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Kriega US10 Tailpack

I can’t remember when I first heard about Kriega, they seem to have been in the back of my mind for what seems like forever. All my pre-purchase conceptions had them down as high end, with a high price point too. There is no doubt that they use the latest, greatest materials, but sometimes using the best materials does not equal producing the ‘best kit’, so I had consigned them to the ‘all the gear & no idea’ philosophy. I am sure like minded GS Adventure riders (no offence intended) round the world have bought Kriega kit time immemorial, and love it! I am not an adventure rider/off roader/green laner, I prefer sport tourers as a rule. Now maybe I have just not come into contact with Kriega or people who use their kit?...maybe I have been swimming in the wrong pond?  Manufacturer blurb describes as follow

• 10 Litre Tailpack
• Includes Attachment Straps
• Ultra Tough Construction
• Dry Pack - Fully Waterproof Construction
• Non Slip Mesh Base With Pocket
• Quick/Easy Attachment To Bike Or Rucksack
• Maximum Versatility
• Dimensions - (H) 330mm x (W) 220mm x (D) 125mm

The US10 tailpack from Kriega is perfect for anyone looking for a compact and discreet tailpack, it's 10Ltr capacity is ideal for those awkward items such as disc locks, phones, wallet, waterproofs etc. It's ultra tough, fully waterproof construction is guaranteed to keep your kit safe from anything the elements can throw at it! The US10 is also compatible with the Kriega 'Tank bag adaptor' and Hydro 3, R15, R20, R25 and R35, increasing your rucksacks capacity and offering maximum versatility and value for money!

I bought a US10 Tailpack 2 years ago from a trader at the Ally Pally Motorbike show, and have used it ever since. A misconception that I held was that I believed Kriega to be a German manufacturer, but after doing some hunting round, turns out this is a British outfit, which is great!. It should also be noted that they offer a 10 year warranty on all their kit...and as they claim this Tailpack is fully waterproof, then that is peace of mind...they’d have to be confident of their product to offer such a long warranty!

Construction

The pack itself is a simple design, but very effective. It has an outer black ‘soft leather’ like material, but inside the material is white and obviously synthetic. You can see at the main pocket opening the two materials welded together. The pack is attached to the bike using 2 straps which use heavy duty release buckles and clips. The straps lay underneath the pillion seat and once clipped to the pack, you can tighten them down with ladderlocks, much like compression straps on a sleeping bag. This system of attaching the pack is simple and very effective, once the straps are in place it’s a 10 second job to attach and secure, or remove. The main compartment is the fully lined waterproof section, there is a smaller zipped compartment on top, which is guarded by a waterproof zip, but isn’t lined, so whilst it hasn’t leaked for me, I am not certain whether under extreme conditions it might...so best keep electrical stuff (phone/Camera) in the main pocket. The underside of the pack has a rubber mesh fitted which stops the pack sliding about on the seat, and combined with the strapping, and soft body, makes a good, safe, stable pack. The rubber mesh doubles up as a pocket, so when you unclip the pack it’s easy to put stuff in there (the mesh is open at one end). Finally in the closure of the main pack...from open, you have to roll over the lid onto itself a couple of times, and then there two tags with buckle release clips, which clip into the main body. Once closed there is another buckle that clips over from front to back (hope I explained that clearly enough), to stop the opening from unrolling even if the side buckles where not secure. It’s not as fiddly as it sounds, and all easy enough to do, even with a gloved hand. All straps/clips etc are very high quality and after loads of use show no signs of fraying...in fact they all look good as new! Impressed

Features

As far as features are concerned, much in the way of pockets has been explained above, but there is so much more to this little pack than you might think. Kriega have really gone all in to make this as versatile as possible. Kriega’s official bumf describes this as either a Tailpack or an add on-pack. You can buy what is called a ‘’Tank Bag Adaptor’, which straps onto your tank, and from there you can attach the US 10 and use as a tank bag, whilst I have not used it as such, seems a mighty fine idea, as long as you won’t miss the absence of a clear window pocket. Kriega also make a bigger brother to the US10, called the US20 courier pack (very similar design ethos to the US10, but 20ltr as opposed to 10), and it is possible to attach the US10 to the top of the US20, using the Buckle release clips, giving additional almost ‘modular style’ expansion for when you need to carry a bigger load (you can in fact attach 2 x US20’s together in you need to). If that wasn’t enough you can also attach it as an expansion pack to Kriega’s range of Rucksacks R15, R20, R25 & R35 (where the number denotes the size in litres), and finally it also attaches to Kriega’s Hydro 3 pack, which is primarily a hydration pack (like mountain bikers use), which can carry a bit extra if required...of use to off road riders more than people like me, with a road riding bias. That’s a long long list of uses, so if you purchase one of these, there is a lot of added value, but don’t let it distract you from the point of this review, it’s an ideal day pack...small, light and secure, plenty of room for waterproof over suit, spare gloves, and gizmo’s

Sizing

When writing about clothing, I always try to make mention to sizing, but I think its pertinent here too. Take good note of the dimensions of the pack under the manufacturers blurb, and measure your pillion seat (before you buy) to make sure it’s not too long. I should imagine it’s not a problem on most tourers or sports tourers, but it may be the wrong size/shape for some of these little naked street fighters that have almost no pillion seats at all. Also if you buy this with a view of maybe upgrading to the US20...make sure the US20 fits as well, before you start building your own modular empire!!