Most of the gear we’ve seen from Endura over the years has been all about keeping the wind and rain off while mountain biking in foul weather, or at the other extremes just cheating the wind on the road with their Movistar team partnership. But outside of a couple of helmets, we haven’t seen much from them that ventured out of the clothing sector. That looks set to change starting with two new great looking and feature-packed trail riding backpacks. The first, in their gravity-fueled MT500 collection, is the Enduro Backpack that can haul everything from pads to helmets and integrates a pretty unique Koroyd back protector. Then there is the lighter SingleTrack Backpack for more everyday trail adventures. Check out the details of both, pricing, and availability, plus a hint of where else we might see Endura growing in the coming year…
The 15l MT500 Enduro Backpack is stuffed with small details that add up to a useful trail pack. It includes a one-hand operable chest strap hook, an integrated helmet mounting strap system that works with both half shell and full face lids, knee pad hauling straps, and a waterproof panel across the pack’s base to keep spray off the pack and let you set it down in the muck without worrying about what’s inside.
The pack uses a 3D foam back covered in mesh that offers both support and plenty of through ventilation. It straps on with shaped, performatd foam shoulder straps and an adjustable stretch waist strap, with similar venting for a solid fit. The MT500 Enduro is of course also designed to carry a hydration bladder and can be bundled with one from Hydrapak. It also gets an external waterproof zippered pocket and a removable internal Tool Roll.
The MT500 Enduro pack is also the first mountain bike pack to offer spine protection with the included removable super light, thin, and breathable Koroyd EOP 1.0 protector. Endura’s gave us a little behind the scenes on how they came to incorporate the Koroyd protection in the Enduro pack. They had actually looked closely at all the different options for spine protectors, and Koroyd stood out for them. Its extreme light weight was a big plus for the big-day-out pack, and its honeycomb layout meant it totally outshines everything else in terms of breathability.
Then from a protection stand point, Koroyd meets the EU level 2 certification requirements (EN1621-2) at both high and low temperature extremes, which many of the other solutions don’t. Meeting with the folks at Koroyd, it became clear that they were a good development fit for Endura, with a enthusiasm and thirst for innovation that was unique in the market.
The pack comes in the signature yellow & black of the MT500 collection, and sells for £100/140€/$165 (or £120/170€ including a 3l Hydrapak bladder).
The 10l SingleTrack Backpack offers most of the same features of the MT500 Enduro pack, excluding the spine protector, in a smaller, lighter package. It also uses the same adaptable helmet carrier, mesh vented back and straps, waterproof pocket, tool roll, and hydration bladder compatibility.
With a third less hauling capacity it is meant to be packed a bit lighter for long days spent both climbing and descending. But with the intent for all day riding, it still keeps capacity to carry 3l of water.
At £60/80€/$100 (or again +£20/30€ with the Hydrapak bladder), the SingleTrack pack offers a bit more color with blue and green version on offer, in addition to a more subtle black. Both of the packs are available now through Endura directly or via individual retailers.
As to whether the backpacks are sign of a new direction for Endura, they were careful to choose their words to not give away too much. But they were adamant that growing their product range was a goal, and that their market was anything to enhance the rider experience. They were short on details, but did suggest that they had several new products beyond clothing that they were developing and planned to launch later in the year.
