The EVOC FR Trail Women Rucksack is designed to be the perfect bag for carrying your essentials when out mountain biking on the trails. It also provides extra back protection in case of crashes with a removable Liteshield back protector pad.

The women’s version of the popular FR Trail has a few features designed to fit women better. This includes a different cut to the shoulder straps to fit around the chest region more comfortably.

The EVOC FR Trail rucksack has more features than you can shake a stick out. It feels like EVOC have spent ages listing everything you’d like a trail rucksack to do, then set out to realise it.

This includes straps for carrying your kneepads and elbow pads, straps for carrying a full face or trail helmet (perfect if you’re racing enduro), a map pocket, reflective details, a key clip, and even a built in whistle for attracting attention if you get into difficulties on the mountain.

Some features are worth talking about a bit more. I loved the integrated waterproof cover, which packs into a small zipped pocket under the bag. At the first hint of rain, it’s super quick and easy to whip it out and pop it over the bag. It’s effective in keeping the contents dry and I’d say an essential feature for riding in the UK.

The FR Trail also had a great pocket system so you can literally have a place for everything in its place. Lay it flat on the ground and unzip it, and it opens like a book to reveal mesh and zip compartments within. There’s a place for tools, for spare inner tubes, a soft-lined pocket at the top for glasses – the works!

There is one main large compartment, a two smaller front compartments, and two side compartments with are perfect for stashing phones, camera and trail snacks for easy access.

A separate compartment has a pouch for putting a water bladder, with a port to allow the hose through. I like that this keeps the water bladder separate from the contents of your bag, but it is quite hard to get the bladder in without unpacking the bag first. You can purchase the bag with or without the water bladder – it’s worth noting when purchasing as it doesn’t always come with one as standard. I’d really like to see one included at this price.

The Liteshield back protector plate is also located here, and it’s removable if you don’t want to use it all the time. Made of flexible D30 material, which stiffens on impact, this means the rucksack doubles up as a back protector as you ride. You can also wear it as just a back protector, without the rest of the bag, by zipping it off completely.

On the back, it sits well in place, but I found it did move around a little when I was riding, particularly if it’s very full. However, I found ensuring the the shoulder and chest straps were secure and tight minimised this.

It’s made of a robust and durable material, that has withstood a number of rocky crashes. The colours the bag comes in are great, but it does pick up stains and marks over time. It’s worth putting on the waterproof cover in muddy conditions to protect it.

This bag is also available in two sizes to suit different back lengths. Small is for back lengths of 38cm to 43cm, measured hip to shoulder. The Medium/Large is for lengths of 44cm to 50cm.

Another great feature of this bag is the wide waist strap. This is padded, fastens with velcro and has an additional strap and click buckle fastening. I found this very comfortable; it didn’t dig in, distributed the weight of the bag around my waist, and helped keep the bag in place.

The Medium/Large version has a 20 litre capacity, and the Small has an 18 litre capacity. I found this plenty enough room to pack a load of stuff in. Waterproof, spare base layer, inner tubes, tools, pump, packed lunch, trail snacks and a camera went in, and I could have fitted more except it was starting to get a bit heavy at that point!

VERDICT

The EVOC FR Trail Women’s Rucksack is a feature-packed bag for trail and all-mountain adventures. Plenty of capacity combined with organisers and pockets make finding the right tool at the right time quick and easy. The added back protector provides peace of mind and is a great addition for all mountain riding and long days on technical trails.

PROS

– Ample capacity and plenty of pockets
– Integrated Liteshield Back Protector
– Waterproof cover included

CONS

– The bag can move a little on the shoulders
– Doesn’t include a hydration bladder at this price

Price: RRP £129.95
Size: Small, Medium/Large
More info: EVOC Sports

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