Sometimes taking a product out of its natural environment will emphasize its strengths as well as its shortcomings. @Brian Finch did a great job reviewing Kulkea’s clever Micro Pack doing what it was designed to do: pack in and out what you need for a day hiking trip. See his review HERE.
My use of the Micro Pack was a little different: I wanted to see how it would work on two wheels. No, this is not what Kulkea originally designed the Micro Pack for, but like I said, let's check the bag's character and how it performs in an application for which it was not intended. Let me get the one negative out of the way: there is no place to put a water bladder. While this was an initial concern, it wasn’t a huge drawback. My trusty steed was set up with a water bottle, so I have been running bottles on most of my rides; the Micro Pack actually holds two bottles in its lowest compartment, so on a longer ride, I can rotate the bottles out with minimal inconvenience and not have to worry about having enough water
As for overall design, fit, and function, I don’t think there is a person on this site who has used a Kulkea product that can question the company's commitment to quality. It is making arguably the best-built product on the market. Everything we have tested from Kulkea has shown consistently high quality, and this continues with the Micro Pack. A lot of thought went into the bag: pockets, zippers, and placement are top notch. The padded shoulder, chest, and waist straps are all where they should be; when you put on the loaded pack, it does not feel cumbersome at all; everything is nicely distributed.
Will this review plant the seed with Kulkea that it needs a mountain bike pack, or will it confirm what it already knows, and maybe keep that thought process rolling. Again, using it with a bike is not its intended application, but it does the job. Get the Micro Pack based on Brian’s review and realize that it can be used as a bike pack, that's just gravy on a piece of prime meat. (But whoever puts gravy on a prime steak has never had a great steak au poivre).
Plus, the chicks dig it. @Tricia @Luvbug
As for overall design, fit, and function, I don’t think there is a person on this site who has used a Kulkea product that can question the company's commitment to quality. It is making arguably the best-built product on the market. Everything we have tested from Kulkea has shown consistently high quality, and this continues with the Micro Pack. A lot of thought went into the bag: pockets, zippers, and placement are top notch. The padded shoulder, chest, and waist straps are all where they should be; when you put on the loaded pack, it does not feel cumbersome at all; everything is nicely distributed.
Will this review plant the seed with Kulkea that it needs a mountain bike pack, or will it confirm what it already knows, and maybe keep that thought process rolling. Again, using it with a bike is not its intended application, but it does the job. Get the Micro Pack based on Brian’s review and realize that it can be used as a bike pack, that's just gravy on a piece of prime meat. (But whoever puts gravy on a prime steak has never had a great steak au poivre).
- Who is it for? Minimalists who are looking for comfort in a bag and still want to take along the essentials.
- Who is it not for? Those who prefer a hydration bag might want to look elsewhere.