There’s nothing quite like being 5 miles from the car when your tire blows out, and you’re forced to push your bike back to the car with a tiny, empty water bottle attached to your bike frame. The Duthie AM 10 backpack from Platypus is aimed at single track mountain bikers with exactly that in mind, but it’s also completely viable for road bikers, day hikers, and trail runners. With an assortment of attachments and pockets for things like helmets body armor, tools and spare parts, the Duthie hopes to be the one pack you need to get you up the trail, and back down with little effort. Let’s see if that works out.
About the Duthie
The Duthie AM 10 is a small 7 liter pack that weighs 1 lb 5 oz (595 g) itself, or 1 lb 11 oz (760 g) with the included 3 liter reservoir. The main body construction is primarily a burly diamond ripstop nylon.
The pack has several opportunities for organization with 4 zippered compartments, two zipper-less hip pockets, numerous internal organization pockets, and an expandable back pocket that doubles as a helmet mount.
The reservoir hose attaches to the chest strap of the backpack via an included magnetic clip for easy access, and has a flow lock to prevent unwanted water leakage.
What I liked
Build quality all around is excellent with high 210 denier fabrics, smooth zippers, durable zipper pulls, rugged daisy chains and lift handle. Padding is adequate all around, especially on the hips and back.
The pack felt great on long downhill rides, holding in place without bouncing around while clearing fallen logs, roots, and boulders, and never digging into my shoulders or hips. Several adjustments all around the pack ensured a nice tight fit, with included clips that keep the extra straps from flailing around. The pack fits well across the back, and has better than expected ventilation across the thick comfortable back padding. Two primary pads sit against your back, while the pad-less center and sides allow air to flow through.
Various pockets allowed for a tons of storage for such a small pack. I was able to easily carry 3 liters of water, tools, extra tubes, my phone and even a camera system with plenty of room to spare. A nice fleece lined pocket on the top of the pack made for a great safe place for my fragile smart phone, while larger internal pockets held hard items like chain tools, wrenches and tire pumps, which saved the day more than once. The large expandable external pocket expands fairly large, and doubles as a compression system to stabilize the pack. Finally, small hip pockets allow for zipper free access to snacks.
The hose and reservoir worked reliably, never leaking precious water droplets thanks to the flow valve, which can cut off all water flow to the bite valve. Speaking of, the bite valve is soft, and allows for a good amount of water to come through when needed without imparting a nasty taste into the water.
The included reservoir can be removed from the pack and filled without removing the hose from the pack. A quick connect allows you to instantly detach the hose without dumping all of your water. The reservoir hose attachment seals itself off automatically , and you can fill it up and clip it back in very easily. This is a great feature that saves a lot of pain. To fill the reservoir, you basically unzip it with a large slide lock that locks back sturdily with minimal effort, creating a leak free seal even when inverted.
It does triple duty as a mountain bike pack, light weight hiking pack, and a bulky trail runner pack.
What I didn’t like
Some of the adjustments are a little stiff. This is probably to avoid slippage (which never happens) but they take a bit of effort to use.
Padding on the chest is a little light. It’s great under 12 pounds, but you may start to feel some pressure beyond that. Like most backpack padding, the pads can absorb a lot of sweat on hot, strenuous bike rides.
I like to complain more about products, and this pack offers little to complain about. Definite con there.
Overall
The duthie Am 10 is a great pack for those who are looking to pack everything they need along with them on the trail. Generous organization and storage space provides for quick access to everything you’ll need to change out a busted tube on the trail. The pack fits comfortably, and stays in place on even the most grueling downhill assaults. Durable build and a taste free, easy to fill reservoir give the final polish to an impressive package. If you’re looking for a fairly light weight, dependable backpack, this is your pack.
Highly recommended
Thanks to the manufacturer for providing this product. For full disclosure, see our about me page.
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