Lakeland Active Matterdale 30L Backpack
DESIGNED AND TESTED IN THE LAKES
Founded in the unforgiving landscape of North Cumbria, Lakeland Active create wearable outdoor essentials with inbuilt reliability.
Family-run and influenced by our Cumbrian roots, we have spent years testing our products in the local terrain – the valleys, fells and (often overflowing) waters of the Lake District.
Whether you’re planning to get soaked, explore the woods or conquer your vegetable patch – our all-season outdoor essentials have been engineered for comfort and durability. Bringing you trustworthy multi-purpose products inspired by real outdoor life in the Lakes.
| Department: | Unisex |
| Department: | Unisex |
I love this backpack. It’s great quality and has loads of different compartments for storage and organising the contents. The 30l capacity ensures the backpack has plenty of room for storage. The materials and construction of the backpack are top notch. The straps are adjustable and there are additional straps for securing the bag around the torso to reduce sway, improve comfort and make the bag more secure. There is a good amount of padding for on the back as well. Excellent backpack.
This bag is 30 litres, plenty of room for all your needs for a day on the trail or paths. It has two zipped main compartments and I hope the zips are durable. They have handy orange tags to make opening easier.
Each compartment has sleeves and zipped pockets for valuables phones keys etc.
The shoulder straps adjust well as does the chest strap and the waist strap sits on the hip as it should and overall I found on a 12k walk on the South Downs that the pack sat well on my back. It didn’t move or chafe on a warm Spring Saturday.
There are two side mesh pockets for drinks bottles and a few lanyards and loops if you use poles. I don’t like clutter on the outside of a pack and the less you carry, the less tired you get on a longer walk!
I have a cover for wet days but I believe this pack will keep your kit and electronics dry in a rain storm, but I can’t vouch for torrential rain. Buy a cover in case!
It’s lightweight and looks good too.
I like the green exterior orange interior. That’s just me so if grey or black is more you, they offer a variety of colours.
Great value!
The first thing you notice about this is that it’s a seriously lightweight backpack for a 30L bag. It’s been designed completely with walkers and hikers in mind, too, with ample inner sections, outer pouches and pockets, and hooks and loops to satisfy needs from a day’s strolling to a few days away trekking.
The material itself is a strong, outdoorsy, waterproof canvas that has so far done a great job on our frequently quite damp outings up here north of the border! It’s not a stiff fabric at all, so when not in use, the whole bag can be folded down into quite a compact form to stow away. As such it also makes for a great ’emergency’ bag to pack in your luggage for a longer trip.
Comfort-wise, it’s excellent. Not only are the straps well padded, but there are also two panels of very decent back padding that minimise rubbing and chafing – pretty essential for a walking bag in regular, intensive use.
For the price, it’s a great value backpack for casual walkers and more experienced hikers alike.
Love this backpack. Extremely comfortable & easy to use. Lots of different compartments for different things. Definitely highly recommend
Lightweight and comfortable with plenty of room for all your essentials.
Awesome product. Great cost value, ligh and full of pockets. Very good option for hiking or even shopping
It’s comfy, well made, looks good can’t ask for much more really.
The market is flooded with outdoor accessories like backpacks but Lakeland are one of the better ones out there at extremely competitive prices. This edition is no exception. It looks really smart and functions exactly as you would want it. Quality material and strong stitching. Excellent value
I wasn’t expecting much from this backpack, based on the price. But when it arrived I was quite surprised, as it’s great quality. Looks great, and comfortable to wear.
It has plenty of pockets
Dimensions: 52cm (H) x 33cm (W) x 19cm (D)
I would recommend it.
Wow I have to say I’m very impressed with the quality of this bag considering the price, I have purchased a lot of walking items from the big name high street camping/hiking shops and have to say this bag would be twice the price in store.
It’s very lightweight but feels like it could handle a good few seasons use in my local kent stomping grounds.
I really like the colour scheme black and really bright yellow. In a danger situation turning the bag inside could help get some emergency attention.
I’m really pleased with the quality of the zips.
It has plenty of compartments to separate bits and a good sized main area to store wet weather gear or just a spare jacket.
The only thing I would give as a negative and this really is just being picky for an honest review is that the padding isn’t as thick on the straps and back area but it’s totally acceptable.
