You might have spotted the Syndicate boys rocking their USWE packs this year and the Santa Cruz downhillers certainly have given the Swedish brand a handy upward shove.
Pete’s taken delivery of one of their larger packs, the Patriot 15, designed for some serious days out in the mountains.
After parting ways with Leatt to develop their packs, have USWE got the balance right between storage and comfort? Only time will tell. Certainly the ‘No More Dancing Monkey’ harness-style strap should keep everything stationary when the going gets rough.
- £139.99 RRP.
- 12L cargo capacity.
- 3L shapeshift bladder.
- SAS-TEC back protector.
- 4-point ‘No More Dancing Monkey’ harness strap.
- Helmet/pad compartment.
- USWE Sports.
The Patriot 15 from USWE is definitely not a pack for a few hours in the woods. With a total of 15 litres of storage, 3 for water and 12 for Haribo, this should allow you to haul everything you need into the wilds. 
Three main compartments make up the Patriot. The largest being the one that holds the sizeable bladder, with its shapeshift technology, allows you to custom tune your fluid load-out. This compartment runs the full length of the pack for jackets, pumps etc. and has multiple elasticated mesh pockets for the smaller tools, tubes and anything that just needs jammed in.
In between the two pockets is another elasticated, zipless compartment for stowing half or full face helmets while you winch yourself up the climbs. Out front is a smaller pocket for anything not big enough to need to be swallowed by the main compartment. Here you find a waterproof pocket for any valuables, especially smartphones.
Buy the USWE Patriot 15 here.
A SAS-TEC back protector runs the full length of the pack as well, offering a soft, comfortable feeling until impacted, where the material hardens and stiffens before returning to its original shape. In between this and your back is an AeroGus ventilation mesh system that should do the job of keeping your back sweat-free.
