For a while now I have been on the search for different and better ways to carry mostly more water and my gear that isn’t just in a backpack. I have strapped as much stuff to my frame as I could ever want to but its the whole more water thing that is killing me. Almost literally, see my post a while back about Heat stroke.
A little while ago this new design of pack/bum bag came across my desk from the Tassie guys called HENTY DESIGNS. The bumbag had shoulder straps as well but only out of mesh to take some of the weight of the actual bumbag as well to have somewhere to route the water hose from your bladder. The more I played with it I just kept finding more little pockets and stash spots which seemed pretty cool. Its made out of really strong Cordura 500D nylon, so it’s really tough against rubbing against rocks or trees on trails.
My next long trail ride was going to be the ultimate test, 45km’s, super hot and real humid, about 1200vert of climbing and a tonne of really cool gravity trails. As I started to pull everything off my bike and pack up my HENTY I started to feel like I was packing batman’s utility belt instead of a normal back pack. Each different thing was going to have its own strap or pocket.
Once it was packed up and on my back it was more comfortable than a regular pack for sure. The hotter the ride got I was so stoked to have the extra 3 liters of water. My bottle was gone before I got to the first decent. The straps on my back and shoulders were very breathable but I was still building up a lot of sweat. Once I got to the top of the climbs the wind blew through and cooled me down way quicker which doesn’t happen with a normal pack so that’s awesome. While riding up or down the pack really didn’t move at all which is awesome. Along the whole belt there is moulded foam for breathability and protection.
All the weight is really low so you don’t feel much extra on you. When it came time for some munchies this is where the pack excelled. Bars strapped right on the side were real easy to grab and I didn’t have to take my pack off at all.
The only things I would look for on a next version would be a way to either take off the shoulder straps or a way to stash them in the pack and cinch straps to tighten it up while on shorter rides or as the water bladder empties and I eat all the food that I can now carry. Over all this pack is great for longer rides where carrying heaps of water is key. It feels way better than a traditional back pack and it carries everything that you need.
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Words & Photos: Steve Leeder.
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