Both me and my husband are avid cyclists (like many in San Diego thanks to our great weather and environment). We are biking way more than before with this whole Covid situation. we both have mountain bikes, beach cruisers and also road bikes, so basically half our garage is bikes. If you know Thule, you know none of their products are ever bad, they do an excellent job designing and manufacturing their products. This one is another one their great products. The most important feature of this back pack obviously is the vertical pouch inside that allows you to carry the extra battery for your e-bike. Most older models have smaller batteries and instead of paying arm and a leg to upgrade, you can just get this back pack and add more juice to your e-bike. Just keep in mind that the pouch is barely 15" deep and anything larger than that won't fit in there. It has a hook and a loop and some straps to really fit the battery in place and fix it so that it won't move around when riding. If you use a relatively large battery to fill the pouch, it should be very very stable, if you use something very small, I can see how it might wobble a little bit in there. Like all other backpacks, it has multiple storages pouches and compartments for snacks and spares and ... 18L is a lot of room so you'll be able to fit everything you need in there, very very high capacity. tools, hand pump, inflator, gauge, food, jackets ... can all go in there if properly placed. We usually use the outside pockets for food and snacks though, there are two pockets in front that have enough room for small snacks and there are two zipper pockets on the back of the rail that you can put cell phones, car keys or more valuable stuff. The hydration compartment (water reservoir) is 2.5L which is equal to 5 regular Costco water bottles. The hose is magnetically connected to the right shoulder strap and is pretty firm and holds well in place. There's a damage control system on the back that is supposed to absorb the impact on your back and make it slow and disperse. It works very well, very light and effective. However, I've heard from friends that if you get into a hard impact, you'd have replace it because its energy absorption system destroys with a big impact to save your back. luckily it hasn't happened to me yet but sure how it needs to be done if needed. It is very comfortable and very adjustable. it does fit and strap very well but remember, with the extra battery and water, you're probably looking at an extra 20lbs minimum so expect some weight on your back. We don't do serious mountain biking but I can see even on small falls, the weight on my back is noticeable. Let alone a jump, I can see if one jumps with this, the weight difference can cause some balance issues and you have to do it slowly to earn experience jumping with this on your back. Don't do a big jump first time you use this or it might throw your balance off. The price is obviously a little high but you're getting a name brand that is well known and is very reliable. Overall, a great product specially if you need to carry extra battery for your mountain e-bike. Very very comfortable and great design and nice features.
