8

August 2013 Platypus Media UKIRL

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

Media coverage for Platypus brand product in the UK and Ireland, August 2013.

Citation preview

8/6/13 Platypus Tokul XC 5 backpack £70 - The Bike List

www.thebikelist.co.uk/reviews/clothing-protection-bags/platypus-tokul-xc-5-backpack/ 1/3

bikes reviews news events

Platypus Tokul XC 5 backpack £70

Tested by Neil Watterson, tester for The Bike List

It's always difficult to know how big a pack totake on a ride. Too big and you're luggingaround a lot of empty space;; too little and you'venot enough room for your kit.

The Platypus Tokul XC 5 backpack is primarily ahydration pack with room for just a bit of kit. Witha two-­litre water bladder and three litres ofstorage space, it's ideal for a morning's ride, off-­road or on it.

The bladder is the two-­litre version of the one I tested in the Origin 9. Itfeatures Platypus' wide opening top, ideal for quick filling and even betterdesigned for cleaning, and comes with a detachable drinking hose.

The only downside is that you're forced to detach it each time you want tofeed it through, or remove it to wash it (so, before and after every ride,really). And though the release mechanism on the bladder stops water fromflowing out of the bladder, it doesn't stop it from leaking out from the tubewhen it is disconnected. So you end up spilling a bit of water when youdetach it. That aside, it works fine and stores enough fluid for a mornings'ride -­ or longer, if you have somewhere to refill.

The three litres of storage space is well thought out and designed for riders,rather than walkers, and includes zipped mesh pockets and a fabric sleeveon the inside to keep your pump in place. Unfortunately, the pump holderisn't quite wide enough to take the girth of my standard-­equipment inflator,a Topeak Mountain Morph, so it had to rattle around freely.

I say 'rattle around' but, in truth, it's quite snug in the pack and with a smallfirst aid kit, multi-­tool, spare tube, puncture repair kit, a couple of snackbars, phone and lightweight windproof, you're pretty much at your 3-­litrecapacity. But do you need to carry more on a half-­day ride anyway? I'dargue not.

Okay, the capacity may rule out rides where there's a huge temperature

8/6/13 Platypus Tokul XC 5 backpack £70 - The Bike List

www.thebikelist.co.uk/reviews/clothing-protection-bags/platypus-tokul-xc-5-backpack/ 2/3

fluctuation from start to finish -­ you'd have little space to store the warmerlayer -­ but if you're into early starts and late finishes, go for the slightlylarger capacity Tokul XC 8 with its 3-­litre bladder and 5-­litres storage.

The narrow design means it sits tightly on your back, almost within yourshoulder blades, so there's complete freedom of movement without feelinglike the pack is pushing on your back. There's a chest strap to keep thingstight and a waist strap, should you feel you need it. Although I used it, Ididn't feel that was essential on a pack of this size.

On the outside, there's fabric loops designed to allow you to attach yourhelmet to the bag, but I find that unless you adjust your helmet's straps tofit, it flops around a bit. It keeps everything together, but I'd rather leave myhelmet clipped over the handlebars while I'm stopped for cake.

There's also a loop for a clip-­on light and this will take most of the standardrear lights, though if your clip is any wider than 20mm (some of mine are),you won't be able to make use of this feature.

The PU-­coated nylon XC 5 is available red, yellow and blue (well, theyactually have more exotic names, but in essence that's what the coloursare) and the shoulder straps include mesh, so they don't trap sweat likesolid straps can do.

Overall, this will be just the job if you're after a backpack for half-­day rides,where you know the weather's not going to be too changeable. You won'tbe lulled into carrying too much kit and it doesn't move about much on yourback, so you'll end up riding faster. And that makes cycling more fun!

At a glance

verdict Ideal size for half-­day rides.

value

performance

Platypus says:

The Tokul XC 5.0 can handle everything from quick laps to ultralight, full-­day rides. There's justenough room for some extra layers, grub, immaculate tool organization and still a full two liters ofwater.

8/6/13 Platypus Tokul XC 5 backpack £70 - The Bike List

www.thebikelist.co.uk/reviews/clothing-protection-bags/platypus-tokul-xc-5-backpack/ 3/3

KEY FEATURES:

2.0L Big Zip™ SL reservoirThree liters of gear storageHydration pocket with reservoir suspensionVentilated shoulder straps and back panelTool pockets and pump sleeveHelmet/accessory lash pointsReflective detailingLight loop

CAPACITY:

GEAR 3L + HYDRATION 2L = TOTAL 5L

WEIGHT:

1 lb 2 oz / 510 g

MATERIALS: 210D PU-­Coated Diamond Ripstop Nylon, 210D PU-­Coated Oxford Nylon, YKK®Zippers

Pack made in China;; Reservoir made in USA

Supplier: Cascade Designs, 001 206 353 8814, cascadedesigns.com/en/platypus