Buyers Guide: Backpacks with Back Protectors

by 0

By James Vincent

Knee and elbow pads have been a common sight amongst mountain bikers for years now, but for some reason back protection has remained the relative preserve of downhillers and freeriders. Now a mandatory requirement in several rounds of this year’s Enduro World Series and highly recommended in numerous other race series, things are changing. Racing aside, modern trail bikes are getting faster all the time, so it makes sense to consider looking after your spine even if you’re not chasing a race series around the globe.

Bags with spine protectors

Double Espresso vs Barista & Co...
Latest Singletrack Videos

What we have here then, are 5 packs covering all genres from minimalistic race packs, through to packs more suited to big all day adventures and everything in between, that all feature an EN1621-2 CE certified spine protector. Each manufacturer has gone for a slightly different type of insert, and some offer more protection than others, so without further ado let’s have a look at them in more detail…

Bags with spine protectors

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite 2.0

Price: £79.99
From: Hotlines-uk.com

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite

First up, we have an ultra light weight pack from body armour specialists Leatt. With a proven reputation in downhill circles and a range of industry standard neck braces on offer, it is of no surprise that this pack is all about travelling light and doing so at speed. The protection takes the form of a CE Level 1 certified, 4 layer foam insert, which like on all of the packs on test is easily removable.

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite

It comes with a 2L bladder that slides into an insulated pocket to keep your drink at the required temperature, and apparently has 1L of storage, although I struggled to get much more than a compact multitool into the slim pocket.

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite

After a bit of fiddling with the unusual shoulder strap arrangement, the pack didn’t move about when riding – in fact, I hardly noticed it – but I do question how dependable the protection is going to be in the case of an accident, because the pack slides from side to side on your back if pushed.

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite

The other things I wasn’t keen on, were the insecure Velcro attachments to keep the hose in place, and the external helmet bungee cords – the clips kept on coming off, and when the lactic acid is burning and the clock is ticking, you don’t want to have to worry about losing a tiny piece of plastic.

Leatt DBX Mountain Lite

Evoc FR Lite Team 10L

Price: £109.99
From: silverfish-uk.com

Evoc FR Lite Team

A different take on a minimalistic race pack in comparison to the Leatt, the FR Lite Team is a stripped back pack that doesn’t skimp on the essentials.

Evoc FR Lite Team

The large main compartment opens very wide to allow super easy access to the bladder pouch (bladder not supplied) and the removable Liteshield protector. Constructed from adaptive PU foam with a segmented EPS core, this is only certified to CE level 1, yet is wider than all the other inserts on test, giving extra protection to the sides of your back.

Evoc FR Lite Team

There is a slim front pocket, padded top pocket for your glasses and phone, and a couple of other pockets dotted around the pack, giving enough storage for afternoon rides.

 Evoc FR Lite Team

To justify the Team moniker, there is a removable helmet strap on the front of the pack and a convenient hip pocket. As with all Evoc packs, there is a massive Velcro waist strap that really makes the pack hug your back and feels very secure, and it is one of the few manufacturers to offer different sizes so you can be sure of the correct fit. Because of the all enveloping nature of the pack (it’s quite long too), it does trap heat more than other packs, which while not a deal breaker, is something to be aware of.

Evoc FR Lite Team

Fox Camber Small 10L

Price: £119.99
From: uk.foxhead.com

Fox Camber

A slightly more relaxed pack, the lack of compression straps makes this one is more suited to regular trail riding than out and out racing, but is compact and very lightweight, with massive padded waist straps to hold everything in place should things get too rowdy.

Fox Camber

In spite of the compact nature of the pack, it still manages to cram in a full size CE Level 1 certified protector – this time a large orange pad of D30. Normally soft and flexible, this wonder material hardens on shock and spreads the impact before returning to its flexible state.

Fox Camber

There are two main compartments in the pack, with plenty of dividers and mesh pockets to keep things organised, and a rather nifty helmet/jacket/kneepad pouch that stashes away at the bottom of the pack when not required. The supplied bladder has a detachable hose and a clip and slide opening – both of which combine to make filling, cleaning, and storage of the bladder much easier so it’s nice to see that they are becoming more commonplace. The only downside to the Camber is that it’s very flexible – the softer fabrics and D30 protector mean it can be a pain to load up, and you have to be careful not to over fill it, as the contents can push uncomfortably against your back.

Endura MT500 15L

Price: £99.99,
From: endurasport.com

Endura MT500

Endura have a well deserved reputation for making no nonsense kit that doesn’t shout about itself too much, preferring to just get on with the job, and this pack is no exception. Officially the most protective pack on test, there’s a CE Level 2 Koroyd insert sandwiched between your back and the bladder. Yes, it looks like someone’s had some fun with a whole load of drinking straws, but this extra level of certification means that the protection absorbs twice as much impact as a Level 1 certified protector.

Endura MT500

The pack on test didn’t come with a bladder, but one is available as an option if you need it. The rest of the MT500 is equally tough – there’s a reinforced base that extends well up the sides of the pack, big chunky zips, solid metal clips and the obligatory waterproof pocket for your phone and wallet.

Endura MT500

Inside the large main compartment are a couple of organising pockets, and a matching tool roll. It sounds daft to focus on such a small thing, but every time I reached for my tools on the trail there were plenty of admiring noises, and it’s gone with me from pack to pack on this test.

Endura MT500

In spite of being so well featured, the MT500 manages to keep the weight down to well under 1kg, which your back and shoulders will thank you for at the end of an all day ride.

