Bergen Backpack

Large-capacity rucksacks for multi-day loads, from 30 litre patrol packs up to 100 litres for a full expedition kit. Coated fabric, padded harnesses and, on most models here, MOLLE webbing for adding pouches. Every listing gives the stated capacity, plus the outer dimensions and the empty weight wherever the maker supplies them. Where a figure is missing we leave it out rather than invent one, so ask us and we will find out what we can.

Start with capacity, then check the weight

30 to 45 litres covers a day out, a training weekend or a shift's worth of kit. 50 to 70 litres is the working range for a couple of nights out with a sleeping bag, a mat and food. 75 to 100 litres is expedition territory, and worth a warning: a pack that size is easy to fill until it is heavier than you want to carry all day. Bigger is not automatically better.

Capacity figures on packs of this type generally count the main compartment together with the outer pockets, so treat them as a guide to what the pack swallows overall rather than a laboratory measurement. The outer dimensions in centimetres tell you the rest.

Where a loaded pack actually gives way

Rucksacks fail in three predictable places, and none of them is a mystery: the waist belt anchor, the top of the shoulder straps, and a zip dragged over an overstuffed compartment. Most of what gets called poor quality in this category is a pack that was loaded badly. Carry the heavy items high and close to your back, set the hip belt on the top of your hips so it takes the weight off your shoulders, and ease a zip rather than force it. That single adjustment changes how a full pack feels more than any other.

Water resistance, honestly

The fabrics here are coated and shed rain, but the seams and zips are not sealed, so these packs are water-resistant rather than waterproof. In sustained rain, line the main compartment with a dry bag or a bin liner and keep your sleeping bag and spare clothing inside it. That is what experienced walkers do whatever the pack claims, and it costs almost nothing.

MOLLE and what to hang on it

Where a model carries MOLLE webbing, the description says so and roughly where it sits. Standard pouches weave straight onto it. Worth knowing: anything hung on the outside sits away from your spine and pulls the load backwards, so keep the heavy items inside the pack and save the webbing for what you need to reach quickly.

Related collections

For the wider range of packs and holdalls, see military bags, military backpacks and tactical backpacks. For civilian hiking loads, see backpacking rucksacks and rucksacks. To fill it, look at sleeping bags and sleeping mats.

Free UK delivery and 30-day returns

Every rucksack ships free to UK addresses, fully tracked. Orders are processed within 3 to 5 business days and delivered within 10 to 20 business days, and that timeline is stated here rather than promised short and missed. If you need a pack for a dated exercise or expedition, order with that in mind. Returns or exchange within 30 days of delivery, unused and in original condition, approved before being sent back, with the refund issued within 7 days of return acceptance.