No Dancing Monkey! That’s the promise made by Swedish gear company USWE (pronounced “you-swee”), founded by off-road motorcycling enthusiasts almost 20 years ago. They’re referring to the way traditional backpack designs leave lots of wiggle room between pack and rider, even when all straps are uncomfortably tight. With some weight inside, such setups can feel like a monkey dancing on your back as you traverse bumpy terrain. USWE’s unique harness systems (all designated “NDM” but employing some detail variations) secure the pack much more effectively and comfortably than conventional arrangements. Ingress and egress are also easier to negotiate. This kit is a genuine gamechanger. I had no complaints about my trusty old Klim Nac-Pak, which I used for many years on off-road excursions, but now I can’t go back to it.
After sampling several options in USWE’s extensive lineup, I chose the large 16-liter Core series daypack because it was spacious enough to hold two items essential for a specific upcoming adventure: a three-liter hydration bladder and my bulky enduro jacket, along with snacks, spare gloves and extra goggles. Given that I’ll be in the wilderness all day, far from base camp supplies, carrying enough food and electrolyte-fortified water is a non-negotiable requirement. Since the weather where I’m going is unpredictably variable in both temperature and precipitation, being able to stow, access and restow a substantial jacket is also a necessity. On more routine outings, 16 liters of capacity is more than I need, but the surplus space comes with no real penalty when unused, especially given the four external cinch straps for streamlining the pack’s contours around its contents. At the other extreme, if more capacity is needed, two additional straps at the pack’s base can be used for toting cargo outboard.
Although many of USWE’s packs include a hydration bladder, the Core 16 does not; unless you already have one to use, the three-liter bladder mentioned here must be bought separately. There are no special fitment considerations, so bladders from other manufacturers or of smaller sizes are all likely to work just fine. However, those with a hanger at the top to make use of the pack’s Velcro mounting loop will maintain a more consistent position. USWE’s branded 3L bladder, made by Hydrapak, features a “Plug-N-Play” coupling where the hose joins the bag, as opposed to a barbed stalk onto which the hose would have to be forced. This makes for quick and easy disconnection/reconnection during cleanup. It also has a full-width top opening, allowing the bladder to be turned inside-out for thorough cleaning and drying, as well as an angled (45-degree) version of the familiar locking bite-valve mouthpiece. (The bladder pictured is the same design, but made by Hydrapak for Klim.) Add $47 to the pack’s MSRP of $240 to include USWE’s bladder (they sell smaller sizes, too). Note this pack—which is among USWE’s most expensive—was on sale for half-price when I got mine, as were a handful of other models, so check for deals at your favorite retailers/e-tailers and USWE’s website.
Despite omitting a bladder, USWE throws in a few other goodies with the Core 16. There’s a handy magnetic tube clip ($15 if purchased separately) that keeps the hydration hose from dangling loose, yet requires no fumbling with gloved fingers when deploying or returning it; just get the part on the hose near the part clipped to the harness and the magnets find each other. There’s also a “click-on” phone pouch ($28 if purchased separately) that’s just barely big enough for a modern smartphone and can be affixed/detached from either of the shoulder straps via four plastic clips. This attachment mechanism is quite secure, but the clips are too fiddly for frequent removal and replacement. The pouch’s contents must be accessed with it in place on the harness, which can be a little awkward because the opening ends up being high on the strap, above your collar bone. There’s a small mesh pocket inside the zippered main compartment and another on the outside, but no meaningful capacity beyond phone storage. The Core 16 already has two similar zippered pouches permanently mounted on its waist belt (one with a mesh divider and keyring clip), but neither of those is quite large enough for a full-sized smartphone. This third pouch allows phone access without having to take off the whole pack, but I don’t feel any urgent need for my phone on the trail and prefer to have less stuff attached to me; I’m content to leave my phone in the pack and this pouch at home. Finally, there’s a stiff-sided, zippered, rectangular box (not available separately) appropriate for carrying tools or other medium-sized objects. It comes with a block of foam inside that can be cut out to hug individual items, and it’s secured by a dedicated strap within the pack’s outermost chamber, which also features three mesh pockets (two open and one zippered).
