Scott Airstrike Hydro Pro Backpack

While some of us have never been a Hydration pack/Backpack kind of people, we’ve carried a fair share commuting, during 100km events and generally during our mountainbiking adventures.

When we received the Scott Airstrike Hydro Pro Backpack, we gladly retired a previously well used muddy old backpack.

A suitable challenge was issued, a 500km week, this would be the base line for the test of the backpack.

The Airstrike comes with a two litre bladder which can be easily filled and turned inside out for cleaning thanks to the large opening.

With the bladder full of water the main compartment is just big enough to squeeze in a pump, light wet weather jacket and mini first aid kit. The main compartment also has a small zippered pocket for those small miscellaneous items.

Outside the main compartment there is a lined pocket for your glasses or phone and a compartment big enough for a multi tool, tyre levers, repair kit and spare tube. This low compartment has a loop for clipping on a back light, but the loop seemed to be to large and loose for any off road ventures for fear of loosing the light. The other thing this pack doesn't do well is some reflective strips or reflective piping.

The Airstrike has great mesh pockets located low on the side of the pack perfect for all our snacks on-the-go and the large mesh pocket on the back of the pack could be stuffed with any of our additional items.

Most of all we liked the pre-shaped back panel with its six mesh pads, these pads allowed for airflow between the body and the remainder of the pack. The pads sat comfortably and the pack seemed to sit evenly, even when fully packed (no hot blob on your back). The mesh pads were complemented by the mesh and lightly padded shoulder straps, again allowing for good airflow.

The Scott Airstrike Hydro Backpack easily sits in the small pack category but it retains the ability for all day epics with its neat storage capability. The pre-shaped back panel, light meshed padding, secure hip and chest straps sees this pack never squirm around during our more demanding rides. The convenience of having an extra two litres of water on the bike saw us attempt more remote areas than previous (when just using bottles) and ride the bike for longer without stopping.

After completing the 500km in a week challenge this neat "MTB black" Hydro Backpack is a welcome replacement and we look forward to getting out on more epic rides using the Airstrike.