Aircontact Core 55+10 SL

The Deuter Aircontact Core 55+10 SL is a 55-litre trekking pack that extends to 65 litres with the lid raised. It weighs 2260 g and uses Deuter's Aircontact back system with the VariClick adjustable back length. SL is Deuter's women's fit.

Who it's for

Multi-day walkers and trekkers carrying their own shelter, food and sleeping kit. The Core range is the workhorse: Aircontact back system, adjustable back length, and enough structure to carry real weight comfortably.

If you want more compartments and a lid that becomes a daypack, the Pro range does that for about 500 g more.

Capacity, and what actually fits

What the +10 means. The lid extends. A 45+10 carries 45 litres packed normally and 55 with the lid raised, which is the difference between a week and a fortnight, or between carrying your own food and carrying someone else's too. It is not a model number.

55 litres is a week's walking in three seasons, and 65 with the lid up handles winter kit or shared group gear. Deuter position this one for longer trips.

How it carries

The Aircontact back system with Air Spacer mesh and a wide ventilation channel is what this pack is named for — it holds the load close while leaving a channel for air, which matters in Australian heat more than in the Alps it was designed for.

ActiveBalance shoulder straps move with you rather than resisting, and the mobile hip fins let the belt follow your stride. Above about 15 kg those two things stop being features and start being the reason you can still walk on day four.

What SL means. SL is Deuter's women's fit: narrower shoulder straps set closer together, a shorter back length, and a hip belt angled for a different pelvis shape. It is a genuinely different pack, not a colourway. Fit matters more than capacity on a load-carrying pack, so try the SL if the standard one has ever dug into your collarbones.

Fitting it

Back length, not height, decides the size — measure from the bony bump at the base of your neck to the top of your hip bones. Deuter's VariClick system adjusts back length on these packs, with two anchor positions for the stabiliser straps, so there is real range in one pack.

Load the hip belt first and get 80% of the weight onto your hips. Shoulder straps only stop the pack falling backwards; if they are carrying the load, the pack is wrongly adjusted rather than wrongly sized.

Looking after it

Empty it after every trip and let it dry fully before storing — a damp pack in a cupboard grows mould in the foam you cannot reach. Wash by hand in cool water when it needs it, never in a machine, and never with detergent that strips the coating.