Dan Atherton bike check

As part of mountain biking’s fastest family, Dan Atherton is guaranteed to always have a nice bit of kit under him when he rides. Dan started racing downhill and segued…

Camelbak has just announced its latest hydration product, the Palos 4LR. This time your hydration bladder won’t be stored away in a backpack, but on a bum-bag mounted round your waist.…

The result is a pack where the weight is low down and held right against your body, meaning there is very little movement once it is in place. >>> Click…

Evoc has been producing reliable and well-made packs for years. The excellent strap system just clamps on and doesn’t slide around once cinched down. As a result these packs are…

The Fox was the only other pack instantly flagged up by the testers as being as stable as the Camelbak Volt over steep and technical ground. Although it doesn’t have…

The Osprey’s semi-rigid reservoir made for easy handling, and the zip around the reservoir compartment and down the shoulder guide makes it the simplest to remove and refill. A strong…

Platypus has been selling soft bottles and reservoirs to the outdoor market for years, so it was a bit of a surprise when we found the reservoir to be one…

We quickly learned to pack the Scott carefully, as the curved back panel wasn’t quite as stiff as we’d like and popped out of shape easily when put under pressure…

For some reason Madison is not importing the 15L Unzen into the UK, so at present the Unzen 10 is the go-to pack from the big S. >>> Click here…

Good for those of you with a sweaty back, but the reservoir needs more thought

Wingnut packs are made from a waterproof sailcloth, with no back stiffening, but they are superb quality and very lightweight. We like the low centre of gravity allowed by the…

Dakine was one of the first to utilise full-length zips, allowing the pack to completely open up like a clamshell. Intelligently-positioned mesh, zip and elasticated pockets within also hold everything…

As a very expensive trail pack, with an impressive design pedigree, we had high hopes for the Mavic Crossmax Hydropack 15. The large hip belt and wide padded shoulder straps were…