Review TGO April 2007

Chris Townsend TGO ... April 07

MAKING GREAT MOVES… OMM MOUNTAIN MOVER 55

While lightweight, the MM55 isn’t ultralight and it doesn’t stint on features, which makes it a good choice for anyone who wants to move away from heavy packs but feels that some are just too minimalist…….the pack locks on to your back and is incredibly stable.

OMM IS one of the few British, indeed European, pack manufacturers taking lightweight seriously. In fact 0MM and its previous incarnation KIMM Lite doesn’t make anything that isn’t lightweight, as you’d expect from the Original Mountain Marathon Company.

With the MM55, 0MM has moved away from the specialist mountain running field to design a pack for backpacking, mountaineering and ski touring. While lightweight, the MM55 isn’t ultralight and it doesn’t stint on features, which makes it a good choice for anyone who wants to move away from heavy packs but feels that some are just too minimalist. If you do want an ultralight pack, for side trips away from camp for example, the MM55 can be stripped to just 630g by removing the backpad, hipbelt, lid and compression panel.

The MM55 has a solid harness designed for hefty loads. The internal pad is reinforced with wire and is quite stiff and supportive. The hipbelt has thick padding and is reinforced on the outside so it doesn’t twist under a load. The shoulder straps are well-padded and quite wide. The only concession to weight is in the thin cord used for the top tension straps — usually made from webbing — which works fine. I’ve carried 12kg in the MM55 and not noticed it and I think this back system would handle much more, if you could fit it in the pack. As well as side tension straps there are angled straps running down to the hipbelt from halfway up the sides. Tighten these and the pack locks on to your back and is incredibly stable.

The pack is made from Dyneema gridstop, a light but incredibly tough fabric that I think is the best pack material around. I’ve used Dyneema packs for five years and they have proved just as durable as those made from heavier materials. Dyneema is an extremely strong polyethylene fibre that, weight-for-weight, is 15 times stronger than steel and 40 per cent stronger than nylon. Dyneema can’t be dyed and forms a white grid on the pack. The rest of the fabric is nylon.

The MM55 has a long flap at the back that fastens to the top of the pack so there’s no gap that could let rain in (not that I’ve ever found this a problem). This flap isn’t adjustable and could do with some straps so it could be reduced in size when the pack isn’t full as I found the lid flops forwards then. Wet gear can be stuffed behind the front compression panel though, as it’s open at the sides, you need to ensure items can’t fall out. The mesh side pockets will hold litre-size bottles and you can access those in the lower pockets while wearing the pack. There are sleeves at the top of each side through which you can slide skis, tent poles or other long items so they are held securely in place.

The MM55 is quite a narrow pack which, with the climbing gear 1oops and the ski sleeves, shows it’s designed as much for mountaineering as backpacking. It would certainly be a good pack for ski touring or winter climbing. I’ve used it as a daypack with ice axe, crampons and snow shovel attached.

The claimed 55-litre capacity is a little generous compared to other packs. However it’s still easily big enough for several days’ backpacking with light gear. For those who want to go lightweight without giving up the comfort of a thick hipbelt and full harness, the MM55 is worth considering.

TGO weight: 1500g

0MM weight: 1650g

Capacity: 55 litres

Volume-to-weight ratio: 18 litres per 500g, based on TGO weight; 16,5 litres per 500g, based on 0MM weight

Fabric: Dyneema

Back system: removable, reinforced foam pad, removable padded hipbelt

Pockets: zipped lid, four mesh side, zipped front, internal hydration

Features: ski/pole sleeves, removable front compression panel, twin ice axe/trekking pole 1oops, climbing gear loops

Chris Townsend