Lafuma Cinetik 20L Backpack

I recently wanted to transition from bike commuting to run commuting. Generally there are two ways to do it: Either drive in your clothes once a week or carry them on your back. I wanted to carry a pack because I wanted to be able to bring my lunch every day. So I looked up some running packs and the Lafuma came up more than once. It wasn’t too expensive so I ordered one.

Design

The pack comes in either bright orange with red trim or gray with orange trim. I figured I’ll take safety over style so I went with the bright orange one. I look like a running traffic cone but whatever The pack has a very large opening on top that zips down on both sides and clasps at the bottom. It’s a very versatile pack because of all the loops and storage pockets. It has pockets for 4 water bottles(!) around the side to back waist and a large mesh pocket in the back at the bottom for quick access. There’s also 2 water bottle pockets in the front on each shoulder that fold flat when not in use. I’m not running the badwater in this thing, I’m just running to work so fortunately those pockets don’t stick out or anything. In fact, pretty much all the features of the pack stay clamped down pretty well.

It has mesh shoulder straps with slight padding and a huge mesh velcro waist strap. I really like the velcro enclosure as it doesn’t have a giant buckle that can dig into your skin or bone. What’s cool is the waist strap also clamps down those annoying shoulder adjustment straps that always swing around. It also has 2 compression straps that get clamped down here. The waist strap has a small zipper pouch in the front but also comes with a removable dorky fanny pack thing that slides on.

The mesh on the shoulder straps can chafe a little though if you’re running without sleeves. It’s a trade off because the mesh helps keep it cool. The light back padding gives it a bit of structure so it maintains it’s shape. It has a zipper pouch in the top flap, a hydration bladder pouch inside with ports to either shoulder, drainage at the bottom, some bungie straps for ski poles, and a padded velcro flap facing your back if you want to strap like a sleeping pad on there or something.

Conclusion

I did get a little bounce on the shoulder but it’s probably because I left the waist a little loose so I could breathe. All together I like the pack a lot and would much prefer it to a regular backpack for running. The weight will take some getting used to as it really gives me a workout but it’s good training. I carried my Vibram Five Fingers, a pair of jeans, a folded dress shirt, a belt, two containers of food for lunch and various knick knacks and the pack was about 80% full without stuffing. If you only need to carry some knick knacks, a little food and a hydration bladder you might want to go for the smaller one. I think they have an 11 liter version or something.