Alpkit Gourdon 25L waterproof backpack | Tested & Reviewed

You can pay crazy money for waterproof backpacks. Go back a few years and hardly any hikers used them, but now models are cropping up from lots of outdoor brands, complete with varying feature sets and a wild range of prices. The Alpkit Gourdon 25L sits at the lower end of price scale, so what’s the catch?

First question: what do you want a waterproof pack for? If the answer is to drag through rivers and jungles and across fabric-shredding rocks, then by all means get something the top end of that price scale like the Osprey Transporter.

But if the reality is to ensure your kit stays dry on things like walks, bike rides, overnight camps and watersport adventures (without the need from one of those useless waterproof rucksack covers), then the Alpkit Gourdon could be the answer.

This is the second generation of the Gourdon we’ve tested, and we’re pleased to report the first one is still going strong after six years of weekly use. There’s nothing overly groundbreaking to report in terms of features – this is basically a big no-frills waterproof sack with a roll-top closure that seals it up effectively from the elements.

Overall we’ve been very pleased with the performance, so read on for our full review of the Alpkit Gourdon 25L backpack.

[Editor's note: This pack is only sold through Alpkit and is currently out of stock. Luckily, there's a fresh batch on the way, so keep your eyes peeled!]

Waterproofing

If you think of the Gourdon as a big version of one of those smaller dry bags you can use inside your rucksack to waterproof and organise kit, you get a good idea of how this pack shapes up as a waterproof barrier.

The outer material is quite lightweight and thin, but in our testing experience it does the all-important job of keeping water out when used in the kind of conditions you’d expect on a standard British hike or hillwalk.

As mentioned above we’ve used a slightly older version of the Gourdon (the Gourdon 30L) for more than six years and it’s never let us down. As well as hiking and cycling, we’ve used it on canoe and paddleboard trips where it’s taken a few short dunkings in rivers and the roll-top lid has stayed fully sealed and impenetrable.

While testing the new pack we left it outside for a full 9-hour stretch while it got lashed with biblical rain by October’s Storm Babet. The theory being, if it could survive a downpour like that it could survive anything.

The Gourdon didn’t perform quite as well under those conditions as packs like the Osprey Transporter WP 30 or the Ortlieb Atrack, which allowed water to bead off them easily despite the torrential rain. The Gourdon’s material was quite saturated at the end of the day and the internal walls were wet to touch. As a result, some of the contents were slightly damp.

But in general, the waterproofing performance of the Gourdon 25L is decent for the price you’re paying.

Comfort

We’d probably describe the Gourdon as more of a waterproof dry bag with shoulder straps than a full-on waterproof rucksack. That’s not to say it doesn’t look and feel like a waterproof backpack, but don’t expect the comfort levels here that you’d get from something like the Fjallraven Bergtagen.

There’s a thin back pad that stops the contents poking into your back, plus some padding on the shoulder straps too. The hipbelt is just a thin adjustable strap that doesn’t offer a lot of support, but when you tighten everything it’s well-fitting and comfort isn’t an issue.

Features

The stiff back pad mentioned above can be removed and replaced with a hydration bladder if you’d prefer, which is a nice feature because it makes the Gourdon 25L feel a bit more like a multiuse hiking pack rather than just a waterproof bag.

The inside of the bag is basically just a big and roomy sack, so if you want to organise things internally you’ll need to use a set of dry bags or packing cubes. You do get a small internal mesh pocket, but it doesn’t have a zip closure so we wouldn’t trust it with a phone or keys.

There are some storage options on the outside of the pack, with stretchy mesh side pockets that are big enough to hold modest-sized water bottles. This new instalment of the 25L version also has stretchy webbing/bungee cord on the front that’s useful for stashing things like wet waterproofs.

There are no huge sustainability claims from Alpkit with the Gourdon 25L, but the main fabric is made from 100% recycled nylon. There’s also a PFC-free DWR coating on top of that, and Alpkit state on their website that the whole pack is made from 50% recycled material.

Capacity

The Alpkit Gourdon 25L, as the name suggests, has a capacity of 25 litres. And the fact it doesn’t have too many extra features like technical back panels or internal pockets or dividers, means it probably feels roomier than most similar-sized packs.

It’s easily big enough to carry all of the kit you’d need for a standard hiking trip, as long as you aren’t planning on carrying winter tools or overnight camping kit. We use this 20-litre version for walking, cycling and even for loading up with shopping on a quick lunchtime trip to the supermarket, and it’s an incredibly useful bit of kit to keep around the house.

If you’re looking for a different size, there are also 20L and 30L versions in the Gourdon range.

Durability

The Alpkit Gourdon 25L doesn’t feel like a particularly durable pack when you first pick it up, with its lightweight construction and lack of reinforcement in traditional heavy-wear areas like the base.

BUT we’ve been testing the 30-litre version for over half a decade and it still hardly has a scratch on it. We haven’t used it for anything like scrambling or mountaineering, mostly because that simply isn’t what it’s designed for. But we have filled it full of all sorts of unusual stuff like sharp sticks and logs for campfires and it’s always been up to the task.

So in our experience, no worries whatsoever on durability.

Verdict

The Alpkit Gourdon 25L waterproof pack does exactly what it says on the tin. It won’t win many awards for futuristic innovation, but if all you’re looking for is a well-priced waterproof sack that will keep your kit dry on wet hikes, then you can’t go far wrong with this.

How we test

The Alpkit Gourdon was tested on hikes in the hills of North Wales in typically gloomy and drizzly October weather, and then on local trails when heavy rain and strong winds battered Britain during the autumn storms. This allowed us to test in the conditions it was designed for, and on a wide variety of terrain.

Your tester Oli Reed is the editor of Live for the Outdoors and Trail magazine. Oli's a lifelong hiker who's climbed hills and mountains everywhere from the Lakes and the Dales to the Dolomites and Yosemite. He loves a night in a tent somewhere wild, is rarely seen wearing long trousers, and can usually be spotted walking, cycling or paddling along a trail or river with his two young boys in tow. Which also makes him our go-to tester for family outdoor kit.

CLICK HERE for more information about how we test gear at LFTO.