Oli
Well-known member
Just wanted to say I highly recommend either or both of these rucksacks as they are in my opinion, the best in Kreiga?s range and possibly the best riding packs available. Use has been weekend riding for the past 5 years with the R20 and daily commuting for the past 4 years with the R30. Both packs, I?m sure you?ll agree have held up really well.
I originally purchased an R25, but didn?t like the shape for a daily commuting backpack (couldn?t stand upright on it?s own), so in my opinion this model is the poor relation in their line up. The R20 however is excellent as an active riding pack, which is exactly how they advertise it, it?s not overly large, but is nicely curved so that you get minimal buffeting at speed and the Quadlock light harness is brilliant, it?s less cumbersome and less conspicuous then the full Quadlock system on both the R25 and R30.
However, as a daily commuter needing to transport a laptop (15? MacBook Pro), I needed seething larger and waterproof, the R30 ticks all these boxes and is ideal as a commuter pack. The base is square so you can stand the pack upright on it?s own accord (when loaded) and there is ample space. Personally, I see no reason for any larger backpack as when fully loaded the combination of very study build quality and lots of stuff makes for a heavy load. The main compartment is entirely waterproof using a ?roll bag? system, which is removable and washable. The two external pockets are shower proof only and will leak considerably in extended rain, so you must take necessary precaution if you wish to store electric stuff etc in these.
Features: Kreiga rucksacks universally subscribe to minimal compartmentalisation as they feel there are more packaging options and better use of space with a single large compartment. That being said, the R20 has an inner pocket which is highly water resistant and is useful for things like a phone, wallet or other smaller items. The R20 also has a single external sleeve at the front of the pack, which I have used for half of a waterproof suit, but not much in general as don?t find it to be overly useful. The Quadlock systems from Kriega are superb at transferring weight away from the shoulders and are probably the single best feature of the rucksacks. This system is perfect for motorcyclists as both effectively transfers weight off the shoulders and into the chest, and also makes for zero straps under the armpits which means totally unimpeded movement on the bike.
Additional extras: Kriega make back protecters (by Forcefield) which can be placed in their rucksacks (All rucksacks have a sleeve to accommodate this). They also make a Camelpak system which can be stored in this same sleeve in conjunction or independently of the back protector. I have used neither of these options, but do have the hydration system, just incase I ever decide to tour in the summer ? hasn?t happened yet though lol! One additional extra they offer that is pack related, is the Kube pocket, which is literally a small phone shaped pocket that is water resistant (NOT waterproof) that can be secured to the Quadlcok harness. I personally use this only on the R30 as find it can catch on the chin bar of a helmet on the smaller R20. This pocket is purely optional and so I?d neither recommend it nor discourage it. If you do fit it to a R25 or R30, bear in mind that it will interact with the tank when hanging off.
All in all, I recommend this company highly. They offer a 10 year warranty on their products, so despite the reasonably steep prices, you have nothing to fear with after sales service and support. They?re also British, and it?s nice to support British business after all
.
Hope this has been useful,
Oli
https://kriega.com
I originally purchased an R25, but didn?t like the shape for a daily commuting backpack (couldn?t stand upright on it?s own), so in my opinion this model is the poor relation in their line up. The R20 however is excellent as an active riding pack, which is exactly how they advertise it, it?s not overly large, but is nicely curved so that you get minimal buffeting at speed and the Quadlock light harness is brilliant, it?s less cumbersome and less conspicuous then the full Quadlock system on both the R25 and R30.
However, as a daily commuter needing to transport a laptop (15? MacBook Pro), I needed seething larger and waterproof, the R30 ticks all these boxes and is ideal as a commuter pack. The base is square so you can stand the pack upright on it?s own accord (when loaded) and there is ample space. Personally, I see no reason for any larger backpack as when fully loaded the combination of very study build quality and lots of stuff makes for a heavy load. The main compartment is entirely waterproof using a ?roll bag? system, which is removable and washable. The two external pockets are shower proof only and will leak considerably in extended rain, so you must take necessary precaution if you wish to store electric stuff etc in these.
Features: Kreiga rucksacks universally subscribe to minimal compartmentalisation as they feel there are more packaging options and better use of space with a single large compartment. That being said, the R20 has an inner pocket which is highly water resistant and is useful for things like a phone, wallet or other smaller items. The R20 also has a single external sleeve at the front of the pack, which I have used for half of a waterproof suit, but not much in general as don?t find it to be overly useful. The Quadlock systems from Kriega are superb at transferring weight away from the shoulders and are probably the single best feature of the rucksacks. This system is perfect for motorcyclists as both effectively transfers weight off the shoulders and into the chest, and also makes for zero straps under the armpits which means totally unimpeded movement on the bike.
Additional extras: Kriega make back protecters (by Forcefield) which can be placed in their rucksacks (All rucksacks have a sleeve to accommodate this). They also make a Camelpak system which can be stored in this same sleeve in conjunction or independently of the back protector. I have used neither of these options, but do have the hydration system, just incase I ever decide to tour in the summer ? hasn?t happened yet though lol! One additional extra they offer that is pack related, is the Kube pocket, which is literally a small phone shaped pocket that is water resistant (NOT waterproof) that can be secured to the Quadlcok harness. I personally use this only on the R30 as find it can catch on the chin bar of a helmet on the smaller R20. This pocket is purely optional and so I?d neither recommend it nor discourage it. If you do fit it to a R25 or R30, bear in mind that it will interact with the tank when hanging off.
All in all, I recommend this company highly. They offer a 10 year warranty on their products, so despite the reasonably steep prices, you have nothing to fear with after sales service and support. They?re also British, and it?s nice to support British business after all
. Hope this has been useful,
Oli
https://kriega.com
