Endura MT500 Enduro backpack review

Comfortable trail storage without the backplate

Our rating

3

100.00

The Endura MT500 Enduro backpack

Jacob Gibbins

Alex Evans

Published: October 24, 2016 at 9:00 am

Our review

Stores all of your trail kit in comfort, but only after removing one of its selling points — the backplate

Pros:

Plenty of spaces to stash trail snacks

Cons:

Not that comfy with the Koroyd backplate in place

With its vibrant yellow colour and reflective section around the front zip, you can’t miss the MT500 pack.

It’s laden with features, including a ‘Koroyd’ (plastic honeycomb) backplate, ventilated mesh back panel, padded shoulder straps and stowage for your pads and helmet.

A separate tool pocket, waterproof pocket and hip pockets mean there are plenty of places to store tools, phone and snacks. The splashproof base will keep your sarnies protected from mud and trail splatter through winter too.

The back panel is ventilated but you might want to remove the Koroyd backplate Courtesy Endura

After initial testing with the backplate fitted we opted to remove it for comfort. This gives a slightly softer fit, with the bag able to hug the contours of your back rather than just sitting flat against it.

The hydration pocket is big enough for a full 3l bladder (you can buy a Hydrapak reservoir with the bag for £20 extra) but this does eat into the bag’s 15l capacity. It’s still big enough to carry everything you need for a day-long epic though, and it’s comfy enough too.

The combination of chest and waist straps secures the pack well when the trail gets rough, but it’s a shame that there are only three anchor points for the chest strap on the left-hand side, especially when it’s fully adjustable on the right-hand side.

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Senior technical editor

Alex Evans is BikeRadar and MBUK’s senior mountain bike technical editor, as well as a regular on our podcast and YouTube channels. Working for BikeRadar and MBUK for nearly 10 years, Alex has been living and breathing mountain bikes since he was nine years old. Competing in his first downhill race aged 11, he went on to race in DH world cups and other international events across Europe – and even represented Great Britain at the downhill European Championships. Before moving back to the UK when he landed a job as MBUK’s features editor, Alex lived in the French Alpine mountain biking hotspot of Morzine for eight years. There, he clocked up an enormous amount of riding – and broke more bikes than he cares to remember. Alex now calls Scotland’s famously gnarly and gruelling trails of the Tweed Valley home, which is where he tests kit and bikes. While once a gravity racer, Alex now rides to the tops of his descents and feels most at home on an enduro bike or eMTB. He’s no stranger to flat-out efforts, however, and isn’t shy about donning Lycra to ride cross-country, or even competing in the occasional road hill climb event. Although he’s retired from official competition, he loves a challenge, especially when it comes to trying to top his local Strava leaderboards – just for fun, of course.

Height: 178cm
Bike size: Large/480mm reach