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review

Trakke Findo backpack

9
£195.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Superbly crafted and a genuine pleasure to use. Just as well, as it will probably last forever
Weight: 
902g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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There will always be a time and a place for high tech, low weight, go-faster rucksacks, but there's also an ever expanding niche for tough, beautifully made packs that will age elegantly and quite possibly outlive their owners. The Trakke Findo rucksack falls firmly in the latter camp, and only seems to look more lovely the more scuffs it incurs.

Yes, £195 is a lot of money for a relatively small rucksack, but we're not talking something mass-produced in a huge faceless factory in the Far East. The Findo is handmade, to order, in Scotland using components largely sourced – wherever possible, Trakke says – from the UK.

> Buy this online here

It's the quality of fabrics and components that really stands out as justification for the high price, though. Trakke's USP is a return to more traditional bag making techniques, to produce the sort of bag that scouts and adventurers of old would have used and loved for a lifetime.

Trakke Findo Backpack - side on

The fabric of the Findo is waxed cotton, the straps are nylon and leather with felted wool, the buckles stainless steel. The company's aim is to produce a bag where nothing can fail, a bag that will age gracefully over many many years, showing its adventures along the way.

Trakke Findo Backpack - strap detail

While the Findo is not a pack designed strictly with cycling in mind, being more of a general outdoor, walking or even city daypack, it is, quite simply, one of the best looking and comfortable packs I've ever used.

Trakke Findo Backpack - worn

At only 10 stated litres, it's small but surprisingly roomy. It took a 13in Macbook with ease, along with various bits and bobs at the same time. It would also take a pair of shoes and a change of shirt, or an emergency shop, for instance.

The waxed cotton fabric, inside and out, coupled with a rather nifty design which folds in the corners of the main body, mean that even in heavy rain the contents didn't get soggy, and the fabric and leather panels didn't suffer either. I had some concerns about the felted wool padding of the straps in the rain but they were well protected by the leather and were fine.

Trakke Findo Backpack - straps worn

The straps are comfortable even without the optional extra of a chest strap, and with this size of pack it's unlikely to be so heavy that this does not remain the case. I filled it to its maximum and incurred no problems with stability or comfort.

> Looking for the perfect Christmas present? Check out our ideas for the discerning cyclist here, and for women in particular here

Any adjustment of the polyester webbing portion of the straps also stays put without slipping, even when frequently removing and replacing the bag. The rather ingenious poppers that fasten the front of the bag manage to be both attractive and effective, with the little leather loop behind making them easier to operate, although they are still a tiny bit tricky single handed.

The zipped internal pocket is just the right size for a smartphone and wallet, and helps to reassure that everything will stay dry, while the side pouch pockets are, as claimed, big enough for a bottle of wine. Ah, the lengths we testers will go to... There's also a slimline pocket on the front of the main body of the bag.

It's not the lightest pack, but it's not designed to be. It's not the most technical pack, but it's designed to be just technical enough. It's obviously not the cheapest pack. What it is, is a genuinely beautifully made and well-designed pack, hand crafted in the UK, that will give years and years of service and, maybe more importantly, real pleasure in its use.

Verdict

Superbly crafted and a genuine pleasure to use. Just as well, as it will probably last forever

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Trakke Findo backpack

Size tested: Black, Volume 10 Litres

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Aimed at those looking for a traditionally style backpack that will last and last.

Trakke says: "Inspired by vintage backpacks for boy-scouts in the 1950's, the Findo backpack is the epitome of everyday adventure. With leather straps that form to your shoulders over time and side pockets that hold a bottle of wine, this weatherproof pack is built for work and play – whether you're citybound or exploring nature's playground."

A fair description of the pack and its character.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Waxed cotton outer

Dry finish waxed cotton lining

Stainless steel buckles and fastenings

Leather, polyester and felted wool straps

Leather areas

10 litres (will take a 13" Macbook)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Superbly well made from extremely high quality materials and components.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Comfortable, kept everything dry even in heavy rain, rugged and the straps stayed put after adjustment.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

No reason to think this pack couldn't outlive its owner.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
7/10

Not especially light but it's designed for robustness and longevity rather than to be lightweight.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

Very comfortable indeed, even when heavily laden.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Yes it's expensive but it is handmade to order in Scotland, using UK sourced materials and components wherever possible. It should also be a very long-term investment.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Extremely well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Style, quality, comfort, materials, hand crafted in UK.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing

Did you enjoy using the product? Very much.

Would you consider buying the product? Definitely

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Outstandingly high quality and very well designed. A backpack for lovers of tradition.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 1.65m  Weight: 73kg

I usually ride: Boardman Hybrid Fi  My best bike is: Specialized Ruby Elite

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, mountain biking

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling. 

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other. 

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting. 

Add new comment

6 comments

Avatar
Prosper0 | 8 years ago
1 like

Looks nice, but for £200 it would also need to make me coffee each morning.

Avatar
Lumen | 8 years ago
0 likes

I weight-weenied my commuting bag a while ago and ended up with the Deuter Speed Lite 20. It's perfect for me - fits a laptop and change of clothes, just. Claimed weight is 530g, dimensions are 48x26cm. Only downside is that it's a bit "strappy" - it's really not necessary to have loads of straps for cycling use.

The Speedlite 10 is claimed 350g but might be a struggle to fit a 13" laptop and clothes since the dimensions are 40x23cm (13" MBA is 32.5cm x 23cm).

Weight is really important to me - I get back pain with anything but the lightest of loads.

Avatar
Prosper0 replied to Lumen | 8 years ago
0 likes
Lumen wrote:

Weight is really important to me - I get back pain with anything but the lightest of loads.

 

So use a pannier like a proper commuter  3

Avatar
Lumen replied to Prosper0 | 8 years ago
0 likes
Prosper0 wrote:
Lumen wrote:

Weight is really important to me - I get back pain with anything but the lightest of loads.

So use a pannier like a proper commuter  3

I tried that for a while but it made the handling boring. What's the point in having a fun bike and then wrecking the handling by attaching weights to the back?

Avatar
Jez Ash | 8 years ago
1 like

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say it probably doesn't actually weigh 92 grams.

Avatar
Tass Whitby replied to Jez Ash | 8 years ago
0 likes

Jez Ash wrote:

I'm going to stick my neck out here and say it probably doesn't actually weigh 92 grams.

 

Oops. Missed out a zero there... 902g

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