Gear Review: Inov 8 Race Pro 30 pack

Overall grade: C

Inov 8 seems to be a company that is floundering a bit and not getting the market exposure they need to make their products widely known or accessible. I had to special order this pack from mpgear.com. In addition to the initial difficulty in actually buying the pack I had to order the bladder separately at additional cost of course. Hey Inov 8, Camelbak includes the bladder!

The main attractive feature about the Inov 8 Race Pro 30 pack is it's weight of only 590 grams. Not bad for a 30 liter pack. Esthetically, the pack looks pretty cool and has reflective accents and a nice bright yellow and black colors. However, the appeal of this pack ends about here. The fit of the pack is average with others I have used. And here are the features Inov 8 really needs to improve upon. Their horizontal bladder system at first glance seems like it would really be easier to deal with. It is not. When filling the bladder you have to try and get all the air out which is a pain. Also, when the bladder is full it is difficult to get it into the pack and if your pack is not completely full the pack collapses between the shoulder straps and the bladder leaving only a small area of contact with your back. There are pockets built into the waist strap which are bigger than most packs. One of these pockets is made of mesh and it ripped on a branch the first time I used the pack. The side mesh pockets on the back of the pack are basically open to the outside and anything stored here seems (didn't actually happen to me) like it could fall out. The pack has very limited capacity for strapping other gear onto the outside. It does not have any daisy chain or outside straps. Inov 8 includes a very small diameter elastic cord to run through four very small loops which can accommodate a pair of shoes at the most. If you have to attach any other gear you're going to have to get extra cordage and rig something up.

Long and short, if you want a 30 liter, lightweight pack then chose the Salomon Raid Revo 30! It made it all the way through PQ Montana without any issues at all. I had snowshoes, hiking poles and water bottles all on the outside of the pack with the inside completely full.