Bake Packs with integrated spine protectors

balmybaldwin

Looking to treat myself to some armour for upcoming trip to Les Arcs, and have come accross hydration packs with integrated back protectors.

What do people make of these? good/bad points?
anyone with experience of this (or the 16L one):
http://www.pocsports.com/en/product/156 ... ne-pack-25
POC Spine pack VPD 2.0


Any idea why it's so much more than the EVOC ones? worht the difference?
http://www.dirtbikebitz.com/evoc-back-p ... oogleBase1


Thanks for your help

warpcow

POC stuff is just always expensive, not always better quality though.

I borrowed an EVOC one for a trip last summer and it was very comfy. Didn't notice it was any bulkier than the Mule I normally ride with.

cooldad

For French baked goods I suggest croissants.

balmybaldwin

cooldad wrote:

For French baked goods I suggest croissants.

Tried these when climbing, they're not good for protection though

cooldad

Protection? MTFU and eat poncy rolls.

Kowalski675

They're both certified to the higher level 2 standard (maximum 12 kN force transferred), so offer comparable levels of protection.

allthegearnoidea

I've only seen an evoc bag up close out of the two, was Very impressed by it, the idea of the spine protection caught my eye most, and the ability to unzip the main bag from the spine protection for repeated short runs etc. The only thing that put me off was the cost, which is really quite daft as it would only tale one impact that could save your spine for it to be worth Much more than its purchase price!

bennett_346

I've got an EVOC backpack with the spine board thing and i haven't actually had to utilise it yet, touch wood, but i can tell you the backpack itself is very good and worth the money.

Kowalski675

allthegearnoidea wrote:

I've only seen an evoc bag up close out of the two, was Very impressed by it, the idea of the spine protection caught my eye most, and the ability to unzip the main bag from the spine protection for repeated short runs etc. The only thing that put me off was the cost, which is really quite daft as it would only tale one impact that could save your spine for it to be worth Much more than its purchase price!

Back prorectors are a bit misunderstood. They're not really meant to save you from breaking your spine - that takes a pretty big impact and a back protector's unlikely to stop it. Their real purpose is to prevent (or significantly reduce) soft tissue injury associated with a back impact. Back protectors are pretty standard fare in the motorcycling world these days (i always wear one when I ride) and a decent one isn't even noticeable when you're riding, but chest protectors are becoming increasingly common too - blunt chest trauma is the second biggest killer in bike accidents after head injuries.

bennett_346

Aren't back protectors to protect against point impacts? Or is that what you meant.

Kowalski675

bennett_346 wrote:

Aren't back protectors to protect against point impacts? Or is that what you meant.

They're not designed to stop penetration, if that's what you mean? (Many are now soft and flexy for comfort, without the hardshell exterior that early ones had). Like any armour, they're designed to dissipate the energy of an impact, absorbing it and spreading it out over a larger area, just like a crash helmet (so in that respect yes they help protect against point impacts, if that's what you mean). Back protectors are meant to prevent or minimise soft tissue injury, rather than prevent a broken back though. Spinal injury is usually caused by the spine being bent backward (it's not designed to flex that way), and back protectors can't stop that.

bennett_346

Kowalski675 wrote:

bennett_346 wrote:

Aren't back protectors to protect against point impacts? Or is that what you meant.

(so in that respect yes they help protect against point impacts, if that's what you mean)

That's what i said. Was just clarifying what you meant in your original post.

Kowalski675

I wasn't sure whether you meant penetration type injuries (ooer missus...).

bennett_346

There's a different kind of protection for that.

Kowalski675

Arrowhead's mum's the expert there.