OMM Ultra 15L Running Backpack

Pros

Everything about this pack is ultra lightweight and practical as the feature list below illustrates.

Cons

Some people, as with shoes, can nitpick about fit and feel which can be down to body shape, but we couldn't really find a bad feature in the pack.

Fit & Feel

Whereas the smaller Last Drop 10L is designed for a "high carrying position" where the weight is mainly taken by the shoulders, the larger Ultra 15 and Ultra 12 are designed to sit lower down in the small of the back, with weight loading also on the hips. When the pack is loaded evenly and the respective strapping tightened, there is very little movement, however extreme and technical the terrain.

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Features

• LeanWeight Chassis
• UGR - Universal Gear Rail. These are 3 loops near the base of the outer side of the pack, as the name suggests to hang/attach extra gear if needed: from a bike helmet to an ice axe!
• EVA padded shoulder harness, to give protection and prevent rubbing on the shoulders.
• Reflective detailing. Be seen and be be safe on country roads or commuting in town.
• Zipped pocket on top, to store important easy-access items you don't want buried in the main pack.
• One zipped belt pocket, perfect for easy access on the move for safe storage of valuables like camera or phone.
• One stretch mesh belt pocket. This is not zipped, but allows easy access for essentials like bars/dried fruit or gels on the move.
• Stretch mesh side bottle pockets, which can hold up to a 500ml bottle or double as storage for hats/gloves when not needed.
• LeanWeight MSC Compatible.
• Adjustable chest strap with integrated whistle, which in events saves you having to take a separate whistle, and, if needed in an emergency, is readily accessible.
• Security Key Clip in top and waist pockets, so you are not hunting for keys with cold hands amongst all your other gear at the end of a run!
• Removable back padding to achieve LeanWeight. The padding is useful on long journeys but can be used as a seat or small camping mat for mountain marathons etc., but can be left at home to save a few grams.
• Hydration bladder compatible. Separate compartment to hold a 1.5L, 2L or 3L bladder. The hydration tube can be routed over or under the shoulder.
• The additional OMM Trio Chest Pouch can easily be added to the front.
• The LeanWeight and winter MSC pouches can easily be attached to the rear of the pack to give extra storage space.

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Performance

As the extensive list of features implies, OMM, who have been developing kit for the outdoor enthusiasts for 4 decades, use the experience gained from recreation, races and expeditions to create some of the lightest gear available: packed with useful geeky, yet totally practical features. Their testing and sourcing of strong lightweight materials means although you are getting a multitude of features, you are rarely having to pay for that in appreciable extra weight.

Verdict

The bigger brother of the Last Drop Ultra 10 and Ultra 12, with extra features, this is a versatile lightweight zip access pack with EVA padded shoulder harness and pockets on both sides of the waist belt. Known as the "The ultimate Elite runners' packs" the lightweight OMM running backpack range is the first choice, as a fell running back pack through to training on the hills and trails, but can also be used as commuting backpacks. The 15 litre capacity is big enough to take all essential kit and snacks for a day event or training expedition, sometimes with room to spare, and is also excellent and manageable, as a commuting bag. It can comfortably take a complete change of clothes and a pair of shoes, or A4 size files and an iPad. It can take many small laptops but the weight means you may not want to run with that!

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Specification (geeky technical stuff supplied by OMM)

• Full Weight: 410g
• LeanWeight: 360g (LeanWeight is taking out the bits like the back padding to travel even lighter!)
• Capacity: 15 litres
• Back padding: 9mm EVA pad
• Pockets: 2 side stretch mesh, one zipped mesh waist belt, one stretch mesh waist belt, one zipped top
• Compression: Yes, customisable using tabs and hooks on pack plus addition of LeanWeight Compression Kit
• Back length: 48cm
• Fabrics: 210T / HTTF
• Colour: Red / Black

• MartinApril 13, 2013 at 12:42pm

  Hi - I have the OMM 12 and it is great, however the mesh at the back is like sandpaper and chafed badly on my back over 25miles a thin top. Reply

  • Adrian Tarit StottApril 20, 2013 at 9:13am

    Hi Martin, thanks for your comment, always good to have feedback. We haven't been aware of any issues with OMM packs similar to your experience. All the feedback we get on OMM packs is generally excellent. To help us further get to the bottom of this, can you clarify:
    1) Exactly, where the chafing is happening?
    2) Was your top a light wicking tee or a heavier thermal?
    3) Was it raining?
    4) Before the 25 miler what was the longest outing you had had with it?
    5) Which Run and Become branch did you purchase from and approximately when?
    6) Was the pack heavily/lighly laden?
    Look forward to hearing from you. Reply