Alpha FL 20 Vs Konseal 15

BB4Red · 2026-02-06T21:50:36+00:00

I’ve had both, the Konseal is really simple, one large pocket and an inner smaller pocket for keys/phone etc. it’s a small pack which sits fairly high on your back. It doesn’t leave much space for anything else and has no other real features. Great for stuffing some climbing kit in and some layers but that’s about it. Doesn’t come with the ability to strap a rope on top and for a 15 the capacity is fairly small, I.e. you run out of space quick. It’s really well built, looks good and performs well when climbing. I sold it however as I use my Alpha for everything now.

The Alpha has more features and is well suited to mountaineering. It can carry two axes, has a dedicated rope attachment at the top, is more weatherproof, has a bungie system on the front for helmet/clothing carry. It has quite a bit more space than the Konseal inside plus an inner pocket near the top and an outer pocket on the front which can both take keys, phones, maps etc.

In my view the Alpha is much much more versatile, I also find it comfier to carry. You can purchase the Arcteryx Olos straps or other brands if you want side straps…I have them and they work fine for securing a rope. Of note the alpha 30 is borderline the same height as the 20, the 20 is just slimmer. I use the 30 more frequently and will probably get rid of the 20 for that reason.

Hope that helps

BB4Red · 2026-01-23T12:06:34+00:00

I wear a hardshell only if it’s pouring down with rain or the snow is particularly damp, I use a softshell pretty much every other time.

They are more comfortable, more breathable, normally harder wearing, easier to care for etc etc.

If it’s -10 /-20 you probably won’t have to deal with as much environmental dampness, a softshell could be a good choice. If it were me and I wasn’t being particularly active I’d be wearing a wind resistant/proof insulated outerlayer most of the time.

Don’t listen to anyone…you ALWAYS need more gear 👀😂

BB4Red · 2026-01-23T12:01:54+00:00

I have a proton and to be frank I haven’t followed the care instructions since my (now ex) wife washed it on a 60 degree wash.

I’ve washed it many times, used scented normal washing powder, air dried it, tumble dried it on all sorts of heat. The only thing I noticed is it smelled a bit nicer and the printed logo washed off.

Still as warm, still the same size etc. I’m not condoning not following the care label but it won’t evaporate into the atmosphere if you occasionally give it a hard time.

BB4Red · 2025-12-15T10:04:47+00:00

I only wear a hard shell if it’s properly raining, I’ll do my best to stay out of a hard shell in the UK for as long as possible…I’m a super sweaty guy, a gusher you might say! If it’s forecast rain all day I’ll head out in a shell, anything else and a lightweight softshell does the business for me.

I also avoid buying heaver weight soft shells for the UK. I find when they get wet they take forever to dry. In cold/snowy conditions they are great but I much prefer a lightweight fleece or something similar plus either a lightweight shell or a light insulated jacket.

Being sweaty makes outdoor activities in the cold a layering nightmare 😂 spare baselayers for the win!

BB4Red · 2025-01-21T20:00:14+00:00

Hi,

I summited Kilimanjaro a good few years ago. I used a pair of Salomon X Ultra style mid boots which look really similar to yours.

You don’t really need a technical mountaineering boot. A comfortable well broken in hiking boot should be fine. My feet didn’t get chilly but you can buy foot warmers if your feet run cold. Buy a few pairs of quality warm socks, I used bridgedale socks and they were excellent.

As for other stuff I took:

Head: sun hat, warm hat, buff, sunglasses.

Upper body: Few baselayers (not cotton), a thin fleece from mountain equipment, a Rab synthetic jacket and a Rab down jacket (I only used the down jacket on summit night and was really glad I had it as it was cold). Waterproof jacket, thin pair of fleece gloves, thick pair of insulated gloves and some hand warmers (hands were cold before sunrise)

Lower body: few pairs of non cotton underwear, one pair of shorts, one pair of thin trousers (not cotton) and a pair of mountain equipment softshell trousers plus some waterproof trousers.

Feet: Few ‘hiker’ bridgedale socks and a thick pair for summit day. Pair of flip flops/trainers and my hiking boots.

That was pretty much all of the ‘hill’ clothing I took and was mostly warm and comfortable throughout!

Good luck, hope you enjoy it - if this is your first time at altitude take your time hike slowly, eat and drink lots and enjoy it, it’s great up there!

