Florian, what has been the biggest innova-tion for backpacks in recent years?You can see that immediately on the shelves of the backpack department: On your left are the models for men, and on the right – finally (!) – backpacks for wom-en. The industry took a surprisingly long time to react to the different body structure of men and women. Even the forerunner Deuter didn’t start selling women’s back-packs – labelled with the SL in the name – until 2006. And yet, if you just consider the hip strap (or side wings), it is obvious

that women need a different model. Other-wise this load-bearing strap will not cling perfectly to the pelvis but stand off above or below the hips.

Why is it bad if the hip strap sticks out a bit?The hip strap is very important as it bears most of the weight. Thus it has to sit per-fectly. Men, whose waist and hips are usually pretty much similar in circumference, pull the strap close into the body from the side. A woman’s pelvis is usually wider so the hip strap needs to sit on top of the pelvis

Florian’s goal: match customer and backpack perfectly.

Florian Wolf (32) has been working in the backpack department since Globetrotter Mu-nich’s opening in 2011. Born in the Odenwald, he did his master’s degree and many trekking tours in Australia. He owns eight backpacks. One of them is the Deuter Allrounder ACT Trail 32 which he used last summer to hike though Wales for three weeks.

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bone. Thus the hip belt is shaped differ-ently on women’s models and is padded softer too.

What else is different about backpacks for women?The back section is shorter and slimmer. Even when a man and a woman are the same height, a woman’s legs are usually longer than the back. And the harness is also short-er and slimmer because it needs to fit in be-tween the breast and armpit. There is usu-ally not as much space as with men.

Backpack 2.0

Equipment advice 71Equipment advice70

The backpack, your best travel companion and carrier. But has it remained unchanged in recent years? Globetrotter’s Florian Wolf

gives us all the latest info on carrying systems, materials, ventilation and design etc..

Interview: Cindy Ruch Photos: Moritz Schäfer, Lars Schneider

Do all manufacturers take account of the anatomical differences between men and women?Besides Deuter, premium manufactures like Gregory and Osprey also do an excellent job addressing this. Others tend to focus too heavily on the “little difference” by offering shorter back sizes but do not adjusting the shoulder straps or the hip straps that much to suit anatomy; often, such “women’s backpacks” also fit men too.

And the other way around? Can I, a woman, also wear men’s backpacks?It is most important that the backpack fits perfectly. A woman with a longer back can of course have a look at the rucksacks on the neighbouring shelf. The same applies for men with a shorter back. Whether the men will leave the Deuter flower on the backpack is another question (laughs).

Is Deuter in Germany still the defining brand or do other manufacturers now also play in the same league?Deuter is still the best-selling backpack

brand in Germany for a good reason: The Swabians offer well-thought-out and per-fectly manufactured backpacks to fair prices. However, the US company Osprey has gained some ground in the last two to three years. We do not have to explain the brand to our customers any more. It is still a bit different with Gregory, an excellent manufacturer based in California, but rath-er unknown to outsiders.

Whether German or American, all manu-facturers aim to deliver a perfect fit. Is there such a thing?Every manufacturer tries to create a com-fortable back zone but there is no sure strategy which fits every back. It is similar with shoes: One person slips into a shoe and it fits perfectly but to somebody else it hurts immediately. It’s just the same with the back panel of a rucksack.

How has the back panel changed over re-cent years?There are now more possibilities to adjust it to ones individual back length. Over

time, two systems have become estab-lished: the American and the European. Most American manufacturers build back-packs with little or almost no possibilities to adjust the back length. Instead they of-fer three different sizes such as S, M and L. Also, they take backpack ergonomics one step further: The lower part of the backpack is curved and thus arches in to the lower back. If it fits, then it really does fit.

And how does the European system of ad-justing the length work?European manufactures like Deuter or Vaude offer stepless adjustment of the back length for their bigger backpacks of around 35 litres up. This is achieved by moving the fixing point for the shoulder straps up or down. It is usually a quick job with fixing elements like Velcro, clamp buckles or other easy fasteners.

Can you also adjust side wings of the hip strap to body dimensions too?I can unclip the side wings on Gregory’s

trekking backpacks like the Baltoro 75 by way of buttons, order another size and fix them on. Osprey uses a custom molding foam for their wings which adjust to your hip shape with your body warmth. Another difference is more important though: Small and medium-large backpacks usu-ally have fixed side-wings. Many trekking backpacks, however, have pivoting side-wings which swing with your hips so the backpack adjusts better to your body movement.

So, if there are advantages of a movable hip strap – why do most of the touring backpacks with 30 or 40 litres of volume feature a fixed hip strap?In the end, it is also a question of price and weight. For most customers, the price limit for a touring backpack is 150 euros. A piv-oted hip strap is costlier. Also, it weights more than a fixed hip strap. Touring packs are usually chosen by walkers considering a pilgrimage trail like the Camino de San-tiago, they consider each extra gram care-fully. There is a different picture in the trekking scene: If you will be carrying 20 kilos around with you anyway, a few grams more on a movable hip strap will not do too much harm.

