resistant, so for once I was hoping for a good dose of heavy rain on my Lakes walking weekend.
I was intrigued by the tapered design; wide at the top which gives easy access to your kit, and the tapering towards the base gave me high hopes of it being very stable by mirroring the shape of your torso.
Features I instantly liked were the deep stretch wand pockets and the large stretch close-mesh front pocket. The front pocket is designed to accommodate a climbing helmet, but could just as easily be used to stash waterproofs or a lightweight belay jacket for pulling out in a hurry. In the bottom of this front pocket is a cord lock, and 2 bungee loops sit outside on one corner; these hold the tips of your trekking poles securely – no more flapping around in axe loops or sliding through if, like me, you have no baskets on them. The top of the poles fasten via two adjustable bungee loops at the top, which neatly tuck inside the front pocket when not in use.
On the opposite side of the pack is an attachment for an ice axe, with the same bungee loops at the top, and a larger webbing loop at the bottom – this tucks into a pocket out of sight when not in use.
The wide top has a zipped lid pocket which easily swallows an OS map, hat, gloves, snacks etc. With the pack well filled with gear I had no problem, but if you weren’t filling to capacity, the top would sag a bit. Both the lid pocket and main body zips are water resistant – a nice touch instead of relying on tucking them away under an additional flap. The zips have a plastic loop to use when wearing gloves.
A nice feature inside is that the bladder compartment is completely separate to the main body, which makes it very easy to remove, fill and replace the 3L bladder when your pack is stuffed with gear. The bladder provided is the Big Zip SL, which is suspended by two toggles. I like the zip bladder as it’s much easier to clean and dry after use. This has a Quick connect valve so you can disconnect and reconnect the tube when the bladder is full. Another thoughtful touch to make life easier is there are four different routing options for the tube, and no fiddly bulldog type clips needed; there are webbing loops and a hose clip on each strap.
The back of the bladder compartment is the main chassis, and there is a Velcro opening for you to remove the pack’s frame if you’re keen to save weight (and risk your gear digging into your back! It’s nice to have the option though). Externally there are two lengths of low profile, padded ventilated mesh, leaving space for some air circulation in the centre of the back. It was cold on my trip away so I can’t comment on ‘sweaty back syndrome’, but realistically all packs without a (generally heavy) mesh and frame suspension system will result in a warm back.
The shoulder straps are well-ventilated, lightly padded mesh, and comfy. The waist belt is the same, with wide hip sections each having a small zipped mesh pocket – perfect for keys, money, compass, or in my case my sweets and snacks! There is a nifty section behind the frame to tuck the waist belt completely away – useful when transporting your pack or using it around town/visiting the pub.
There are the usual compression straps on the sides of the body to trim your load.
I didn’t have the heavy rain that was forecast, so resorted to testing this under the shower back at home. Water beaded off for a while but eventually started to get through on the lid. The water resistant zips withstood it well. I always use a dry sack anyway, and I am still impressed with the diamond ripstop material, which feels pretty robust.
Fully packed, it felt comfortable and remarkably stable, even without using the chest strap. After some time on the move I found I was suffering without the chest strap. Unfortunately it wasn’t an option for me to use it – although the strap is height adjustable, this is a man’s pack and the chest strap just didn’t quite accommodate my female figure! The end result was that eventually I felt more pressure on my shoulders/upper back with the pack fully loaded, but this wouldn’t be an issue for men.
My verdict: Overall the Sprinter XT is a very well thought out design with some great features. I’m not convinced it will appeal to the ultra light backpacking brigade on the basis of weight; but as a general day sack for walking, climbing or scrambling its very impressive, and well priced for what you get – especially since it includes the bladder as well. Let’s hope Platypus bring out a women’s version!