Aonijie Fastpacking Bag
I have been a self-confessed bag snob for years. Salomon, Arc’teryx, Ultimate Direction, Aarn; I have a hoard of bags to rival a small army.
I was on a fast-packing mission over the sometimes treacherous but often lovely Southern Crossing, which traverses the Tararua Ranges here in New Zealand. The beautiful scene that also appears on the homepage of this website was taken during a Southern Crossing and remains one of the best photographs I have taken in my life. This is Mt Hector, which is one of the highest peaks in the range and on a clear day, a great spot to drop your pack for a bit and enjoy the spectacular views:
After a hard day’s push to cover two-days worth of distance in one day to beat the weather, we arrived at Kime Hut, a backcountry shelter affectionately known as the icebox for its lack of a fireplace that you’ll see if you look closely enough here:
It’s cold, but beautiful and one of my favorite huts, in part due to the fact it’s never full to capacity. On this visit, out of the 20 bunks 6 were taken, giving the luxury of being able to make a nest of mattresses for comfort and a modicum of privacy.
A couple from another party also enjoying the icebox that cold wet and windy evening had a pack that piqued my interest. I asked to check it out and noticed the brand - I had heard of Aonijie, but had never considered buying one as it seemed too cheap to be good. I now know better. After checking out this pack I was intrigued. The fabric, zippers, fixings all felt high-end. It was light and robust and rivaled anything I owned at the time. While there are small things you can criticize when comparing with the high-end counterparts, like the webbing being a little sharper on the edge, or the whistle not being quite as loud, the overwhelming feeling was that this was significantly better value for money than my usual kit.
When I got back from the wild a few days later I ordered one - it arrived promptly and I was amazed at how well it fit and how good it felt to run with. It’s very adjustable, and the sponge-like backing offers both support, distance from your hydration, and buoyancy, as I discovered while navigationally challenged and swimming up a river I had no business leading my team through during a recent adventure race… (sorry team!) the pack performed well, though, and despite my literally swimming with it, my gear was dry thanks to the roll-top closure and waterproof fabric.
I was so impressed with this pack I bought a second so I have one in white, one in black, and still have change compared to what I would have spent on one of my usual go-to brands.
I have no hesitance giving this bag a 10/10.
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