If you are looking for a solid motorcycle backpack that can actually handle a weekend trip without bursting at the seams, you need to look at this one.
Viking Bags sent me their Tactical Extra Large Motorcycle Backpack to test out, and I have spent enough time with it now to tell you it is a serious piece of gear. It is truly worth the buy if you need a tactical styled, spacious bag that is up for the rigors of the road.
Built for the Road, Built to Last
The first thing you notice is the build quality.
Viking Bags chose heavy duty Cordura for the exterior, which feels incredibly rugged.
You can tell right away that it will survive highway speeds, weather, and getting tossed around on the garage floor. The stitching is tight, and the zippers feel robust, which is exactly what you want when you are hauling expensive gear on two wheels.
Size wise, this thing is a beast. It has a 45 liter capacity, which translates to roughly 2,746 cubic inches of storage.
To give you a practical idea of what that means, the spec sheet jokes that it fits 63 cans, but for actual riders, it easily fits a couple of days worth of clothes, a pair of shoes, and your overnight essentials, and if you want to bring it along, there’s plenty of room for a laptop or other electronics.
Packing it is incredibly easy because the main compartment opens flat to a full 180 degrees. You can pack it like a suitcase instead of stuffing items down a dark tunnel from the top. Inside, you get a dedicated laptop sleeve that measures 12 by 14 inches, keeping your computer secure and flat against your back.
Comfort on the bike is where a backpack succeeds or fails. Viking Bags designed this with excellent ergonomics. The shoulder straps are heavily padded, and you get an adjustable sternum clip and a waist strap. These extra straps are crucial because they keep the weight distributed across your torso, preventing the bag from shifting around when you lean into turns.
A really clever design choice is that you can actually tuck the shoulder straps away. If you have a sissy bar on your bike, you can use the integrated loop straps to mount the bag directly to your motorcycle. Viking Bags recommends a sissy bar height of at least 24 inches for this extra large model, and turning the backpack into a tail bag for long highway stretches is a massive relief for your back.
The exterior features add a lot of daily utility. You get two large side pockets that easily hold 25 ounce water bottles. It also comes with two separate, specialized attachments that clip onto the front webbing, a dedicated sunglasses pouch and a wet pouch. The wet pouch is perfect if you get caught in a rainstorm and need a place to stash wet gloves or a towel without soaking the contents of your main bag.
It looks sharp, too. The top section has a hook and loop area for patches, and it ships with standard American flag and Viking Bags patches.
If you need a tough, versatile bag for daily commutes or long distance weekend rides, this one delivers on every front. It is well made, thoughtfully designed for riders, and highly recommended.
