Tough Gear For Packing Your Stash
Quality motorcycling luggage, whether traveling across a continent or across town, is an absolute essential for us riders. Durable, weather-proof, and adjustable gear for the road that doesn’t compromise comfort and safety, at an affordable price point, are all tall orders for moto gear manufacturers. Stores and online catalogs are full of cheaply priced (and cheaply made) pack gear that might fit the budget and fill the need for a season or two, but with no guarantees of longevity. I’ve personally experienced gear failures on road trips, a couple of which could have landed me on the pavement and in the hospital. Trustworthy gear is absolutely critical.
REV’IT! is a motorcycle apparel and accessories company HQ-ed in Oss, The Netherlands, with North American offices in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1995, the brand has been designing and producing quality riding equipment that is stylish, comfortable, flexible, and best of all, trustworthy, making a name for themselves as one of the premier manufacturers of moto road gear. Their backpack line, consisting of small 9-liter all the way up to 22-liter packs, is built for supreme durability in all kinds of riding conditions. Designed in partnership with Kriega, leaders in the manufacture of motorcycle soft luggage, the REV’IT! line of backpacks are loaded with features and accessories, including a military-grade Hydrapak 3.75 liter reservoir for on-the-go hydration (sold separately) for each pack.
Called the H2O Backpack line, REV’IT! offers four choices, each with several color options. The smallest, called the H2O Arid 9L, measures a mere 16” tall, 8” wide, and 5” deep, yet with a 9 liters total capacity. The pack has a 4-liter roll-top main storage body, a zippered 5-liter hydration sleeve, and a Hypalon net with adjustable elastic cording. The pack secures with a Kriega Quadloc-Lite adjustable harness, and a removable waist strap for added support. For a small backpack, this one is chock full of great features. Needing a pack for day-tripping? This might fit the bill.
Arid retails for $219.99.
The H2O Arid 9L. Photo by REV’IT!
Next up in size is the H2O Stack 15L pack, with a sleek shape and expandable capacity. The Stack measures 18.8” tall, 9.4” wide and 5.5” deep, with a load capacity of 15 liters. With a waterproof roll-top main body and zip-access pockets within, the ripstop main compartment hosts a small internal waterproof liner for phones, wallets, and the like. Employing the Kriega Quadloc-Lite harness as well, the system transfers weight from your shoulders to your chest and upper body, again with a removable waist strap like the Arid model. To mitigate heat and friction while riding, the Stack pack features an air-mesh back panel for added comfort.
The Stack goes for $259.99.
The H2O Stack pack. Photo by REV’IT!
The H2O Barren 18L pack bosts three compartments- a waterproof 11 liter main body, a 7 liter rear section with a single liter waterproof pocket, with additional storage via the external Hypalon net on the front. Again, the Barren pack utilizes a waterproof roll-top design, with side release buckles and a waterproof zipper for the secondary space. Elastic cording snugs up the netting, for stashing a set of gloves, clothing liner, or whatever else might need to dry out after a soaking stint. All REV’IT! packs employ the Kriega Quadlo-Lite harness, with an expandable/removable waist belt. The Barren pack measures 18.8” tall, 9.4” wide, and 5.5” deep.
The Barren costs $279.99.
The H2O Barren pack. Photo by REV’IT!
The top-of-line pack (size wise) is the H2O Load 22L, with maximum capacity in multiple compartments. You get 18 liters of waterproof storage in the ripstop, roll-top main compartment, and another 4 liters in the zippered, weatherproof front. The pack is expandable with adjustable side straps to compact your stash and get it balanced across the chest, back and shoulders. Like the others in the H2O line, the top-shelf Load pack also hosts a nice compartment for the Hydrapak to keep you sipping fluids, a removable/adjustable waistband, an air-mesh back panel, and of course, their Kriega Quadloc-Lite system. The Load measures 16.9” tall, 9.2” wide, and 8.6” deep. This is your go-to cross-country backpack.
The Load actually retails for $249.99.
The H2O Load pack. Photo by REV’IT!
What better time to prepare for next year’s riding season by freshening up with some new gear? REV’IT! offers a full line of riding apparel, from jackets to shirts, pants to rain gear, gloves, boots and more. Their products are not cheap, literally and figuratively, but what you get is high quality and years, maybe decades, of durability. That would certainly justify the investment.
Rob
*For more on REV’IT! and their lineup of products, click here:
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