The Core 16’s main chamber has a large, zippered, mesh pocket as well as another pouch built into the lining to keep a hydration pack in place from underneath. A fleece-lined pocket accessed through an external zipper atop this chamber is perfect for goggles, a smartphone, or anything else vulnerable to scratching. Overall, the pack seems decidedly full-featured without being excessively elaborate. However, operating that No Dancing Monkey harness requires a little education. Once understood and properly adjusted, it’s extremely straightforward to use, but newbies should allow for some trial-and-error on the way to optimal setup—it’s unlike any backpack you’ve used before.
First, the shoulder straps on the Core 16’s harness are connected to a flexible “plate” attached to the pack with a wide swath of strong Velcro inside a cavity running the full length and width of the pack between the heavily ventilated padding next to the wearer and the adjacent (innermost) wall of the main chamber. This plate has a huge range of vertical adjustment (indexed with ten markings for easy reference), allowing the pack to be positioned at different heights relative to the wearer’s neck and shoulders. With the harness’s front/central locking clasp just below your sternum, locate the pack on this plate so it rests where you want it against your back, fine-tuning the shoulder strap feel with the two cinch straps augmenting the plate’s Velcro attachment (these cinch straps connect directly to the top of pack and the tops of the shoulder straps). Obviously, you need to be wearing any torso armor you’ll have on while riding. Now take the ends of the unbuckled waist belt and pull them forward away from your belly. These are actually independent straps that snake through fixed portions of the waist belt (where the pockets are mounted) and become the lower straps of the harness. When they’re pulled, the whole pack/harness combination will snug down around you. Whereas the upper straps have no “give,” these lower ones are slightly elastic, allowing the harness to remain secure without binding as you move around. When you’re satisfied with the fit, buckle the waist belt, pull the excess strap through the buckle adjusters, pass it through nearby “belt loops,” and finally tuck it inside the channels through which the straps exit the waist-level pockets. It’s not nearly as fussy as it sounds and ends up being quite neat and tidy, like fine Scandinavian furniture.
From now on, donning the pack is simply a matter of putting your arms through the unlatched harness (which is much roomier during ingress than conventional shoulder straps), then latching the central clasp and buckling the waist belt. All those adjustments stay put and you’re instantly embraced by a contraption that feels both perfectly secure and remarkably unrestrictive. Escape is accomplished with a press of the central clasp’s large button and a squeeze of the belt buckle. Think of a race car’s five-point seat belt; it’s built to withstand a great deal of violent jostling while leaving the driver with maximum mobility for operating the controls. In both cases, having the main clasp centrally located gets the straps into more of an “X” configuration and out of your way (that little connector some packs have between their conventional shoulder straps doesn’t begin to compare). There’s no more restricted range of motion across your chest or in front of your shoulders, and no more struggling to thread your arms through straps adjusted to be snug when everything’s in place, or loosening them to get in and then retightening them afterward. Most of USWE’s packs are even easier to wear than the Core 16, since few have waist belts in addition to the one-button chest harness.
Wearing my USWE backpack on the trail was a revelation. Pack bouncing was essentially eliminated, facilitating both balance and endurance. I hadn’t fully realized how much pack movement was affecting me because I’d had no alternative reference point. I’ve always worn some sort of conventional pack to keep tools and fluids handy when riding off-road/dual-sport and had just accepted the associated impingements as necessary evils. USWE’s harness design makes them a thing of the past. On top of the brilliant engineering, production values are absolutely superlative, with high-quality materials and thoughtful details everywhere. From the beefy polyurethane-coated Cordura nylon chassis construction to the sturdy glove-friendly zipper pulls to the tiny zipper garages that prevent their unintended opening to the tethered microfiber lens cloth in the goggle pocket and the generous provision of molle-type webbing, it’s readily apparent the creators of this gear knew what would be truly valuable during real-world use.
USWE makes a dizzying array of waist and backpacks for motorcycling, bicycling, hiking, running, skiing and snowmobiling, along with a large assortment of accessories for these packs. They also make luggage, technical clothing and casual wear. While USWE’s innovative backpacks shine most brightly off-road, their security, convenience and comfort make them excellent choices for virtually any application. (USWE owns Giant Loop.)