Overall I would be very pleased to receive this bag if I had paid full price for it.
I hope this review has helped you with your purchase.
For a little known maker of backpacks, these things are incredible. I have a few different brands of backpacks because on long hikes or even park walks with kids it is essential that the pack used is comfortable and can have all the compartments accessed with no fuss.
This backpack passes the test on both the park run and the long hikes and it is very comfortable.
With fantastic strapping the pack tightens or loosens very easy and holds everything firmly in place. This ensures that weight is distributed evenly.
A lovely bag – worth buying. A great price too.
The bag virtually weighs nothing empty as its made from a thin material which looks to be nylon or polyester. The bag has 8 compartments for storage in total, 4 of them being zipped, with the potential to carry 30 litres of volume.
To help with carrying, the bag has not one but two front straps (one of the chest and one on the abdomen) with clips that help to distribute the weight evenly and keep the bag tight on your back whilst you’re walking.
The bag has a minimalistic design with a white embroidered logo and a small printed logo on it, with the zip loop holes and inside material being a contrasting colour.I also really like the zips have finger loops attached to them so you can open them easily with gloves on.
Overall, this is a well thought out lightweight backpack that provides excellent versatility and value. Thank you for reading my review, if you found it helpful let me know below!
My partner tested this item. This is his review.
This is the Matterdale 30 rucksack from Lakeland Active.
Lakeland Active is an outdoors equipment brand. They make a wide variety outdoor items ranging from footwear to various outdoor items.
The backpack has a capacity of 30 litres, two main compartments and a handful of sub compartments and smaller zipped compartments (both internal and external) to keep smaller items in like phones and keys. There are also two mesh based drinks holders either side of the backpack. This seems fairly standard on backpacks of this nature.
There is an adjustable waist strap and an adjustable chest strap. There is also a built-in whistle on the chest strap. Although, I think I had trouble getting a decent volume of noise out of the whistle (my partner was able to get a decent volume out of the whistle however).
Overall, we found this backpack to be good. However, the one big let down is the shoulder straps being too close to one another at the top of the backpack. This causes contact on the user’s neck if they are wearing a T-shirt for example (or any top where the neck is mildly exposed. Wearing a hoodie or a coat for example would not cause any problems). This issue could make the backpack quite uncomfortable to wear in the summer. You can probably fix this yourself with a few modifications, e.g. sewing a piece of fabric on the upper part of the shoulder straps. Although, overall, it is probably not something you should have to do to a brand new backpack.
This lakeland Active matterdale 30l backpack is an excellent quality backpack for the outdoors , hiking and other outdoors activities.
It is made from rugged water resistant materials so it’s made for the great outdoors, I love the green colour too , it makes it the perfect colour for rambling in the hills.
I find it comfortable to wear it has padded straps and back for comfort and has all the features you would expect in a good quality rucksack.
There are large zipped compartments for your packed lunch and hiking essentials, these compartments would also come in very handy for urban use , this would make an excellent work bag too.
I like that it has two mesh pockets for drinks bottles too so it’s easy to store your water bottles on your hikes to stay hydrated.
The zips are good quality too, they don’t snag and open and shut freely.
For the price you can’t go wrong with this pack , I do a lot of hiking , I’ll be using this pack a lot on my hikes as I love the natural green colour.
There are loops for your trekking poles too and plenty of compartments for your equipment.
I got the Matterdale 30L green version from Lakeland Active and I’m impressed with it. It’s well constructed with multiple storage pockets. The material used isn’t the thickest but should definitely be able to survive a shower or two and the bag is very lightweight (obviously when empty).
The shoulder straps are nicely padded and the integrated survival whistle on the chest strap/buckle is a nice touch, that hopefully will never be needed. I also like the little orange zip hooks that are easy to find and use with colder hands.
The bright orange interior brightens up a dull grey UK day and in the main compartment you will find a laptop pouch, and there is a good amount of space. At the very top of the bag is a handy zippered key/wallet/snack storage that also features a plastic carabiner for attaching car or house keys to. It just means those needed things are easy to access.
There are elasticated bottle pockets on the both sides and whether you are out hiking in the Lake District or tackling the theme parks, it’s a comfy, handy bag to have with you.
