UKH

I'm heading to the Alps via London, and need to pick up a new rucksack tomorrow!  Anyone got any tips on the best shops to go and try them at?  Is there a better bet than the Covent Garden Cluster (Cotswolds, Snow & Rock, Blacks, Ellis Brigham)?

There's Arcteryx down by Picadilly and TNF on Oxford Circus if you're feeling spendy.

That’s probably where I’d go, or maybe call Rock On at Mile End as they appear to have all sorts of stuff including ice axes and are very helpful on the phone (although I haven’t been there).

Also, plenty of bags to be found in the Alps depending on where you’re going - Snells or Technique Extreme in Cham, for example.

Think there's an Ellis Brigham near Covent Garden on the south side. Or there used to be. 

Short trip - not sure I'll be able to wait for the shops to open!

Do North Face make mountaineering gear?  I thought it was a fashion brand.  I'll check them out, and Acteryx too - thanks.

There's also a Blacks right at St Paul's.

The Decathlon-Simond ones tend to be very good for low cost. I know the Decathlon at Canada Wharf but I'm sure there must be another one somewhere off the M25 if you are going round London. Otherwise there is a Decathlon in I think both Dunkirk and Calais if you are going over via ferry.

Oh that’s a good idea!

If driving from the UK to Chamonix there are several large Decathlon shops next to the autoroute, eg on the Grenoble ring road. Or if travelling by train via Paris there are a couple of branches of Decathlon in the city centre, plus Au Vieux Campeur with a shop dedicated to rucksacs

Weirdly curious as to the outcome of this if you managed to find something?

LOL, tell me you are under the age of 25 without telling me you are under the age of 25.

I'm very curious where this came from!

Yes thanks!

Neither TNF & Arctery'x shops stock climbing packs, and both advised going to Snow & Rock / Ellis Brigham / Cotswolds to find something.

All 3 of those stores had options around 40 litres, including from North Face.  Apparently North Face & Osprey don't sell their 50ish litre packs in UK; I'm curious why.

I didn't have time to get to Decathlon or any of the climbing walls.

I was just going to add - albeit this from a few years ago - that the Cotswold at Piccadilly always seemed to have significantly more helpful and knowledgeable staff than the one next to Ellis on Southampton St, such that I'd bother walking over there before or after going to Ellis. Reportedly something like they had better working hours so attracted better staff or something. Always found the staff in the Covent Garden Cotswold not very helpful (and often hard to even track down at all).

Mates have said good things about Decathlon (Simond) packs but they don't make them for shorter people unfortunately so I can't verify.

Apologies - didn't realise this was a few weeks old; hope you had a good trip!

That’s kind of what I figured would be the case. Did you end up buying one?

Osprey Mutant 52 at least used to be available here I think but I guess it’s harder to sell a 50L technical climbing pack for day winter or even overnight alpine packs these days when a lot of people assembled to be getting by with 40L or so.