Vaude - Uphill Air 24 - Cycling backpack

Good Points: This pack actually weighs 550 grams without the separate rain cover. Incredibly light for a reasonably robust pack of this volume with this sort of suspended back system. I can't think of a comparable pack from a mainstream manufacturer.

It looks really smart, the blue is nice, the lines clean.

The fabric, while not waterproof, looks very water repellent and so if you chose not to use the enclosed rain cover it won't take on much water. However the two zips are not waterproof so you will need a dry bag inside at least. I don't usually bother with rain covers as water gets down you back and into the pack, but the 60 gram included rain cover (which is not built into the pack but comes in a small stuff sack) attaches cleverly via velcro to the two fabric hi-vis hydration tube guides at the top of the shoulder straps, holding the cover quite far forward. Combined with the back system I can't see water getting into this pack, excellent well thought out design. The rain cover is also bright orange and would be a good visibility aid if road walking.

Good layout of pockets, large internal space can be opened very wide, smaller separate compartment taking the place of a 'lid pocket' is big enough for waterproofs or something you want kept apart from other stuff. Has usual hydration slip pocket inside body of pack and velcro hanger for hydration bag.

Pack is overall comfortable enough - to save weight there isn't a huge amount of padding, but the padding is adequate for the sort of loads you'll be carrying, most likely under 5kg. The back system keeps pack contents away from your back so no need for a padded back.

Hi vis reflective details work very well. The grab handle is part of the shoulder straps, a clever design that stops it scratching the back of your neck and also means it is very strong.

Mesh panel on the right side is generous and big enough to hold a 1 litre bottle plus z-fold trekking poles, which can easily be secured with the compression string. Compression is fairly effective at pulling loose items in an under-full pack close to the harness, an improvement over the Vaude Triset pack I used to have that became quite saggy over time with everything collecting in the bottom.

Mesh zipped pocket on the left hand side is big enough to hold waterproofs or some food, or a phone.

Both the side pockets can be reached into easily enough without taking the pack off, a major plus.

Pack is held very far away from your back creating excellent air flow. I bought this pack for walking in Spain. I was looking for a light pack with ventilated back and I think it will fulfil the requirements very well.

Down Sides:
I would have preferred both side panels to be open at the top, The left one being a zipped external pocket rather than an open topped mesh 'bucket' limits its use, it means you can only carry a bottle and/or poles on the right side which could make the weight lopsided. this pack is clearly designed for the hydration bladder user, but many folk don't like those. If you are a bottle carrier, be aware you can only carry one, on one side, unless you add your own shoulder strap pockets.

On a plus the reflective hydration tube guides are fabric, not elastic, which makes it easier to attach after-market shoulder strap pockets for soft flasks, which is what I've done to solve the bottle carrying problem. If Vaude were looking for ways to improve this pack, running vest style mesh pockets on the shoulder straps big enough to hold 2x500ml soft flasks would be an awesome addition.

The zipped mesh pocket opens down the side, I can see things falling out of this when you open it and rummage blindly around for stuff. Asymmetry in packs seems to be fashionable but I would have preferred two mesh bucket type pockets, maybe small zipped mesh pockets could have been incorporated into the hip belt padding?

It feels to me like this pack could have been made waterproof with very little additional weight by sealing the seams, adding a waterproof coating and using water proof zips. This would have negated the need for a separate raincover.

The back system holds the pack so far from your back that it feels it throws my centre of gravity out more than it needs to. I've used to running packs that really hug the body, this feels very different, though moving the water to the shoulder straps improved this somewhat. I think the off balance feeling might be quite pronounced if I loaded it closer to its limit. Because of this I would think twice before using this pack for bouldering or running, but then it is sold as a hiking or cycling pack, for most people this will be a hiking day pack for hot weather, and it is very well suited for that use.

The back system does ensure a great flow of air, but does feel like the extreme curvature of the pack's frame is somewhat overkill. The curvature also reduces the ability to carry long straight objects like a packed up tent in the main compartment, and this makes having a bucket mesh pocket only on one side more of an issue as there is limited space for bottles, trekking poles and tent poles. There is a string compression arrangement that could be used to carry stuff, but there are no pole loops either on the back or on the shoulder straps that would have helped with carrying trekking poles, ice axes or tent poles.

Again if Vaude were looking for ways to improve this pack, the addition of a loop with cord lock at the outside top and bottom of each shoulder strap, would make carrying trekking poles much easier. I like to have poles accessible without removing the pack, and there is simply no way to do that with this pack without modifying it yourself.

Anyway these are minor gripes about what is an excellent pack that I look forward to using very much.