I bought this on the strength and innovation shown in the Topeak brand. Like many of the other Topeak products I own, this is awesome. It is designed for road cycling and touring. It has an easily removable hydration bladder and a nifty easily removable tool/gear holder. At first I thought the "air" feature was just a gimmick, but after having used the pack for some time now, I can definitely say that it increases the comfort of wearing the backpack. The air feature in the waist belt prevents it from digging into the skin or binding. I also find the built in helmet net is also a very nice feature. Previously, I'd leave my helmet on the bike; however, with helmets usually costing $50 or more, it's nice not to worry about giving some jerk something to steal. The other feature I like is the water bottle pocket on the side. I sweat abundantly, so the hydration bladder is a bit small for me. Carrying another water bottle really helps me with long rides in our hot Houston weather.If you're looking for a commuter back pack I'm not sure this would be your first choice. You probably could get a lap top into it, but it's certainly not designed to carry and protect something like a laptop. However, if you're just looking to carry lunch and a change of clothes, this will fit the job as well as doing double duty on the long weekend rides.
My quibbles? More color choice would be nice. I'd love the option of a larger hydration pack. Personally, I'd also like more reflective features. Those are just some very minor things I'd suggest to Topeak in version 2.
I'm extremely happy with this purchase. I highly recommend it.
What's great:
1. The air core it works. The air chambers embedded in the bag hug you comfortably and at times, you even forget the bag is there. Additionally, to me, the Air Core may have a hidden safety feature. Think of the backpack as an inflatable jacket. If you fall, it will be an additional layer of protection to cushion the impact and perhaps protects the spine. In all fairness, falling on your back on a bike is probably rare. Note that this is NOT an advertised feature and Topeak makes no such claim at all but having an inflatable backpack behind your back is logically a better option than a T-shirt plus bare skin?
2. The pockets and multiple compartments just make sense.
3. The helmet carrier, that is deployable, is a stroke of genius.
4. Lightweight
What are unknown:
1. I have not tested its ability to keep the contents dry. Is the material water proof or at least water resistant? Do I need to deploy the rain shield during a light shower?
2. The backpack has a deployable rain shield at the bottom of the pack and I need to test it under real conditions i.e. when it rains heavily.
3. Is the backpack durable?
What's not so great?
I wish it is an all black pack. And I get to decide the color of the zip which is yellow right now. It looks good if you adopt the Livestrong's Yellow and Black color scheme. But I am atom splitting here to find fault with a very well designed backpack.
Strongly recommended.
Harold
Singapore
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