Comfort/Fit
The Torong 52 provides good overall comfort, especially in the hip belt. The pack performed well while carrying loads in the 30-40 pound range, but not above that.
The Torong 52 hip belt has a good wrap-around fit and is ventilated with large slits on both sides allowing good air flow. This design feature of course meant there could be no hip belt pockets, a definite downside given the usefulness of those types of pockets. The hip belt also pivots which provided good movement with my body.
The Millet Torong 52 back panel provided adequate ventilation and comfort both in warm and cold temperatures. The harness is attached to the back panel in such a way that creates air flow behind the harness and assists in cooling the body. The shoulder straps have minimal padding, but were comfortable enough. There is a small, stretchy storage pocket on the right side of the harness which I do not generally use but since this one was particularly stretchy, it did give me storage space for a small camera and a few snacks.
Storage
The Millet Torong 52 provides both traditional top loading access and a large zipper down one side of the pack that gives full access to the main compartment. This made loading, unloading, and accessing the main compartment easy and versatile. The Torong 52 comes with a rear stretch external storage pocket that is large enough to accommodate rain gear, extra food, or other items that you may want to retrieve quickly.
The lid on the Torong 52 has a top storage pocket with an extra long zipper for easy access and storage of larger items than would typically be found in a lid. It also has an integrated rain cover and a second zippered storage pocket underneath the lid. Whereas most lids lay open to the harness side of the pack, this one lays open to the backside of the pack. Unfortunately, when it does this, it covers the stretch pocket on the back of the pack forcing me to lift the lid back to its original position to access the rear pocket.
The Torong 52 comes with a stretch mesh side pocket on each side of the pack that can be used to store water bottles or other items needed for quick access. These pockets adequately held 1-liter water bottles, but had the pockets been one inch deeper, bottles would be much better secured. The Torong 52 also comes with a daisy chain and very effective ice axe holders.
The Torong 52 has an internal hydration sleeve that accommodates up to a 3-liter hydration bladder. There is also a small zippered pocket on the right side of the harness, providing storage for a small camera and snack items. These harness pockets are not typical and although I generally do not find them useful, this one is large enough to make it very effective and also has a zipper—it actually made me reconsider my opinion on the usefulness of harness pockets and I hope to see more of them.
Stability
The Torong 52 felt stable when carrying loads in the 30-40 pound range, especially on steep ascents and descents. During scrambling, the pack proved stable and felt like it moved well with my body. It felt less stable when carrying loads in excess of 40 pounds.
Durability
The Torong 52 was durable in spite of being exposed to rugged terrain and hard use. It did show a few small blemishes after testing. The zippers, pockets and fabrics all performed well and showed no signs of damage.
The Verdict
The Millet Torong 52 is a lightweight alpine backpack that provides good comfort and organizational features for alpine climbing and backcountry trekking.
