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Coxa R5 backpack review

MTB hydration pack designed to give riders more freedom of movement on the bike

Our rating

2.5

140.00
Coxa’s R5 pack uses a unique four-way strapping system

Steve Behr

Tom Marvin

Published: September 29, 2019 at 10:00 am
Our review
Smart design, but doesn’t quite hit the mark on the bike compared to more established competitors

Pros:

Stable when fitted correctly

Cons:

Flimsy structure makes packing tricky; strap system isn’t as simple as others on the market

Coxa’s R5 pack uses a four-way strapping system that’s said to give increased freedom of movement for your shoulders.

Getting the pack on/off is a bit tricky, requiring the waist and shoulder straps to be clipped/unclipped at the central closure, and the shoulder straps to be Velcroed/detached from each other.

If you’re one for regularly accessing your kit, this will cause some frustration. But if you’re not, the pack stays in place fairly well (unless it’s overfilled) and remains comfortable and not too sweaty.

Getting the fit of the straps just right is vital though, and takes a bit of figuring out – although this should only need doing once.

Coxa R5 backpack
Coxa’s R5 pack uses a unique four-way strapping system. - Steve Behr

The 5.5-litre of storage comes in the form of a main compartment with a single mesh organiser inside, although there are mesh stash pockets on the waist strap and rear of the pack (which also has an integrated light) too, which can be accessed without taking it off.

Packing the bag would be easier if it had more structure to it, because it tends to fold in on itself while you’re stuffing kit in. At least the provided bladder is held in place well with Velcro loops.

Water flow through the valve is fair and the reservoir is easy to open. The theory behind the pack makes sense, but on the trail it just falls short in performance terms.

Product

Brandcoxa
Price140.00 EUR
Weight660.0000, GRAM () -

Features

br_bagCapacity5.5000
br_bagCapacityLITER
br_bladderCapacity1.5000
br_bladderCapacityLITER

Tom Marvin

Senior technical editor

Tom Marvin is a technical editor at BikeRadar.com and MBUK magazine. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He is also a regular presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar podcast. With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market. Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter – pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. He’s also worked out that shaving your legs saves 8 watts, while testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights.
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