Viking Explorer 12L Backpack

First, I must say that Viking bags sent me this backpack free of charge. In return, they asked their logo to be visible and a link to their website. This review is all on my own initiative.

Second, this bag is clearly an attempt to copy the Moscow Moto wildcat backpack. That being said, let’s see how well they did, and if it is worth the lower price that they are asking for. This will be impeded a little by the fact that I do not have the Wildcat backpack, I have its cousin the Ape-cat.

First impressions, they got the big points, correct, materials are solid. The contours of the shoulder straps are awesome and distribute a heavier, backpack weight very comfortably. Instead of the 3 L of the wildcat, this only comes with a 2 L water bladder. There is room in the main compartment for more than the water belt bladder , but it is hard to access. At the limit of the zippers is where access to the lower part of that compartment is limited. I can get my hand down in there, but there’s not much room beyond that. With the water bladder full, that area may be accessible. Going to try that out next.

The expandable zipper is not very robust, so if you are using this in a non-expanded position, do not rely on it for load support, use the straps.

The expandable portion is huge and will easily accommodate a rain, jacket and rain pants or a six pack on your way to the campsite. There is nothing about this bag that is waterproof. It will take some time to soak through so it will probably keep things dry through a drizzle or a short cloud first. It would be a good idea to have a light weight dry bag or anything that needs to stay dry. I like to keep a selection of Ziploc bags with me just for this sort of thing.

The main organizer pocket has a clear plastic exterior so that you can see what is in the bag. There are some slim pockets and some elastic hold down straps. This would be suitable for some wrenches, flashlight multitool, but I prefer to find a place for those on the bike and not be carrying them on my back .

The interior pockets have a gray liner. This makes it a little easier to find things than if it were black, but it is still a little bit dark on the inside.

Strap adjustments, have a lot of range and adjustment is easy to do. There is enough adjustment that I can wear it over my riding jacket with armor at 6‘2“ and 270 pounds

Let’s look at how it compares to the resource design of the wildcat. Build quality should be pretty solid, stitching looked like they were robust and the heavy Cordura should last for years and years. It has all the oddball strap locations on the shoulder harness that the wildcat does including Mount locations for a chest rig equivalent. What they do not have is a way to. when a chest rig is used.