A good backpack is hard to find and when you do find a good one, it’s hard to part with. Thankfully, the Kriega R30 backpack is well made and, as with all Kriega products, is covered by a 10-year guarantee so parting with it is a while off.
The R30 has 30 litres of capacity with a large main waterproof compartment and two smaller water-resistant zippered pockets on the front of the pack. The main compartment uses a drybag-style roll-up closure and three clips that hold the top in place with more clips and buckles on the sides to trim the pack’s size.
I have been caught in some fierce rain with the R30 and the main compartment hasn’t even looked like leaking. Even the two outer zippered pockets, which Kriega say are water resistant, have kept my belongings bone dry.
The base and harness of the R30 are constructed from 1000D Dupont Cordura for maximum durability, while the main body uses 420D rip-stop nylon. There’s also quality YKK zippers used throughout and the buckles on the adjustable Quadloc harness system are all made from CNC machine 6061-T6 alloy. This thing is built tough and it feels it. Mind you, parting with more than $400 for a backpack could feel tough for most people too. But you really do get what you pay for in this instance.
The R30 uses an airspace fabric on the section that sits on your back, which in non-Kriega speak means a padded mesh section that makes the R30 sit on your spine without pressure points. It also allows air to get in around your back to cut down on the sweat factor.
If 30 litres isn’t enough for you, there are optional 5- or 10-litre drypacks available that attach neatly to the outer webbing on the R30. There’s also a harness pocket available that mounts on the chest section of the Quadloc system, which makes for an easy-to-reach pocket for your bits and pieces.
The only thing that I would change on the R30 is the addition of a few smaller organisation pockets within the main compartment and perhaps a laptop sleeve in there too. And nowhere to put a hydration bladder pocket is strange for a pack so suited to the adventure experience, but I suppose a hose exiting from the shell would jeopardise its waterproofness.
Speaking of adventure, when I attended the Honda Transalp launch in Queensland last year, GP-turned-off-road legend Daryl Beattie was wearing a well-used Kriega backpack that looked like it had been dragged through the Simpson desert behind an Africa Twin. I didn’t catch what model it was or even how old it was but, apart from being coated in red dirt, its shell, zips, straps and hardware were all in perfect condition – tough stuff!
It’s early days but the quality feel of the R30 reassures me that I’ll be in a partnership with this pack for a long time to come.
TEST: PETE VORST
Kriega R30
RATING: 4.5 out of 5
RRP: $409
FROM: Kriega Australia
WEBSITE: kriega.com.au
PHONE: 0409 959 737
