German brand Deuter are better known for their hiking packs but have added the Flyt bike-specific range to their line up.
Pete has been rocking the Deuter Flyt 20 over the summer months to see how the venerable German brand’s first foray into bike-specific packs stack up against the competition.
Key features:
- 20L capacity
- Full and half face helmet straps
- TÜV/GS-certified back protector
- Sternum and stabiliser straps
- Pull-forward hipfin
- Side pockets
- Rain cover
- Hydration system compatible
- £150.00 RRP
- DeuterGB.co.uk
The Deuter Flyt 20 sits at the upper end of the Flyt range by way of sizing, with the smallest being the Flyt 12. A cursory glance at the rest of Deuter’s extensive pack offering shows the Flyt to sit lower and closer to the back compared to its hiking and walking offerings, meaning it’s less likely to hop about on your back while riding.
Price-wise, the EVOC FR Trail Unlimited is a similar price for a similar spread of features. Osprey don’t offer a pack of this size while Camelbak’s HAWG 20L is more expensive but comes with a bladder. USWE’s Explorer 26 is larger and cheaper, but also doesn’t come with a bladder.
Fixtures are the classic hip and sternum straps, with the hip straps coming with handy pockets for multitools or a gel. Larger pockets for a tube sit behind these and have handy elasticated tops to keep whatever’s in there from flying out.
Any pack with a back protector is always a good thing in my eyes, and the Deuter’s offering doesn’t feel overly rigid and does a good job of moulding to your back. I found that the two prominent ridges on the AirStripes ventilation system need the straps to be pretty tight to prevent them from slipping, but once there, they rarely shift. Sweaty backs are also a thing of the past with the Flyt 20.
The Flyt 20 quickly became the pack I’d go to out of the plethora of options I have at my disposal. If I didn’t want to take my full camera bag, then the Flyt 20 would happily swallow a DSLR and three lenses, a pump tube, food, tools, spare layers and anything else I could think to need on a big day in the hills. At full capacity on my short back, the pack does sit fairly high, so when the going gets steep, I can feel the pack contacting the back of my helmet. That’s not unique to this pack though, I am just short.
A 210D PA, 100D PA High Tenacity construction does the job of seeing off mud and moisture, and hasn’t shown any sign of wear despite being in near constant use since it arrived. The zips feel solid and haven’t shown any complaints. Zips are the things I tend to kill on riding packs, and while not particularly chunky, the Deuter’s zips seem to be standing up to the abuse.
What do we think?
The Deuter Flyt 20 has made itself a permanent fixture on my back on pretty much any ride thanks to it being comfy to wear all day and by just doing the job it was designed to do without any complaints. It’s not cheap, but it’s stood up to plenty of ill-treatment in the hills and just asked for more. I suspect this one might be money well spent.
We love:
- Solid construction
- Well ventilated
- Plenty of options for storage
Could do better:
- Not an awful lot