Are lightweight backpacks a general trend?It is right that small backpacks tend to be more in fashion nowadays. But some light-weight touring backpacks have come on the market too in recent years. They only have thin and soft hip belts. The cushioning is only a minimum, and they usually cling close to the back. For a while, we had Go Lite on our shelves: a 40 litre backpack weighing a super-light 800 grams – actual-ly just a bag with two handles. It did not work out quite well though: People were ex-cited when they saw how light it was in our catalogue, but then they noticed that a feather-weight system is not so comfortable – and that a bit of cushioning, a rain cover and a top lid would actually be nicer…

Do you have a compromise of light but comfortable?The 1,2 kilo Haglöfs Krios 40 is comforta-ble to carry when you do not put more than eight kilos in it. More weight would not be comfortable with the rather slim side wings. It also looks good in frog-green (laughs). >

This side-wing moves with the motion of the pelvis.

Flower on the rock: A women’s backpack from Deuter.

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Equipment advice72

There is often more than the “small difference” between women’s and men’s models.

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Der Eta Spider steht für das, was Kocherpionier Primus seit 1892 auszeichnet: Das vielseitigste Modell der Eta-Serie ist sparsamer als andere Kocher seiner Klasse*, besticht durch die Konzentration auf das Wesentliche und ist der Kocher, den unsere Ingenieure deshalb am liebsten mit auf Tour nehmen. Der 1-Liter- Topf ist groß genug, um für zwei hungrige Trekker darin zu kochen, aber so klein und leicht, dass er in jeden Rucksack passt. Optional bieten wir ein Multifuel Kit an, das den Eta Spider zum vielseitigen Mehrstoffkocher macht – für alle Globetrotter und jede Jahreszeit.

Kocher- Technik auf der

Überholspur

*230 Gramm Flüssiggas reichen aus, um ca. zwei Stunden durchgehend zu kochen – abhängig von der Meereshöhe, den Wetterbedingungen und der Temperatur des zum Kochen benutzten Wassers. Das heißt: Wer jeden Tag Mittag- und Abendessen sowie zweimal am Tag Kaffee oder Tee für zwei Personen zubereitet, kommt damit ungefähr sechs Tage lang aus. Das ist doppelt so lange wie mit einem herkömmlichen Gaskocher.

Mehr Informationen zur Primus Eta Technologie gibt es unter www.primus.se/eta

nkel.se

Is design a big issue?Backpacks are more colourful these days. When we opened Globetrotter Munich three years ago, the backpack shelves were black and dark-blue. Nowadays they look like paintboxes. Many customers are excit-ed about the colours but in the end, they often take a black model – because it matches their rain jacket better. Colours also have a safety impact: Colourful back-packs, also a bright green, are more visible and for longer when it gets dark. The sup-posed signal colour red however, gets swal-lowed up surprisingly quickly by oncoming dusk.

What if I do not really like the colourful and a bit glossy backpacks – are there any al-ternatives?Fjällräven has found a niche with its vin-tage look. The backpacks from the Swedes grab attention due to their unconventional shape: The Fjällräven Helags is the oppo-site of the modern slim backpack. It is olive green, has two big outside pockets and re-sembles an old wayfaring man’s backpack.

Are backpacks better ventilated nowadays?Deuter has been offering a back-ventilated system for 30 years, which is basically a gap between the net-like back part and the rucksack, so air can circulate. What is new from Tatonka is a “netback without the net”: The system is like a frame close to the back but with openings for air in the middle of the back. Furthermore, the foams in the back cushion and the shoul-der straps are less dense and more airier, so they can soak up the sweat better and expel it to the outside by the pumping ef-fect of body movement.

What has changed in general with the ma-terial?Tear-resistant ripstop nylon has estab-lished itself as the material of choice. Fjällräven dances out of line here too though: The Kajka 75 and other models are made of a type of synthetic nylon with synthetic resin: The so-called Vinylon F material swells up when it gets wet which “closes” the material making it water re-sistant. Fjällräven also offers a different material in their back-panel compared to the usual aluminium frame: The Swedes use Finnish birch – not only because it is also an environmentally friendly material.

Why are there still no waterproof back-packs?Ortlieb and Arc’teryx make them. However, they are much more expensive than usual touring backpacks. They also have disad-vantages though: When you are travelling in Southeast Asia, your clothes get wet quickly because of the humidity, and they might then go mouldy quicker in a water-proof backpack. Rain covers and water-proof bags inside the rucksack are more practical.

