Kriega R35 Backpack – Review

Alan Dowds

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1st December 2017

Hands up those who own a Kriega rucksack/ backpack, and don’t absolutely love it? At a guess I’d say pretty few to none at all would be raising their pinkies skywards, because Kreiga’s product is top drawer!

I’ve used this £169 R35 variant for three years now, easily marking over 30,000 miles in all conditions in a dozen different countries. In fact, barely a day goes by that I don’t use it in some fashion, even when I’m not on a bike. And prior to that, the rucky I had been using was, you guessed it, a different Kriega!

To BUY NOW head right here Kriega R35

There are many other rucksacks out there on the market, of course, made by many different manufacturers, and several are very good indeed – but the fact remains none of them, no matter how good they may be, can live up to a decent Kriega.

First and foremost is the way that none of the competition seem to be as comfortable or take the weight off your shoulders and back as the Kriega does (via the excellent Quadlock harness).

I’ve often repeatedly banged on about how if you’re a sportsbike rider and like to go away touring, if it’s not worth fitting in a rucksack and a small tail pack (like several Kriega offerings such as the Kriega Dry Bag), it’s not worth taking! Socks, t-shirts and pants are as cheap abroad as they are in the UK, after all…

With 35-litres main capacity, and several pockets and cubby holes the R35 fits the bill perfectly. Better yet, they barely seem to wear and I worked out that in 2016 there were probably only around 40 days that I didn’t use it at all. I even cleaned it the other day and it came out like brand new! It doesn’t restrict your movements too much either, even when it’s full and ‘resting’ on the tail unit, you can lark about, go for knee down action, the lot, so well is it secured to your person.

My only issue, is that you need to get the extra water-proof bag to make sure things don’t get soaked if you’re caught in a downpour, or use plastic bags of course! But this is literally all I have to throw at it in a negative sense, because everything else is so spot on, it’d take something rather special for me to stop using it.