Kriega Max28 Backpack Review: Uncanny Levels of Comfort, At a Price

Ideally, you want to keep stuff off your back when riding a motorcycle, particularly on longer journeys. But sometimes, a rucksack is a must. You could just throw on any sort of backpack over your riding jacket, but that might result in sore shoulders and/or an aching back on a longer jaunt. With that in mind, a rucksack specifically designed for motorcycling, like the Kriega Max28, can be worth a look.

I’ve had one of these on test for the last few months, racking up thousands of miles while wearing it, including a tour to southern Germany for BMW Motorrad Days, allowing me to trial the Max28 for big days of riding.

Key features:

• Expandable to 28 litres
• Waterproof laptop pocket
• Hydration bladder compatibility
• Weight transferring ‘Quadloc-Lite’ harness

The ‘28’ bit of the name refers to the capacity in litres when in its expanded configuration, easily done by undoing one zip. Once that’s sorted, the bag is big enough to fit a full-face helmet, and not as a squeeze, either.

The Max28 is still plenty roomy in its standard 22-litre configuration, though, and the front compartment has three zipped compartments to help keep everything organised. The waterproof laptop compartment is a nice addition, although the rest of the bag stands up well to rain - I wore it for a good couple of hours of wet riding, and everything inside the main compartment was bone dry after.

The big thing that differentiates Kriega’s rucksacks from cheaper stuff is the ‘Quadloc’ (not to be confused with Quadlock phone mounts) harness system, with the Max28 featuring a ‘Quadloc-Lite’ version developed specifically for the brand’s smaller bags. It employs X-shaped straps that clip together, with the intention of taking load off your shoulders and putting more onto your chest.

And it works, too, to the point where I’ve pondered if I’ve left my camera/laptop/whatever else behind, because the bag feels so light. Granted, after a few hours in the saddle, the shoulders do start to get a little sore with heavier loads, but not to anything like the extent of conventional backpacks or other motorcycle-specific rucksacks I’ve tried. 

So far, there have only been a couple of annoyances. Firstly, how far the zip for the main compartment goes down - this is great for loading bulkier items, but the weight of the bag itself often pulls the zips completely open if you pick it up and move it with the zips part-way down, causing the bag to flop open. Secondly, the cord tied to one of the zips was loose out of the box, coming away the first time it was pulled.

Should you buy a Kriega Max28 rucksack?

Very minor annoyances aside, all of the above probably sounds great to you, but there’s one thing that’ll prove to be a snag for many riders - the price. At £225, the Max28 is definitely at the top end of what you can spend on a motorcycle-specific backpack, and is even at the pointy end of Kriega’s premium-priced range.

While the initial outlay might sting, though, something like a Max28 might just work out better value in the long run. Anecdotal evidence from Kriega owners suggests that the products of the UK-based brand last for many years without falling to bits, and a 10-year guarantee backs this up. 

Loose zip tassel aside, our Max28 test sample certainly exudes premium quality, and after some heavy use it still looks much as it did when it was delivered. Factor in the comfort side of the equation, and you have a backpack worth stretching the budget for, if you can.