After James Murnaghan's review of the rush air a few months ago, you'd think that I'd have nothing more to say about this innovative rucsac. However, there's nothing wrong with a second opinion!
My old (read very old) Karrimor "Camelbak Race Sac" expired recently on a trip to the Scottish highlands. The zip bust - and I was forced to punch holes in it with my penknife, and lace it up with pieces of cord, in order to stop the contents distributing themselves around the west coast. I fancied something a tad larger a so bought a Rush Air from the bike shop in Fort William.
At first sight the Rush Air is very odd indeed. There are straps and hooks and elastic loops and netting sections that don't seemed to be attached to the rest of the rucsac at all. It really should come with a comprehensive instruction manual - the function of some of the components is still a mystery to me! The real reason that Rush Air is so 'odd' is that the designers (probably John North) have thought about its function rather than copying any existing products. As with my previous Race Sac the Karrimor concept of the luggage fitting inside rather than being strapped to the outside truly finds my favour. I'd much prefer my windproof, pump or whatever to remain secure and clean tucked away inside.
The 20 litres of the Rush Air is a lot more than I am used to, and I'll probably only fill it in mid winter, or during 2 or 3 day trips. This is my main criticism; that the smaller "Cyclone" rucsac is not only rare, but a totally different pack, not at all a scaled-down Rush Air. The Rush Air is much larger and heavier than what I'm used to. It does however mean that I can take my SLR along without having to leave my waterproof behind!
The sac is split into 4 sections: the main compartment, the bladder sleeve, the top pocket and the external gizmos. The main compartment is pretty huge - enough to take a down jacket and bivvy bag, etc. for winter epics. I'll hardly ever need this section, as the top pocket is big enough. There is also an excessive amount of padding between this main compartment and the bladder sleeve. With a drinking bladder fitted you should need no padding at all, and if you don't agree with me, then simply slip it into an old camelbak neoprene sleeve and you're sorted. The padding just removes space and adds weight.
The bladder sleeve is external which is superb. I've never seen a rucsac where the bladder is so easy to remove, refill and replace. There are no holes to route the tubing through, except the elastic to retain it on the shoulder strap. Full marks! The back system is once again extra padding that I find unnecessary. And I really don't believe that any 'chimney' effect will prevent sweating. But at least the padding is soft, deep and covered in a nice mesh fabric.
The top pocket is the 'feature piece' of the sac - internal holders for an inner tube, mobile phone and mini-pump are sewn inside it, a lovely piece of detailing, and far preferable to external straps and mesh. A key clip, which appears on almost all Karrimor bags now, is a lifesaving extra. No more frantic searching for car keys - wondering whether they are truly lost or just hiding very well! A small zipped pocket for tiny items (glueless patch kits, loose change) would also be great - my old Race Sac had one and I really miss it. The high positioning of this gear pocket means that the contents sit high on your back, and therefore rest on your shoulders rather than pull down on the shoulder straps. Nice.
The external gizmos include a helmet holder; mesh pockets, a rain cover and an LED tab. It takes a worrying amount of force to get a helmet into the holder, but once in it most certainly is secure. Not really ideal for when you remove your helmet on short carries, but great for stowing the helmet during the evening or alpine-length carries. For short carries on hot days I clip my Roc Loc into the QR top strap, which is far easier. The mesh side pockets are great as ever. They seem strange attached to the helmet carrier and not the actual rucsac - but that makes them easier to reach. I'm gutted that the hip belt doesn't contain KIMM sac style zipped pockets. Why not? Please - it would be brilliant.
The rain cover is another cracking idea that non-UK products often omit. A lot easier than wrapping everything in a myriad plastic bags, although I have yet to test its actual waterproofing. Bright yellow with another LED tab fitted to it makes me wonder whether Karrimor have actually forgotten anything. Tea maker? GPS aerial? As well as the rain cover mounted LED tab, there's a second one on the rucsac proper, within a triangle of reflective tape, and next to a hook, which still remains a mystery (but might have something to do with the external bungee cord). A couple of elastic side loops also remain unexplained, but I might find a use for them one day while trying to stash tent poles.
As it stands, the best mountain biking rucsac I've seen (Karrimor rarely disappoint) with some incredibly innovative features. In my opinion a little too large, too fussy and overly padded. Interbreed it a little with a KIMM sac (ultra light, unpadded, zipped belt pockets) and I'd give it 100%. Current score 85%.
Last Updated 19-06-2001
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