Size – this is a good everyday size. It’s ideal for a day out walking and if you are a light packer it would be fine for a weekend away. It is also good for work or university as there is a section for a laptop and you could also fit in some books etc.
Comfort – this bag is comfortable. I am a petite woman and it’s not quite as comfortable as my backpack that is designed for women. However, I did find it generally very comfortable.
Conclusion – I think this bag is ideal for anyone who needs a good quality everyday bag but hasn’t the budget for the backpacks by the more famous outdoor gear brands.
The size is just right for a day walk, and there are lots of thoughtful features on this bag to make it a joy to use. All the zip pulls are looped so you can open them with gloves on. There are elasticated mesh pockets for your drink bottle. All the straps and belts are properly adjustable, and easily, so you can get a really good fit, and there are proper compression straps with decent quality buckles. There’s even an emergency whistle in the chest strap and a keyring to keep your keys secure.
Stitching is excellent throughout, and the material feels very robust and strong. It’s not quite waterproof (although I’ve yet to find any bag that is), but it should shrug off a light shower.
It’s incredibly good value, and Lakeland could easily ask double the price for this bag and it would feel reasonable. It’s comfortable, looks good on the trail or on the train, well thought out and well made. You can’t go wrong here.
(If you found this review useful, i’d love it if you let me know with a click below – thanks!)
I have been looking for a replacement day trip rucksack for ages – not just any rucksack, but one that is fit for those day trips out.
When this arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer quality of not just the material but of the quality of the construction and stitching.
There is plenty of storage and the padded back is great, especially if carrying a laptop or tablet.
The zip pulls are great, not just the metal zip, but a strong zip cord on each zip.
It is really light and comfortable to wear with the padded straps together with the belly and chest straps making the rucksack secure to stop it flopping about when walking/climbing.
Overall a great, light, strong and versatile rucksack – good value for money.
The storage facility of this well designed bag is extremely roomy with a wide, main compartment that includes an inner laptop sleeve. There is also a second, full length back compartment, slightly narrower than the main one but still quite roomy with an inner zipped pocket to keep smaller personal items. Both sections are equipped with sturdy two-way pull string zippers with rubber toggles to keep everything securely in place. There are also two further zippered pockets, one with its opening along the top of the bag which has a key clip and the other easily accessible pocket at the back.
All round, this looks and feels like a good quality waterproof backpack that I see being employed in many, many different ways. It feels very easy on the back, even when fully packed, due to the padded back panels, comfortable, padded shoulder straps, moveable sternum strap to suit your posture and padded, adjustable hip belt. The bag as a whole looks and feels rugged enough to stand the rigours of whatever you could throw at it. At this price and quality it’s good value for money.
Well Recommended.
First time heard bout Lakeland brand and I am impressed. This backpack was well designed with plenty room to fit as much as you can. Material used is strong yet lightweight! What’s more, great value too! Look no further!
Lakeland Active Matterdale 30 ltr Rucksack.
Another fantastic quality rucksack from Lakeland Active and given this bag is under 30 is quite unbelievable.
This is a very lightweight Rucksack made from water resistant ripstop nylon ideal for everyday use, walking, travelling or your daily commute, hiking and camping.
Features two zipped main compartments, a 16 inch laptop sleeve and multiple accessory pockets including a zip-fastening top pocket with key clip (very handy I thought)
Straps and back panels are padded and very comfortable given how light this is and all straps are adjustable.
shoulder straps, a movable sternum strap to suit your posture and a padded adjustable hip belt
And let’s not forget the 2 elasticated mesh bottle pockets which are now pretty much standard on these kind of bags but it’s still worth a mention.
Weight: 590g. Dimensions: 52cm (H) x 33cm (W) x 19cm (D)
I normally carry much more expensive rucksacks when out walking in the hills, I was interested to try this little pack out for a day hike with the dog.
I find that a 30 litre size is the sweet spot for every day carry with enough space to get food for me and the dog as well as all the waterproofs and lighter fleecy layers I keep close to hand. t
he bag is well thought out with lots of small sub divided sections to separate and organise all your gear. I liked the straps which are perfectly comfortable for loads of up to 10KG. The materials are lightweight but strong, everything is well designed and made I believe to last .
Very happy with my bag, it does everything it promises to at a decent price without cutting any corners on quality. recommended!