LabThe North Face Prophet 45
Last year we spent a
considerable amount of our time with the MG35 on our backs. This year
we opted for its bigger brother, the Prophet 45, a top-access, sturdy
1.7kg pack designed for serious alpine use. After putting it through
its paces and a final tout to Mont Blanc, here's our breakdown analysis:
Frame
The
core of every rucksack is without a doubt its backsystem. In this case
the Prophet has been fitted with a carbon fibre X-Frame, which is 40%
lighter than traditional aluminum frames. The two stays are obviously
hidden from view behind the large cushioned backpanel, and provides
decent padding, as does the wide hip belt which, coupled with the
contoured padded shoulder straps, is probably the best design feature
of the entire rucksack: even fully loaded the streamlined pack handled
well, distributing the weight evenly and hugging close to the body. The
entire system can be swiftly adjusted to provide a comfortable fit for
all backlengths by simply pulling the strap located behind the waist
belt.
Outer
The pack is made of a mix of three fabrics:
lighweight 210D Dyneema and, where needed, resistant 500D and 330D
Cordura. As should be expected, the base is doubled to protect against
abrasion. Reflective strips have been added for nighttime visibility,
and a central pocket has been added to the front of the pack for
crampons. A vast array of compression straps, ice axe loops and ski
holders complete the picture which, to tell the truth, at first sight
seems bewildering. But it takes little time to get used to these
functions, which perform well.
Inner
Whilst externally the
pack has almost all, inside it has almost nothing. Being a top loader,
you have to dig in deep to get to the gear at the bottom of the sack,
but we prefer this system for mountaineering sacks as it's more robust,
lighter and, in many ways, easier to ram gear into the pack. The main
compartment is sealed off by an enormous (finally!) snow collar, which
enables the pack's volume to be extended to 64 liters should it prove
necessary. The compartment is tapered and has been fitted with an inner
2-liter hydration pocket - as is always the case take care not to leave
protruding gear close to the hydration pack.
Top
The simple
elasticated lid can be removed if necessary or can extended for added
volume, and has a large top pocket which, in turn, has a small zipped
mesh pocket designed to hold keys, penknife etc.
Other features include:
- wide adjustable side ski slots
- adjustable elastic ice axe loops
- side compression straps
- chest strap
- central rope compression strap
- gear loops on hip belt and lid
- two oversized red haul loops
- two side pockets
