Outentic is the name of the Munich-based company that develops backpacks for various special uses. The range includes a child carrier, for example, the likes of which have never been seen before. There are also backpacks for hiking and biking and a bike carrying system. It is interesting to note that the different backpack models and carrying systems can be combined with each other.

The Munich-based outdoor aficionados presented the bike carrying system back in 2019, when they also offered a pack sack that closes at the top with rollers. Anyone familiar with these bags knows that they are not exactly practical if you just want to take something out quickly. Outentic now offers a classic daypack that can be combined with the bike carrying system. This combination has earned the Munich-based start-up a Design & Innovation Award 2021. The honor is somewhat diminished by the fact that the 30-member jury awarded prizes to no fewer than 80 products, including two other backpacks.The carrying system is certainly innovative. Two adjustable hooks are folded out on a back frame, into which the frame is hooked. The bike is not additionally secured, but simply hangs in the hooks with its own weight. A special feature of the Outentic carrying system is that the luggage compartment of the rucksack is removed to carry the bike and attached to the bike frame. The bike thus hangs closer to your back and obeys the packing rule that you should carry the heaviest items as close to your body as possible.

Advantages and disadvantages

Most people who hump their bike up a mountain put it on their shoulders with the down tube and hold it by a pedal or fork bar. This works well, but you are riding quite wide and get stuck on trees or ledges on narrow paths. In the Outentic carrying system, the bike hangs almost upright, protruding much less over the wearer at the sides and thus reducing the risk of getting stuck.

The obvious disadvantage of the carrying system compared to the classic method is that you first have to convert the Outentic backpack. This takes less than half a minute in the demo videos. However, there are situations in the mountains in which carrying, riding and pushing passages alternate in quick succession. It is more practical to hoist the bike onto your shoulders, which is possible without further modifications to the equipment.

Finally, Outentic scores points with the promise that the entire production of its backpacks takes place within a five-hour drive of Munich. According to company information, the Cordura from which the rucksack is sewn comes from Germany and is eco-certified.

The practical test is still pending, and it will be interesting to see whether it is possible for the bike to fall out of the holder or be torn out. And the actual wearing comfort must also be felt on a few bike mountain tours. To be continued.

www.outentic.de