PNW Components Rover Hip Pack is good-looking and represents good value. It appears to have all the bases covered as far as the best MTB hip packs are concerned but there are some odd design quirks that might not work for you.
- 76 Projects Micro Piggy Stick On Review
- The best multitools for mountain and gravel bikes
- Team ORCC: EP 06. - National XC, Summer CX and FOD Thursdays
PNW Components Rover Hip Pack - Technical details
The PNW Components Rover Hip Pack is slim and made with tough-wearing Sailcloth fabric with 2.7L of storage, which might not sound like much but, in reality, is pretty much spot on for a day ride. It actually helps prevent overloading and makes you pair your kit down for more comfort. What does 2.7-litres look like with kit? That’s a pump, tube, mini tool, windproof jacket, phone, keys, a couple of energy bars and a small card wallet. Basically, just what you need. You could probably squeeze some more in but that’s pretty full. Ditch the pump and add a gas refill and a head, and that would perhaps save some space and fit better, but I like to carry a pump. You cannot run out of a pump.
The Rover is low profile with a pair of very slim wing pockets that will leave you scratching your head as to what to put in them. I managed a key on an integrated fob in one and a few coins, my credit card and driving licence in the other. You could perhaps put a few electrolyte tabs in a little bag in there as well. Both pockets have a little mesh organiser pouch but it’s so tight I’m not sure why it's even needed.
The main pocket opens on three sides and allows good access to the simple large internal compartment which has a mesh divider to help you hold a phone or a wallet. One of the mesh pockets is split into 1/3 and 2/3 the length of the bag, making them also useful for keys or tools. On the outside there is another pocket divided in two that is clearly designed for your phone as it has soft padded sides, so screen in or facing out - it's your choice.
The bag closes around your waist with a large plastic buckle and the straps can be adjusted to fit waists of 62-121cm so I reckon that should be good for most teenagers and adults. The straps are a standard 40cm wide nylon webbing and wide enough not to dig in. Attached to the front of the outermost pocket are two smaller webbing straps that flow into the side wings and allow for small adjustments while riding without having to adjust the waist belt. If you use a booster bottle bag this mounts around the strap without interfering but makes it harder to reach with everything packed.
The Rover has a comfy padded air mesh back panel which has a slightly waffled section to increase airflow. Our bag came supplied with an accessory booster bag bottle holder (£12.80 extra) which relies on two press studs and some heavy-duty webbing interlaced with the side of the Rover to stay on. You don’t have to use the bottle holder to hold a bottle – you can of course, but it's good for a small camera, food, a first aid kit or whatever you want, but it is designed to hold a bottle with an elastic pull tab closure which fits the indent found at the top of almost every water bottle designed for a bottle cage. There is even a drain hole should you have a leaky bottle.
PNW Components Rover Hip Pack - Performance
In use, however, the Rover struggles to deliver. The side pockets are too slim and should have some kind of bellowed fabric design to allow anybody with normal sized fingers to remove a medium multi-tool with ease.
The optional £12.80 Booster Bag Water Bottle holder which, while offering the only hydration option of this bag, is of less use as a single option. As soon as you put a bottle in there you can immediately feel the bag twist on your back due to the uneven weight. Now, if you wanted two Booster packs I can imagine the bag would sit evenly, but you’d have to drink them evenly otherwise it would twist again. Pulling the bottle out is easy enough, but getting it back in takes practice as the opening is not big enough at the top for an easy location.
The biggest issue is keeping the waist belt tight. It adjusts by pulling forward on the loose belt ends through their buckles on both sides which is normal enough, but it's not that simple as the straps slip through buckles and loosen as you ride. PNW is aware of this issue and there is an FAQ page that includes a video to show you what to do to prevent the straps from slipping.
I have lost count of how many backpacks, rucksacks, and bum bags (sorry, hip packs), I’ve had in my life, but I can't recall having to watch a video to learn how to prevent the belt from slipping through the buckle. PNW asks you to set your buckle at the correct comfortable position with the side wings undone, then roll up the excess strap and use the Velcro loose end keeper to tuck the folded excess under the buckle so that it cannot pull through or unwind. Give it a good tug to make sure it's jammed under the buckle and you're good to go.
It works, but so would a buckle with more grip on its teeth or better-angled teeth within the buckle, or a different system. By jamming the excess strap under the buckle you cannot quickly adjust for lunch, or liquid refreshment, or if you’re wavering between a thin or bloated day on the bike. In PNW’s defense, you do have the wing adjusters to take up the slack, but these don’t give a large range of adjustment so might not be enough for the uphill/downhill change of breathing. They weren’t for me, especially with the bottle fitted.
I think it would have been better to use a more secure adjustable waist belt like the Apidura hip pack that Suvi recently reviewed. The fact that PNW has a guide on the site shows I'm not alone with this issue. If it were a new design I could understand the need to explain, but it isn’t, so something isn’t quite right with the design or manufacture of the buckle or strap spec.
PNW Components Rover Hip Pack - Verdict
As for its value, it's not bad at all. Going back to the Apidura Backcountry Hip Pack, that's priced at £76, more than £20 more than the PNW pack. Though it doesn't hold quite as much with a 2.5L capacity but Suvi found no issues with strap slippage.
However, the Dakine Hot Laps Stealths brings the competition at £30 though its storage isn't as generous.
During my time with the PNW Rover, the elastic cord on the top closure of the bottle pocket also pulled out of its end keeper and even though I’ve refitted it, it keeps coming out so I’ve knotted the cord. I can still use the pocket, but it is a shame. However, PNW does offer a lifetime warranty so if it bothered you and you didn’t want to knot it then I’m sure they would help you out.
The PNW Components Rover Hip Pack holds the right amount of kit for a long day and has lots of storage options, some of which require small deft fingers to use to their fullest and without the bottle booster pack. It also sits evenly on your back. The solution for holding the waist belt tight is a shame as it dents what is otherwise a decent pack and, if like me you want a little more expansion range than the wing adjusters offer, this bag is going to frustrate you. The booster bottle holder is an accessory, so think carefully about whether you want one or two and how the balance of the pack will be affected if you only fit one.
Add comment