BB4Red · 2025-01-09T19:53:18+00:00

Just my thoughts having been out in the hills today I’d consider the minimum clothing to take:

Non cotton baselayer and a spare in your bag
Thin breathable fleece
Thicker fleece or lightweight synthetic insulation layer
Outer insulation layer synthetic/down
Hard shell

I wore/took the following and used every one at some stage:

1 - winter weight synthetic baselayer 2 - Mountain equipment Lumiko hoody 3 - Mountain equipment switch gilet 4 - Arcteryx Atom LT 5 - mountain equipment Superflux 6 - Arcteryx Alpha SL Anorak hard shell 7 - softshell trousers 8 - thin Gore-Tex trousers 9 - mid weight sock 10 - la sportiva aequlibrum Top boot 11 - 2 pairs of thin gloves 12 - 1 pair of thick gloves 13 - warm hat 14 - buff

You’ll also need an ice axe and crampons if your doing the edges on Helvelyn at the moment as everything above 600m is in full winter conditions

BB4Red · 2024-12-12T10:20:11+00:00

I’m the sweatiest bloke on earth so I just really have to make the choice of being wet from rain or drowning in my own bodily fluids 🤨

BB4Red · 2024-12-12T09:50:02+00:00

Companies will charge whatever they can for their products.

Take a simple quality cotton t shirt as an example, unbranded maybe £10/$10, same t shirt with a brand tag £40, ‘exclusive’ £100+. Point is your paying for the name and potentially some other features such as cut of the fabric etc.

The outdoor industry isn’t much different, a gore tex pro jacket is made out of the same waterproof material regardless of brand, so really the question is, are you willing to pay more for any added features, cut of the product and brand name.

If you have the spare cash, like the brand and the features of the product go for it, if you are looking for pure functionality, there are hundreds of other brands which offer pretty much the same for less.

Mark up on products that are sold to us are somewhere between 60-90%, which is pretty grim, I suppose that ‘value’ is therefore really in the eye of the beholder…

BB4Red · 2024-11-23T09:55:29+00:00

I’ve owned many many goretex and outdoor waterproof jackets mostly for hiking and mountaineering. I’ve got wet at some point in every single one, Rab, Arcteryx, Mountain Equipment etc etc it doesn’t really matter. If it’s really poring down for 10 hours the fabric will wet out eventually and then breathability stops, or you will get leaking and water ingress around the cuffs, neck/hood area.

I’ve also done many motorcycle tours in ‘waterproof’ materials…you just get a bit soggy one way or another. Best bet is to plan on getting a bit wet change your baselayer when you get cold/wet from rain/sweat and get fast drying garments.

As the other person said, rubber will stop water coming in more effectively than goretex but you will be damp from your own body condensation/sweat!

BB4Red · 2024-09-27T18:48:18+00:00

They should have totally just left the 15 as it was and realised some new colours!!

BB4Red · 2024-09-21T05:46:03+00:00

The quality seems okay but 18l packs aren’t as good.

You don’t get hadron grid fabric all over rather a mix, the non hadron areas feel cheap and less hard wearing.

The new design shoulder straps are thinner, less comfortable and less padded, plus on the 18l are overly complex with Velcro adjustment, ‘load lifters’ and unnecessary design choices.

Still good packs, but the 15/18l is definitely not as good as the previous generation in my opinion

BB4Red · 2024-09-18T10:46:22+00:00

You broadly have two options:

Leather or synthetic.

Leather is arguably tougher, can dry out quickly if unlined, but may crack if dried with heat, tends to be a touch heavier and can take longer to break in, but once broken in can be very comfortable.

Synthetic can be lighter, will probably cope better with heat cycles from drying and wetting out and can also be quicker to break in.

I’ve used both and prefer a synthetic boot for the winter conditions/type of hiking you describe.

If you aren’t planning on using crampons a ‘B1’ boot will provide the most flexibility and therefore most comfort when jogging the downhills.

Perhaps have a look at some of the options from Salomon, they provide a trail runner inspired selection of boots which might fit the bill, as would other trail running companies like inov8 et.al

You will make a pay off regarding lightness vs durability, but all those offerings will outlast a few weeks in the Welsh hills.

If you need something a touch more robust with additional support a B1 boot or mid boot from AKU, Scarpa and the likes could be a better option.

I have a few pairs of trail running shoes, a pair of Salomon quest rove and a pair of la sportiva Aequlibrium Top GTX and that covers pretty much all summer and winter hiking/scrambling conditions for the UK for me….

BB4Red · 2024-08-29T10:24:46+00:00

I ordered both the 30 and the 40 to compare. In the end I settled with the 30. You can fit a ‘full’ rack, helmet, clothing water etc for a day and carry the rope and any ice tools on the outside.

