Silva Strive Light Black 10 running pack review: it’ll be all right for the night

Silva Strive Light Black 10: first impressions

High-quality headlamp brand Silva’s updated Strive Light Black 10L running backpack has an interesting design incorporating a few lighting-compatible features, making it a great choice for night running with a head lamp.

Let’s go through those aspects first of all. Firstly there’s a small pocket at the back of the neck area for a super-bright headlamp battery pack, plus Velcro attachments down the top of the shoulder strap to secure the cable.

Then there are bands of elastic across the top of the shoulder strap on which you can clip a Silva light to use without the headstrap. There’s also a clip for the little red Silva safety light on the back of the pack, and finally the pack has reflective logos, details and strips for increased visibility.

You can also carry trekking poles diagonally and on the left side of the back of the pack, and there’s a dual entrance mesh back pocket to shove your running jacket into when things warm up.

The two supplied 240ml soft bottles are not really enough for running through the night. The pockets fit 500ml bottles at a squeeze, so future updates of the pack would benefit from including those, in my opinion. There could also be bigger pockets up front, and the weatherproof fabric one on the right would benefit from a water-resistant zip.

Silva Strive Light Black 10: on the trails

I really enjoyed using this pack for night running and fully appreciate the benefits of all the unique lighting features. In particular I like the pocket at the back of the neck area for the larger battery packs you get with ultra bright head torches, and the handy Velcro cable routers on the shoulder strap. 

This is not a feature every pack has and certainly makes for very easy, efficient and tidy night running with those high-powered headlamps. The back pocket for the jacket is also super handy, and the pack is comfy and well-sized. 

However, I really feel that the small-sized bottles and front pockets let this pack down – if you’re carrying a 10L backpack you’re most probably out for a while or possibly doing a race, so 1L is the minimum water you’d want to be able to carry.

The front pockets do fit 500ml bottles, so it seems odd to supply two bottles that only hold 240ml.

Silva is also missing a trick with the tiny stretch mesh pocket on the side of the bottle pocket – this could easily be a great deal larger to carry more snacks up front.

Finally the water-resistant fabric pocket on the right where the company suggests you carry your phone really could do with a water-resistant zip, though if the rain really starts to fall you’d still need to put that phone in a small waterproof bag to guarantee its safety.

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