Gear Shots #18

Axiom H-Spec Freeride Saddle
and the Hydrapak Borracho pack

... a first look at what we're riding and testing these days

Axiom H-Spec Freeride Saddle
Words and photo by Stuart Kernaghan

Junk-saver saddles are increasingly common these days, and most road and cross country saddles have some sort of cut-out to relieve the pressure on your special bits. Freeriders, however, have been getting the shaft until now - figuratively speaking, of course.

Axiom has stepped up with a saddle that's designed to keep big hit riders who actually spend some time on their saddles happy. The H-Spec Freeride Saddle uses what Axiom calls SQ Lab Pelvic Shelf Technology to produce the only doctor-designed freeride saddle out there. SQ Lab creates a flat, flared rear section of the saddle that will support both men's and women's pelvises (that is the plural of 'pelvis', isn't it?).

Technical details include a leather cover with Kevlar corners, cro-mo rails, and 14cm of length. Weight for the H-Spec is 348g. - on par with other saddles that you'll find on the Shore. Pricing is US$75 and CDN$80, which, by the way, earns Axiom added props for evening out prices on both sides of the 49th parallel.

The Axiom H-Spec Freeride Saddle, in all its junk-saving glory

Just when I was starting to think that there wasn't much to distinguish one freeride hydration pack from another, along comes the Hydrapak Borracho. The biggest differences are in the helmet attachment system, which is a removable bungy cord net; the hard moulded outer shell to protect contents; and a roll-top reservoir with a hook-and-loop closure.

Specs for the Borracho are as follows: a full-length gear organizer pocket, a large main compartment with gear / camera / iPod pouch and Hydratunes cord port, padded shoulder straps and back, and a removable waist belt with mesh pockets.

There are also two sets of compression straps on each side of the pack, and two on the bottom.

Use them to hold armour or cinch the pack down once you've armoured up. Gear can also be attached to the D-rings at the top of the pack. Oh, and the Borracho also comes with a cell phone pouch (which can double as a multi-tool pouch).

The reservoir holds 100oz / 3L - the standard for a big pack - and the pack itself holds 21.3L of your crap. It's even wide and deep enough to fit in an over-sized laptop. Empty pack weight is 3lbs. Full weight is up to you, but resist the temptation to fill up all that space. Colour for the Borracho is black with some sweet urban camo separating the outer shell from the main compartment. Pricing is set at US$99.99, CDN$125, £69.99, and €100.