Know your gear

Multi-functional, back-friendly, light and bright

Like most other sporting and outdoor goods, backpacks are also becoming more multi-functional — offering consumers more use than merely for the once-a-year hiking trip. Backpacks are seen on the backs of scholars, cyclists, motorcyclists, travellers and mall-crawlers. They have to a large extent replaced big shoulder bags for everyday use, and recognised outdoor brands are seen in all school corridors.

The opportunities for selling backpacks has never been better, nor the choices wider.

Vaude has, for example, developed an innovative adjustment mechanism for a hipbelt, called the Twist2Fit system. Every person’s hips differ, yet the fit at the hips plays a central role in how comfortable a backpack is, because the more precisely the hipbelt fits, the better the transference of the load to the hips. The Twist2Fit mechanism is a dial that can be adjusted until the hipbelt fits comfortably around the individual hip shape — especially effective when carrying heavy loads.

Their patent-pending ergonomic suspension system flexibly adjusts to the entire back — arching the backpack to lie flat against the back, instead of arching away from it. This distributes the pack load more evenly across the whole back, instead of just a few contact points. The back panel system is flexible and therefore lies flat against the back’s natural curve and adjusts itself to the wearer’s movements. Functional ventilation prevents overheating in the contact areas.

Karrimor’s key competence has, for many years, been as backpack manufacturers. Following a change of ownership a few years ago, they re-established the brand with new product and designs and hence claim the #1 spot for backpacking and daypacks in the UK.

“We were number one in convertible travel bags — and with the re-development of our 2009 range I believe we shall be number one again,” says Garry Bardsley, European sales manager.

Their latest travel range offers a two-in-one option: a smaller daypack zipped onto a larger bag, which can be worn as one unit on the back, or carried by handles when the padded shoulder strap is removed. The detachable daypack is ideal as an on-flight and sightseeing bag, while the larger storage bag has a lid that zips open on the side, just like a suitcase (in the top-end of the range). There are plenty of compartments, ventilation and moisture management, and a more substantial removable hipbelt to spread the load — all in very lightweight fabrics.

The innovative Fformat backsystem — a removabe, flexible moulded harness inserted in the ventilated foam back that can be bent to fit the shape of the wearer’s back in order to spread the load more evenly — is found in top-end models across the Karrimor ranges.

They patented their size-adjustable back system 25 years ago and has now added the SA3 with X-wing technology that tranfers the load through the middle, top and bottom into the hip belt.

Other features that make their new ranges special are the attention to ventilation and breathability, (the Air Space daypack, for example, creates a big gap between the bag and the back and is therefore ideal for walking, hiking and multi-sport), added detail to make it more user-friendly (the Indie urban pack has an attachment for a skateboard), the use of very light weight durable nylon, a PU coating printed on to fabric to provide waterproofing that makes the bag more durable, but still very light, lazer-etched logos and hydration sleeves in all bags (they also have a hydration bag with a 2 litre bladder that is small and light enough for running and cyling).

Following requests from retailers for a wider outdoor offering to complement their popular trail running footwear and hydration packs, Salomon SA will now be introducing backpacks into the SA market, explains Bennie Botes, who was in Friedrichshafen to explain the features of the aptly named Custom backpack.

“The whole system is lighter and faster — whether in hiking or trail running packs,” he says. “The backpack can be customized according to the user’s needs with clip-on accessories — it is a basic lightweight pack, with the option of adding five types of accessories, depending on whether you are going on a morning, full day or four day hiking trip.”

People want multi-functionality in backpacks and rucsacks says Simon Larsen of Ram Mountaineering. Adventure racing, as well as a number of other extreme sports like mountain biking, trail running, road biking or canoeing have had a huge impact on the thinking around backpacks.

Some form of hydration system has, for example, become an essential feature in backpacks.

“We now have to think differently and look beyond the hiker that would go on a four-day trail, and see to the needs of the consumer who will mix and match his activities. On Saturday he might participate in a cycle race, on Sunday he might go mountain climbing or scuba diving or rowing,” he says. “They don’t want a different bag for every activity, they want a bag that will be suitable for most of these activities.”

He covers the bases with three different backpack brands – premium Black Diamond, his own e3 Gear and Pacific Outdoor.

Black Diamond, with their worldwide reputation as a hard core mountain company, has now launched a significant urban range of trendy lightweight day packs in smaller sizes with a modern look in a lot of cherry red and black colours. They also introduced an ultra-light hydro and runing pack to add depth to their top-end climbing and expedition packs.

From February next year Ram Mountaineering will be able to import a much wider range of products at a very reasonable price point, due to a new distribution agreement with Black Diamond. Despite the increase in the exchange rate and fuel prices, their prices have remained fairly consistent, says Larsen. Most of the backpack ranges currently available in the SA market are imported and he believes Black Diamond is in a good position to compete head on head with them “as we are pretty well priced.”

While Black Diamond offers a more technical range, the emphasis in e3 Gear cycling packs and hydration systems is on affordability, says Larsen.

In the Pacific Outdoor range, which continues to expand in SA, the emphasis is on dry units – for example, waterproof daypacks with dry zips and dry bags and proper waterproofed dry packs for canoeing and the fly fishing market. There are also hip packs with dry zips, popular with motor cyclists, and a new item will be panniers for cycling bikes.