Morning All
My old Berghaus 25 daypack has come to the end of its days so I'm on the look out for a new daypack for commuting and general use. I had brought [url= http://www.regatta.com/product-detail.asp?pn=EU008# ]THIS[/url] as a replacement which seemed a bargain at the time, good size, sprung back, raincover and only £25. Sadly its been somewhat of a disappointment 🙁 The sprung back tensioner gave out immediately and then last week the bag got snagged on a branch which ripped open the side mesh pocket, split the stiching where the main panels meet and also split the stiching on both the straps 😮 I wouldnt have minded if this had been the result of a major off however it wasnt.
Anyhoo all this leads me to needing another new bag to fit the following criteria:
25 litres
Vented/sprung back
Raincover
Not prone to falling to pieces at the first sign of a tree
Any recommendations from the masses
How about a Deuter Bike 1. Ticks all your boxes, except it's 20 ltrs. Used the old style one day-in-day-out commuting for 6 years until the main zip gave up. Have been usign the new one for a coupel of years and it seems similarly robust.
The [url= http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16268&category_id=251 ]Gourdon[/url] bags on Alpkit look quite sensible as a winter pack and the Deuter one also looks good however I particularly looking for one with a sprung back to improve airflow and stop me getting so hot and sweaty.
The deuter Airflow-thingy-system spaces the pack off your back by 20mm or so, and the two vertical strips where it touches seem to be well positioned. Some sweaty-ness seems inevitable but it works OK for me, even when really hot.
[url= http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Categories/dein-sport/bike/rucksaecke&Locale=en_GB&NavSignature=1,7&PageSize=99 ]Vaude[/url]! Brilliant bags and were doing cycling specific longer than Deuter.
I've got one of these & quite like it:
http://www.vaude.com/epages/Vaude-de.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/Vaude/Products/10089/SubProducts/100897190
[img] 
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although, this is a newer restyled version.
Good Points:
- comfy, adjustable (depending on height) straps
- air back system keeps pack off your back
- rain cover
- plenty of storage
- durable
Bad Points:
- Can be hard to squidge 3L bladder into the sleeve
- outer pocket doesn't have lots of little internal pockets for stashing stuff
- Not that easy to lash pads too.
Too Slow!!
I'm with JON on this one. I'm on my second Vaude bag and they are great....don't seem to have much marketing/recognition in this country.
A back pack review in MBR a while back had a Vaude bag and most of the features weren't even mentioned, whereas the equivalent Deuter (or might have been North Face) bag had every single feature mentioned that the Vaude also had......
I currently have a Lowe Alpine one which is great. [img] 
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It's called the AirZone 28. Really like the front pocket for stowing jackets and stuff.
My previous bag was a Vaude Splash which was similar to the pic above. It lasted ages, was really tough but eventually the zips failed after 5 or so years use.
gourdons - fine for short distances but i wouldnt like to ride in mine
it really is just a dry bag with some rudimentary straps fitted - no real thought to the shape or comfort of them.
they are stitched together too close and rub the back of my neck/shoulders badly ....
it does what its supposed to do well though - transport stuff dry and on your back !
Sweaty too ....
Liking the Vaude Splash and there are a couple on the Lowe site too. How do people find the air flow systems? I sweat alot when riding 😳
Edit: I've also seen this one from [url= http://www.salomon.com/uk/#/bags-and-packs/bags-and-packs/hiking/revo-25-m ]SALOMON[/url] which looks quite good.
How do people find the air flow systems?
This was the main reason I bought my first Vaude bag. I was fed-up of getting a nasty sweaty back, saw the Vaude design and thought it made good sense.
It really does work compared to a rucsack with a 'normal' back - even the ones that have channels within the padding.
i use a vaude bag too im on my second after the old one finally giving up after years of daily commuting use and as a general day sack for trips away, camping , shopping etc etc
i actually have a snowboarding one but if its representative of how good their other stuff is id heartily recomend
I've got a Deuter Futura 32 (You can get smaller sizes as well). Really well made, well organized, great thing is a divider in the main compartment, integrated rain cover and has a zipped pocket on the hip belt. Good harness and the air flow back works very well. Vaude bags look good but also have a look at Osprey. I had a Osprey Kestrel. A bit heavier due to materials used but also good harness, good ventilation etc. Great customer service from Osprey UK as well.
Have a look on Wiggle. Innov8 are doing some good looking 25L and bigger packs, they look very smart, saw a guy with one, not too wide on the back, pockets on the hip belt (they are very useful).
Amazon has various Karrimor rucksacks on sale now. Might not be a posh brand but higher models seems to be well made and have good features and the air flow ventilation similar to Deuter.
If You are not after a top loader rucksack I always like the way Deuter Trans Alpine look. Loads of pockets, usual Deuter quality. My mate still has a very old Deuter pack that is perfectly usable.
Dueter from wiggle.co.uk should fit the bill
Think I'm more leaning towards the Vaude or Lowe tbh. I had a look on Wiggle at the Inov8 range but didnt have sprung back so off the list. The Osprey bags look nice and get good reviews by all accounts.
It would be handy if somewhere locally stocked all of them however it looks like I'll have to order, compare and return those deemed unworthy.
Surely you should be looking at the Berghaus FreeFlow, come in numerous sizes & has the sprung back. Though have//had both Deuter and Vaude rucksacks and throughly recommend all three..
Have just had a look at the Freeflow, not sure if it looks a bit tall? Will try and track one down to have a look at.
Another vote for Vaude.
I had an Edinburgh Bicycles rucksack (rebranded Vaude with a few lower spec bits and bobs) which lasted me a lot of years and put up with a lot of abuse. The zips finally gave out last year and I bought a Berghaus Freeflow to replace it. I didn't get on with the Berghaus so Ebayed it and bought a Vaude Splash Air 20+5 to replace it.
EDIT: It was the Berghaus Freeflow IV 25, I disliked the fact that the air-flow back curved massively into the bag reducing the available space inside.
I got a pair of Revolution shorts from Edinburgh Co op (rebranded Endura) which are 4 years old now and indestructible. Will check out their bags.
EDIT: the Stow Sports S2 looks nice.
Cotswold have some of The North Face laptop packs on sale.
Looks-wise the Stow Sport S2 is identical to the Splash Air 20+5. I think it's cheaper than the Vaude because they use slightly lower quality components (zips, straps etc).
When I was replacing my old one, I had a good play with one in the Leeds' Edinburgh Bicycle, and decided to go for the Vaude instead (although I had just been 'stung' by the Berghaus so I wanted to make sure I got it right this time).