Rab Airox 36 after more than 300 kilometers on the Camino de Santiago: Colonel Pilgrim's review

When we started the project "From the Shop to the Obradoiro", one of the questions we asked ourselves most was simple:

Can you walk the Camino de Santiago with a single backpack for hundreds of kilometers without ending up hating it?

After more than 300 kilometers walking from Madrid along the Camino de Santiago, the Pilgrim Colonel has already crossed the Sierra de Guadarrama, traversed the Castilian plains, and reached León, carrying all his equipment in a single backpack: the Rab Airox 36.

And surprisingly, he doesn't talk about liters, fabrics, or technical specifications.

He talks about comfort.

A backpack that disappears as you walk

After many hours of walking, one of the aspects that the Pilgrim Colonel highlighted most was the overall comfort of the backpack.

The Rab Airox 36 incorporates the AEROFIT™ ventilated back system, designed to keep the backpack close to the body without compromising ventilation.

On the ground, this translates into an unusual sensation for backpacks of this volume: the backpack follows your movements without creating pressure points or limiting mobility.

In the words of the Pilgrim Colonel:

"The backpack adapts to you, not the other way around."

Even during long days of walking, the structure keeps the load stable without deforming and without causing discomfort in the shoulders, back, or hips.

With an approximate load of 9 kg for most of the journey, the overall feeling has been that of carrying a much lighter backpack than it actually carries.

Ventilation: the main protagonist of the Camino

If there's one thing that stands out above the rest, it's ventilation.

During the first days of the Camino de Madrid, temperatures were high and the stages particularly long.

The back and shoulder straps remained ventilated even during moments of greatest effort.

According to the Pilgrim Colonel:

"You sweat intensely, but the system is very breathable and dries very quickly."

The separation created by the AEROFIT™ system allows air to circulate constantly, which is greatly appreciated when you've been walking for many hours under the sun.

Furthermore, the backpack maintains great proximity to the body without creating the typical excessively arched structures that, in other models, reduce the useful carrying volume.

Detail of the AEROFIT™ back system.

Much more practical than it seems

One of the most surprising aspects during the Camino is its organizational capacity.

The backpack has numerous accessible spaces without needing to stop:

• Pockets on the hip belt.
• Pockets on the shoulder straps.
• Side pockets for water bottles.
• Large elastic front pocket.
• Hydration bladder compartment.
• Internal and external pockets on the top lid.
• Internal key clip.

During the Camino, the Pilgrim Colonel used these spaces to store documents, phone, jackets, food, a waterproof membrane, and small, frequently used accessories.

The large front pocket has become one of his favorites:

"You can store a jacket, wet clothes, or even a helmet without needing to open the backpack."

Designed for real life

There are details that only emerge when a backpack is used every day.

The multiple external straps have served to carry wet clothes as they dried while walking.

The adjustment systems allow for quick modification of the backpack's behavior when the terrain or the volume carried changes.

In addition, the height adjustment system allows for personalized fitting according to each user's anatomy.

All this without complications.

"Even an inexperienced person can get the most out of it from day one."

The pole attachments are simple, quick, and effective, which is especially useful when the stages alternate between urban areas, tracks, and trails.

Durability after hundreds of kilometers

After more than 300 kilometers, the backpack has been placed on stone, dirt, benches, walls, hostels, and all kinds of surfaces.

The Pilgrim Colonel's assessment is emphatic:

"I treat it roughly and it's still like new."

The ripstop fabric conveys a great sense of strength and durability.

The zippers continue to run smoothly, the adjustments remain firm, and the whole still offers the same stability as during the first stages.

"You can drag it and still have a backpack for years."

An unexpected function: chair, backrest, and pillow

There's a curious observation that perfectly sums up the practical approach of this backpack.

During breaks, the Pilgrim Colonel used the back structure as a backrest for eating, resting, and even as an improvised pillow during some bivouacs.

It might seem like a minor detail.

After hundreds of kilometers of walking, it ceases to be.

"It serves both for resting and for leaning on while eating. It can even act as a pillow if you turn it upside down."

The best

• Extremely ventilated AEROFIT™ system.
• Excellent comfort with loads near 9 kg.
• Fast and very intuitive adjustment.
• Height adjustment.
• Great organizational capacity.
• Particularly practical front pocket.
• Excellent neck and head mobility.
• High resistance to intensive use.
• Very good stability when walking.
• Versatile design for a multitude of activities.

The worst

The Pilgrim Colonel found only one problem:

"You fall in love with it and never want to use another one."

Mountain Group Verdict

The Rab Airox 36 is not an ultra-technical mountaineering backpack.

Nor does it pretend to be.

Its great virtue is offering an extraordinarily balanced combination of comfort, ventilation, capacity, organization, and durability.

After more than 300 kilometers on the Camino de Santiago, the feeling is clear:

If we had to start again from Madrid tomorrow, it would be the chosen backpack again.

Provisional score after more than 300 km

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.5 / 10

About the Pilgrim Colonel

Pilgrim Colonel is the name under which Iván Plaza, technical advisor for Mountain Group, shares his experience walking the Camino de Santiago and other long-distance routes, testing technical equipment in real conditions and sharing practical advice for pilgrims and mountain lovers.

The Camino still continues.

There are still kilometers to Santiago, new stages, and more equipment to analyze.

But if there's one thing the Pilgrim Colonel is already clear about, it's that the Rab Airox 36 has passed one of the most demanding tests a backpack can face with flying colors: accompanying, every day for hundreds of kilometers, a person who lives the Camino from within.

And that, probably, is worth more than any technical specification.