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First Ascent Artemis backpackMonday, 15 November 2010 19:09 First Ascent Artemis 3 litre backpack gear test 2010When we got First Ascent's as yet unreleased Artemis 3-litre backpack, we knew exactly where we wanted to test it. The Salomon Skyrun is a 100km unsupported mountain hike/run/scramble/trip and fall in the beautiful but inhospitable Eastern Cape Drakensberg range. Lady Grey (the start) is not far from Tiffendell (the former/future ski resort). Winters here are cold, brutal and buried in snowfalls. Numerous cracked rocks the size of truck tyres along the route bear testament to the temperature extremes. When Cape Town-based adventure / outdoor company First Ascent sent us the Artemis, there was time before Skyrun to test it over shorter distances. See our November/December issue for our initial observations on the Artemis. We thought it was pretty decent over short distances but it didn't look ideal for running. Three kilograms of weight on your back and water sloshing around isn't the most pleasant sensation. When it comes to adventure racing-type hiking and mountain biking, things change. The Artemis was a pleasure to use over 60km of hard trail running and extreme hiking, even if it is designed as a mountain bike pack. It does have some severe limitations in its prototype form, especially the lack of side/sternum pockets to stash food, sunblock or gels. It does make up for it with superb wear comfort. I didn't get any rub spots, not even my lower back or my broken, deformed collarbone which normally would get rubbed. I used a waist belt with two bottles for a total of 4.5 litre capacity. So for a hiking pack it's comfy and fitted well. When it was full, it did bounce a bit during run sections but there weren't many of those so it didn't bug me much. I don't think it's the bag design - I think it's the bladder - an excellent Nalgene 3 litre I got separately from Eiger Equipment (the same design as the 2 litre demo bladder First Ascent initially provided - but perhaps they should work on an interior rib to reduce the sloshing. Here's a pic of the Artemis about to be abused through a fence at Skyrun http://on.fb.me/bgA4VK Tested by Deon Braun, Go Multi magazine
Postscript: My Skyrun experience, my first run (trail or otherwise) over 42km was a real journey of self-discovery. Mentally I was strong but physically I was found wanting. I did my ankle in with a couple of ankle rolls and kicks against rocks. My knees were also taking a hammering. For the sake of self-preservation, I called it a day at Balloch, which meant I completed the 'Lite' 60km instead of the 100km. Lite, my arse! It took 12 hours. There were lots of abandons. The final 40km took most people longer than the first 60km because it was mainly done at night. Hardcore mountain terrain. Lots of scrambling. Some of it potentially fatal if you made a mistake. No-one made any mistakes.
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