The Vaude Bike Alpin 30+5 is a sustainably made hydration backpack designed for multi-day trips in the mountains. It offers multiple compartments and a reinforced ventilated mesh back with a wire frame, aimed at ensuring comfort throughout long cycling adventures.
All this tech costs £145 / €170 and weighs 1,310g, making it one of the heavier and more expensive options on the market.
You can expand the backpack's volume by five litres by unzipping an extension, while external compression/cinch straps secure your items, preventing them from shifting during your ride.
Although only available in one size, Vaude’s 'Shifting Back Length' design enables you to adjust the torso length for a customised fit.
Adjustable shoulder, hip and chest straps should accommodate various body sizes.
The main compartment includes a bladder sleeve and a horizontal divider for organised storage.
The lower compartment, accessible from the bottom of the bag, is designed for a sleeping bag and there's a valuables pocket with a mesh organiser at the top-front of the backpack.
The spacious front compartment provides room for bike tools and a map, while large mesh pockets on the sides are intended for water bottles or protective gear.
A phone pocket on the lower-right of the bag and a pocket on the hip belt are designed to offer easy access to essential items while riding.
Additional features include a helmet carry, bike light attachment and a rain cover. The bladder compartment fits a three-litre bladder, although this must be brought separately – with Vaude offering a three-litre bladder for £37.95 / €44.
Vaude Bike Alpin 30+5 performance
The Vaude Bike Alpin 30+5 impressed me with its versatility on and off the bike, having used it for commuting, travel and many bike adventures.
Despite being larger than many rival hydration packs at 35 litres and designed for multi-day adventures, the bag performed well when used as a day backpack.
The divider in the main compartment enables you to organise items to keep weight distribution even when the bag is not full, and the straps do a great job of cinching down the bag to create a smaller footprint. It never felt overly cumbersome or baggy when using it as a day backpack.
The various pockets, designed for specific uses, kept items easy to find and negated the need to rummage through the contents to find what I needed.
It's clear careful thought has been made to cater for bikers specifically. One thing this backpack does miss, however, is a signal whistle.
The phone pocket on the lower right-hand side was a useful addition and was relatively easy to access when riding.
The hip belt pocket is large and can fit items such as a phone, but larger items affect comfort because they dig in when pedalling. This pocket is better suited for a small snack or emergency money.
The wire-structured frame allowed for excellent airflow and comfort on long days, and its structure helped maintain the bag's shape, enabling me to utilise its full capacity. I found this advantageous when packing for long trips.
The adjustable back length is a neat feature, but it can take a bit of time to get the fit sorted, with some trial and error to find a comfortable setting. However, once you do, it works a treat and enables the backpack to accommodate various body sizes.
The structured hip belt with padded wings hugged my hips and concentrated the weight there rather than at my shoulders, making long days in the saddle comfortable. The thin strap didn’t interfere with movement when pedalling or adopting a dynamic position on the bike.
The chest strap has a large amount of adjustability, including the ability to slide the position up and down to get the correct position for personal preference.
The padded mesh shoulder straps provide comfort and adjustability, and the sunglasses clip is a nice touch that I used often, keeping my glasses out of the way but easily accessible.
The backpack never interfered with movement when riding and I found it very secure, holding firmly in place with the various straps and harness design.
Hydration packs | How we tested
It's important on long rides that a backpack is comfortable and practical, no matter what terrain you're tackling.
We reviewed a selection of hydration backpacks with a larger capacity (20-35 litres) for big days on the mountain or long trail days when you need to take a bit more gear with you.
To test these hydration backpacks, we took them on all-day rides in a variety of locations, including the Tweed Valley in Scotland, England's Lake District and trails in South Wales, both fully packed and half-empty, to see how they fare with different loads.
Where possible, we packed the same equipment into each bag to give a true comparison.
Hydration packs on test
- Alpkit Presta 25 litre
- CamelBak H.A.W.G. Pro 20 Hydration Pack with 3L Reservoir
- Evoc FR Trail Blackline 20
- Osprey Escapist 30
- Scott Trail Lite Evo Fr' 22 Pack
- Vaude Bike Alpin 30+5
Vaude Bike Alpin 30+5 bottom line
Vaude has made a very comfortable backpack in the Bike Alpin 30+5, with plenty of adjustment to accommodate various body shapes and sizes.
The finer details stand out with well-considered features that cater extremely well to bikers.
Some may find the bag to be on the large side in capacity and may prefer to downsize. However, the Vaude would be a good choice for a multi-day adventurer or group leader looking for all-day comfort and a feature-packed hydration backpack.
Product
| Brand | vaude |
| Price | 170.00 EUR,145.00 GBP |
| Weight | 1310.0000, GRAM () - |
Features
| br_bagCapacity | 30.0000 |
| br_bagCapacity | LITER |
| br_bladderCapacity | 3.0000 |
| br_bladderCapacity | LITER |
| Features | Capacity: 30 + 5 Litres (by unzipping an extension) Bladder: Bladder not included |