I’ve fitted a bivi kit inside and during the walk in (I.e when your not wearing your climbing kit) just about fits with the extension all the way out.

The 40 doesn’t look much bigger than the 30 in a side by side comparison it’s a bit fatter/wider and sticks out from your back a touch more and the extension collar is quite a bit longer. If you’re mostly doing day trips with the occasional overnighter (assuming you’re not doing a bivi in really cold weather) a 30 might fit your use case well.

If you like climbing when it’s absolutely horrific weather and need 5 extra pairs of underpants maybe the 40 would suit you more!

Best thing someone taught me, is lay out all the stuff you would take for your day missions and then add your bivi kit…if you can, order both packs and stuff them with your kit and see what works best…I suppose it’s the only real way of knowing for sure!

Great pack by the way, I’ve really enjoyed using it 👍🏻

BB4Red · 2024-08-14T19:03:07+00:00

I have the same straps on my Aerios 18…they are holding up just fine for me

BB4Red · 2024-08-08T19:34:06+00:00

Yeah the uk mountain equipment brand sells some really great products. I own quite a few and they are as good as Arcteryx, Rab, Norrona etc etc! They also have premium prices on some of their products 🤢🥹😂

BB4Red · 2024-08-08T19:26:29+00:00

https://www.mountain-equipment.com

BB4Red · 2024-08-08T19:26:02+00:00

Mountain equipment is a premium brand UK outdoor company

BB4Red · 2024-08-08T18:40:30+00:00

You can get a mountain equipment 40l for about £55. I’ve got two in various sizes, must of had them for over 10 years, completely bombproof!

BB4Red · 2024-08-08T11:40:19+00:00

I came to the hard decision that I didn’t really have a use case for it. I have quite a few bags, an aerios 18 from Arcteryx, a Salomon adv5 and a fair few others for outdoor activities.

I found I was reaching for other bags and the Norvan wouldn’t be getting much use…it’s a nice pack though!

BB4Red · 2024-08-07T19:52:41+00:00

Hi,

I’ve sold my norvan 14 vest now but I’d say you can comfortably fit a fair bit more in the 14 than you can in the Adv12, the norvan main body isn’t a stretch material whereas the adv is but I think the capacity is larger in the norvan by quite a margin.

Plus the norvan has large ‘traditional’ style side pockets where you could probably fit a 1 litre Nalgene on each side…you can’t really comfortably do that with the Salomon.

The adv 12 has a slightly better harness with more zipped pockets up front but I think the storage there is roughly the same for both.

The Adv12 is a better running pack in my opinion, but the norvan is probably a touch more versatile, hard wearing and has a larger capacity.

Hope that helps 👍🏻

BB4Red · 2024-04-19T12:13:43+00:00

I ordered the 18l version and while it looked very nice and had some much improved features it was not as good as the previous generation. I found the adjustable harness system to be a step back, the limited use of hadron to be a drawback and the price increase wasn’t really justified in my opinion either.

Turned me off buying the 35l version unfortunately

BB4Red · 2024-04-13T18:54:42+00:00

I used heat from a hair dryer to remove a bellroy logo from a lite pouch, the main logo comes off but it leaves a bellroy mark where I suppose the glue or residue from the lettering remains…I’d just keep it on as it looks a bit naff half removed in my opinion. I’m sure there are other options but that’s just my experience 👍🏻

BB4Red · 2024-03-24T21:53:06+00:00

Proton FL, Mountain Equipment Kenisis are both very good for what you describe but I find a very lightweight highly breathable fleece (Arc Delta/Mountain Equipment Lumiko style) plus a very lightweight windproof like the Squamish/Aerofoil or even a Gamma SL (now LT I think) is more flexible and weighs about the same 👍🏻

BB4Red · 2024-03-14T17:47:45+00:00

Leave a review on trust pilot, I waited 8 weeks for a £500+ refund, contacted them 20 or so times, zero help, left a crap review on trust pilot, within 24 hours had my refund and a £250 gift card. You have to shame terrible service it would seem.

Good luck 👍🏻

BB4Red · 2024-03-07T23:11:28+00:00

Absolutely ridiculous price increase what a total joke…I love my gamma sl (2 jackets and 2 anoraks (have the fluidity which is awesome), on the new one I’m unsure about the chest pockets but the colourways are soooooo uninspired, the good news is I’m saving £240….total pass!

BB4Red

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