Deuter Compact Air Backpack

German brand Deuter have been making backpacks for longer than just about anyone—over a century in fact, and they’ve learnt a thing or two in that time. Their new Compact 10 and Compact 8SL packs are designed to carry all your gear for rides ranging from a few hours up to all day epics, and they are jammed with enough features to, well, fill a back pack. They both weigh in at a little over 1,000g and retail for about $150 without a hydration bladder. Deuter bladders come in various sizes and are available separately for around $60. This makes them comparably priced to similar sized offerings from other premium brands, and the construction quality, from fabrics to zips to buckles and everything else, is better than just about anything else on the market. Over the last few months both packs have seen quite a lot of trail time, and there’s certainly a lot to like.

Cool Comfort

One of the first things you notice about the Compact packs is the Aircomfort back system, which suspends the pack away from your back with a mesh ‘trampoline’. This allows airflow between you and the pack, making you noticeably less sweaty than designs that sit directly against your back. The shoulder and hip straps are made from a rubberised mesh which also offers virtually unrestricted airflow in these areas. In warmer weather these features definitely enhance your riding comfort. The trampoline-style harness also stops a fully loaded pack from feeling like a big balloon pushing into the middle of your back, so take note if you regularly carry a lot of gear.

This latest rendition of the Aircomfort design features a simplified frame, making it lighter than earlier versions without compromising durability. The flip side of the extra ventilation is that this style of pack sits further away from your body, which makes it more prone to shifting around when you rapidly change body position. Both our testers noted that in technical situations the packs felt a little less stable than some other designs. Correct adjustment becomes crucial with the Compact Air and the hip belt is a vital part of the pack’s harness system; it needs to be worn quite low and tight so that it cradles your hip bones. We’ve said it before, but every design is a compromise; if you ride smooth or flowing trails in hot weather you’ll love the Aircomfort system, if you ride North Vancouver in the winter, not so much.

You may be wondering at this point why we’re reviewing two packs here; these are essentially the same bag, however the SL stands for ‘Slim Line’, which is Deuter’s version of a women’s (or small framed guy’s) harness. The main differences (apart from the slightly smaller capacity) are in the shoulder straps, with the SL straps being both shorter and more narrowly spaced due to women generally having narrow shoulders and a shorter torso than men of equivalent height. Fit is obviously a personal thing and we found the Compact 10’s straps sat too wide to be comfortable on our 182cm, sub-70kg male testers, whilst the SL’s straps were too short on the same rider. Somewhat burlier guys should be fine with the shape of the Compact 10, and those under about 175cm should be well suited to the SL version regardless of gender. The wide hip straps were comfortable and secure on a range of different body shapes, and the hip pockets are perfect for gels or other items you want to keep handy.

Fully Featured

In terms of features, it’s hard to think of anything else you could want in a riding pack. The Compact packs have two main internal compartments, and there are a multitude of both zipped and open pockets to stash your gear, including a pump sleeve and a hook to hang your keys from. Externally there are water bottle pockets on either side as well as the aforementioned hip belt pockets for small items. There’s a removable rain cover to help keep water out if you get caught in a shower, and a stowable helmet, kneepad or jacket holder that attaches to the outside of the pack. Both bags can be expanded by a few litres by unzipping an expansion gusset near the back panel (making them big enough for even the longest of days with extra gear), and there’s also two compression straps on either side to cinch the bag in towards your body when it’s not loaded to the hilt.

The externally accessible, separate bladder sleeve zips open and loads from the side rather than having to open the main compartment to use it. In one of the nicest touches, instead of having to thread the bladder’s hose through a tiny ‘tunnel’ to feed it through either shoulder strap, you can open the side of the straps with Velcro to make routing the hose an absolute breeze—brilliant! All of these pockets, zips, and velcro do come at a price though, as the Compact packs are at the heavy end of the spectrum for their size, and weigh 300-600g more than some similar packs—add some gear and a few litres of water and you won’t notice any difference.

There’s no doubt that Deuter’s Compact 8SL/10 are very well thought out and beautifully made; should you choose to get one it’ll undoubtedly be a trusted trail companion for many years to come. The harness design and fit won’t suit everyone, but particularly if you ride a lot in the heat you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t consider one for your next do-it-all riding pack.

Velo Vita 02) 9700 7977 / www.velovita.net.au