Endura MT500

Dakine Seeker 15L

Price: £165
From: eu.dakine.com

Dakine Seeker

In contrast to the lightweight MT500, the Dakine Seeker is a heavyweight, coming in at over 1.5kg. However, the pack hides its weight well and once on, you don’t feel it. This is partly because it has the best suspension system on test, spreading the load evenly regardless of how much stuff you cram in, and partly because Dakine have cleverly put the hydration bladder low down at the bottom across your lumbar region.

Dakine Seeker

CE Level 1 protection is provided in the form of Dakine’s proprietary DK Impact foam, which can also be found in their kneepads and works in a similar way to D30.

Dakine Seeker

Constructed out of a tough, waterproof coated fabric, the Seeker feels very solid with lots of internal organiser pockets (including a soft padded glasses pouch), cleverly hidden straps for carrying extra gear on the outside, and a water tight roll top on the main compartment. Usually these are expandable if you need a bit more storage, but this design doesn’t let you do that and is a little bit fiddly. I would have preferred a full length waterproof zip instead, which would have saved weight and given some more clearance between the back of your helmet and the top of the pack, but this is a minor issue on what is otherwise a great pack.

Dakine Seeker

Dakine Seeker

Conclusion

Most of the packs on test are solidly constructed with no huge shortcomings and there were no major failures at any point throughout the test period. Without wishing to sound too much like a cop out, there really isn’t a bad pack here and they all performed well, although I’d say none were as comfortable as my usual (spine protector-less) Osprey Raptor 18. Aside from the Leatt which is a very specialised pack for a very specialised target audience, the only real differentiator on this test was the fit – by its very nature, a back protector needs to be as close to the back as possible in order for it to function effectively, and this is where I came across a common issue with the majority of the packs on test.

Bags with spine protectors

When loaded up under their maximum capacity, all the packs fitted nicely, but as the load increased, all the packs bar one, bulged along the spine to varying degrees, pushing into your body and making some of them uncomfortable. The exception to this was the Dakine Seeker – because the main portion of the pack is suspended away from your back via a mesh support system, the load has no effect on the fit. The pack did move about on my back though, in particular on steep descents, and because of the high roll top it would then hit the back of my helmet. Having said that – other testers didn’t suffer from the same issue quite as much.

Unfortunately the Leatt really didn’t do it for me – I wasn’t convinced by the waistcoat style harness, and there were a few niggles on the fittings that bugged me. The Endura MT500, Fox Camber and Dakine Seeker fall into joint second place and are incredibly difficult to separate for a variety of reasons – the Endura is lightweight, well protected and roomy, but the more rigid back insert adversely affected the fit. The Fox fits well, but can be a pain to pack and get things out of on the trail because the D30 insert is so flexible, while the Dakine Seeker is super tough and has great weight distribution, but is heavy, overly fussy (in my opinion) and moves about when riding.

Bags with spine protectors

This leaves the Evoc FR Lite Team as our winner; it is the best fitting pack on test, the back protector isn’t too rigid and uncomfortable, and it’s only real let down was being a fraction too small for my carrying needs but that’s negated by the fact that Evoc’s range includes bigger packs with the same protection features.

Evoc FR Lite Team

Review Info

Brand: Dakine, Endura, Evoc, Fox, Leatt
Product: Seeker 15L, FR Lite Team 10L, Camber Small 10l, MT500 15L, DBX Mountain Lite 2.0
From: eu.dakine.com
Price: £79.99 - £165
Tested: by James Vincent for

Having ridden bikes for as long as he can remember, James takes a certain twisted pleasure in carrying his bike to the most inaccessible locations he can find, before attempting to ride back down again, preferably with both feet on the pedals. After seeing the light on a recent road trip to Austria, James walked away from the stresses of running a design agency, picked up a camera and is several years deep into a mid life crisis that shows no sign of abating. As a photographer, he enjoys nothing more than climbing trees and asking others to follow his sketchy lines while expecting them to make it look as natural and stylish as possible. He has come to realise this is infinitely more fun than being tied to a desk, and is in no hurry to go back.

More posts from James

Comments (0)

    There’s some great kit on test here but I do question how effective the back protection is on all of the packs. As I recall from my motorcycling days most spinal injuries are caused by blows to the hips / shoulders or twisting forces, which none of these packs would seem to prevent. In the event of a direct blow to the back surely any pack would provide a similar degree of protection? And of course, the one thing that couldn’t be tested here is how well any of them performed in a crash!

    Have got an Evoc. Older version of the one on test. Superb rucksack full stop. Back protection comes as a bonus. Wears its size very lightly. With regard to the above comment I’ve gone off the back of the bike once onto my arse/back. Not sure how much it helped, but I wasn’t hurt. I’m sure you’re right re twisting forces, but it can’t hurt to have a little extra protection I guess..

    I do wonder how much good it would do landing on your back with a helmet in the pack…

    Hamish the idea is only you ride uphill with your helmet on the pack, if you managed to have a crash requiring back protection doing that it would be quite an achievement

    I’ve got the same evoc bag on test and confirm its saved my back on two occasions. One big crash during ews last year and a second big crash last weekend at tweedlove enduro. Both were high speed impacts whilst going over the bars and onto tree stump/rocks. Very glad to have been wearing it.

    The evoc bags are awesome. Unbelievably good at carrying a huge load without straining your back, shoulders etc. Back protection is an added bonus.

Leave Reply

OFFER ENDS 31st MARCH