Skip to main content

Dakine Drafter 12L hydration pack


The Drafter is a pack designed for riders who prefer long days getting lost in the woods to race day palpitations. There’s a fleeced outer phone pocket and one main hangar, which unzips fully to reveal pockets and pouches for tools and the like so you don’t end up groping around blindly to find the kit you need.

Twenty quid more gets you a 3l Hydrapak bladder. The rear panel has an Air Mesh system to raise the pack off your back slightly and allow air to circulate. This works well and doesn’t result in any extra movement on the trails. There’s also a permanent (and slightly meaty) helmet storage bay – great if you travel a lot with your bike, though some straps would do the job just as well (there are already some for carrying pads). It comes in some zany patterns too, if that’s your bag.

BLADDER? No
SPINE PROTECTION? No

Price 120$ (150$ with 3l bladder)
Labels

Popular posts from this blog

ENVE M50 29" Wheels

Utah based company ENVE have been making drool-worthy carbon components for some years now. Despite the fact that carbon rims are becoming more and more common on mountain bikes these days, you can guarantee that ENVE wheels will be a talking point when someone is eyeing off a steed. Instantly, the big bold logos on each rim scream "fast", "light" and to some extent, "expensive" The kids call this 'bling'.

READ MORE >>

KONA SHRED

With a reputation for no-nonsense ruggedness and a background in the always progressive and punishing riding of Canada, Kona have been building hardcore hardtails for longer than almost anyone else. The Shred is the most expensive bike on test but it’s a proper trail tank.

READ MORE >>

GT Zaskar Evolution

While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.

READ MORE >>

COMMENCAL EL CAMINO 3

Commencal are going from strength to strength at the moment and they’ve taken their tough trail hardtail bang up to date with 650b wheels. With its skinny rims, crankset and fork, the El Camino certainly isn’t perfect and it’s the least hardcore bike here. The handling, smoothness, speed and all-round agility of the basic bike still make it a real blast for technical trail riding though, and it’s a great base for upgrading over time.

READ MORE >>

CANYON SPECTRAL AL 9.0 EX

CANYON’S COLOUR-COORDINATED Spectral AL 9.0 looks like a bike that means business. With a wishlist of components, it’s hard not to question the fantastic price of this stunning new bike from Germany.

READ MORE >>