It has to be light, look good and fit well – what other requirements does a backpack have to fulfil these days?Everybody likes a backpack with an all-ac-cess front zip! Touring backpacks are also used for backpacking and it is more com-

A beautiful rear can also endear. That’s why so many colours come to play.

Fjällräven also goes its own ways with backpacks. Colourful range at Globetrotter Munich.

Pretty green: Haglöfs Krios 40.

IDENTITY – LEDER MIT HERKUNFTSNACHWEIS

www.identity-leder.de

ORIGINAL

Bei den Modellen der Serie Identity gibt Meindl einen detaillierten Herkunfts-nachweis auf das verwendete Oberleder. Damit gibt Meindl eine lückenlose Transparenz – angefangen auf der Almwiese, über die Gerberei, die das Leder in Deutschland nachweis-lich umweltschonend gerbt, bis hin zur Produktion der Schuhe. Schon beim Gerben wird das Leder mit einer Identifikationsnummer versehen. Jede Lederhaut wird dabei gesondert von Hand geprägt. Diese Identifikationsnummer, auch Identity-Nummer genannt, ist später auch im Schuh verewigt und zwar im Innenteil der Manschette. Damit können die Kunden die Vita ihres Schuhoberleders auf der Seite www. identity-leder.de nachverfolgen.

Tessin IdentityTessin Lady Identity

mei_Anz_TessinIdent_4Season_200x86_JAN14.indd 1 23.01.14 12:00

fortable to open a backpack at the front, so you do not have to rummage around forever for your toothbrush. The Bach Shield is a bestseller at the moment: a 38-litre back-pack with a big compartment but also fea-turing the so desirable front access. Also, it has very tough zippers that run very smoothly, and its outside material is an ex-tremely sturdy Cordura nylon. Bach is a

Swiss-Irish manufacturer which does not even try to make it into the light-weight area. However, it leaves out any gimmicks and is thus quite light at 1750 grams. The Deuter ACT Lite 35+10 which is compara-ble in size is only 200 grams lighter. Also trendy at the moment are trolleys you can convert into backpacks like the Osprey So-journ 80: More and more around-the-world

travellers use them. You can easily roll them on the tarmac but also carry them on your back in rough terrain.

Is the trend towards more specialised backpacks or the all-in-one?In recent years, a lot of specialisation has occurred, there is basically a specially designed backpack for pretty much >

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Equipment advice74 75

every type of sport and activity. One of the specialised ones is the climbing backpack Vaude Bulin 40 with a rope holder underneath the lid and a sturdy, water-resistant material. Another good example is the ski backpack Osprey Kode 32. You can strap on your skis to the front and you have access to your equipment from the back. And the ski goggles have an extra, padded pocket so they do not get scratched.

Fair enough that the trend is to have three or four backpacks. But it would be nicer on my wallet to have one model I can take for several activities…(laughs) No worries, there are also really good all-rounders like the ACT Trail 32 from Deuter. It has nice big front access, stable side-wings, a slim cut, rain cover and a pocket at the front for your helmet.

So I can also use this backpack for moun-tain biking?Okay, and now we are back to a type of sport which sets limits for all-rounders. If you take the ACT Trail 32 for mountain bik-ing, the top lid might push against your helmet from behind. For biking, there are special bicycle backpacks like the Deuter Trans Alpine. It is a classic which now comes in a pro version: with improved back cushions and more airy shoulder straps, but also with a more stable hip strap. I would even recommend this one for bike and hike. For whoever likes a tidy bicycle workshop, it also has compartments for a pump, spare tire and mini tool.

A classic in new clothes – what happened with the good old Lowe Alpine Cerro Torre?They changed the back panel and sudden-ly, people did not get on with it any more.

In March this year, Lowe Alpine will, how-ever, release a newly developed version of the classic: a Cerro Torre with the new back panel Axiom. You will be able to change the length (infinitive adjustment) even while you are carrying it on your back.

And surely it must also have a hydration sleeve. Are they catching on?Hydration systems sell very well. The ad-vantages are tempting: The hydration blad-der is close to the back and thus perfect for the weight balance. Thanks to the ready-to-take tube, you drink more and more of-ten than you would if you had to take off your backpack each time. The disadvan-tage is you have to clean hydration systems often and always let them dry out.

What if I like to stay on the good old bottle?There are also improvements. Gregory de-signed a bottle compartment which lies skewed on the side so you can take the bot-tle out without putting your shoulder out of joint. Anyway, I like backpacks these days which offer clever detailed solutions like the top lid by Osprey which you can take off and use as a hip bag. Such innovations do not cost much to manufacture but make everyday use of a backpack much easier and nicer.

For some, an airy back panel can be a great bonus.

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An almost-allrounder: Deuter ACT Trail 32.

Backpack innovations with explanations and advise on film: 4-Seasons.tv/rucksack-20.

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Backpacks today have clever detailed solutions making everday use much easier.

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