OMM Rucksacks & Clothing Product Reviews

OMM Rucksack Reviews from leading Outdoor Magazines and Mountain Marathon Competitors.

These are our top OMM Rucksacks from the Original Mountain Marathon company. Click on the image for more info on OMM rucksacks, or read on for OMM rucksack reviews:


OMM Classic 25L	OMM Jirishanca 35L	OMM Classic 32L	OMM Adventure Light 20L	OMM Last Drop 10L	OMM Waist Pouch 3L

TGO, Trail, Climb, Compass Sport, Single track, Adventure travel, OTI, 220, Cycle Sport ..looking at these magazines and there forums there appears to be lots of discussion about OMM lightweight designed rucksacks and clothing.

There is a real buzz going on about OMM designs. It's exciting to see the reports coming in on the kind of kit we use ourselves and really enjoy selling in the shop and online: headtothehills.co.uk... Click here for our range of OMM rucksacks.

OMM Lightweight Rucksack Review, Outsider April/May 2007

Ooh We like these...

This OMM rucksack is designed by innovator genius Mike Parsons who has been tweaking his gear for years on foot of feedback from mountain marathoners and adventure racers.

The result is a fantastic product which is superlight with fabulous features. One example is the towing loop for dragging along suffering team-mates on adventure races. Then there's a sit mat (duo mat) that's integrated into the bag. It doubles up as back padding and it can be removed to sit on for a picnic, or indeed to sleep on if you are doing the ultra-light and fast thing.

One adventure racer we know used this sit mat in combination with a Lifesystem survival bag at a multi-day adventure race recently to sleep on the ground for two hours half way up a mountain and it worked really well. Hardly the Ritz, but a considerable improvement on sleeping curled up under a bush.The bag also has huge zip pockets at the front for storing lots of bars and snacks and they are easily accessible. The straps and fittings are also easily adjustable and there is even a whistle integrated into the strap. A stealth revolution in the world of backpacks is happening as more and more people try these gems and never go back.

Incidentally, OMM, which means Original Mountain Marathon, used to be called Kimm lite.

OMM MM55 Review TGO April 2007 By Chris Townsend

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 hip belt 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 loops, climbing gear loops

Chris Townsend