Tested: Black Wolf Ridgerunner

A couple of decades ago when I back-packed around Europe, the choice of bags for carrying all my possessions was pretty limited. Aside from the old-fashioned, trunk-like hand-held suitcases, the only other viable options were soft duffel bags and backpacks better suited to overnight hiking or overland camping than carting around in a plane or train.

But these days the choices are much better, including various multi-purpose bags that can be adapted to a variety of situations, like Black Wolf’s new Ridgerunner 80.

What’s so good about this stylish but ruggedly built luggage carrier (it’s available with either blue or black front) is that it blends the all-terrain attributes of a backpack with the around-town convenience of those ubiquitous ‘rolling’ bags with wheels and pull-out handles that you see all over airports these days.

Black Wolf is probably best known in the camping world for its quick-pitching ‘Turbo’ tents, but judging by the Ridgerunner 80, its bags are also built to a high standard, with the use of durable zips, straps, and other hardy materials like a rigid plastic base that allows the bag to stand up on its own.

The main material is a strong but lightweight Ripstop polyester, with a pull-out handle made of lightweight alloy that extends out to two different lengths to suit different sized people. While designed for man-made surfaces, it did glide fairly easily when pulled over some rough ground on a recent camping trip, but we wouldn’t recommend too much off-road work as the two, grippy inline-skate-type rubber wheels could wear out prematurely.

With a 60 litre capacity, the Ridgerunner 80 swallows a decent amount of gear and apart from the main storage section, there are three other zipped pockets, accessible inside and out, for smaller items. The zips are big enough so you can padlock the compartments for added security.

Other nice touches include buckled straps (inside and out) to keep everything securely in place, and apart from the shoulder straps and pull-out handle there are four other grab handles on the bag, including a cool, red anodized aluminium tube grip on top.

To turn the rolling bag into a backpack, you simply unzip the back flap and roll it into a storage pocket at the bottom, revealing the two, adjustable shoulder straps.

While comfortable on my 188cm frame, it’s probably only a short term option as the straps aren’t very thick or padded, and unlike dedicated backpacks with their more sophisticated harnesses and ergonomic designs, there are no additional waist or chest straps that help redistribute the weight and prevent shoulder pain.

And while made of durable materials, the Ridgerunner 80 is not designed to be fully waterproof or protect precious gear from heavy knocks.

However, these are minor compromises for some-one who wants just the one, medium capacity and solidly-built bag they can use across a variety of leisure and travel pursuits. I only wish this sort of multi-purpose bag had been around when I was trudging through Europe back in the 1990s.

Black Wolf Ridgerunner 80
Dimensions: 66cm x 39cm x 32cm
Capacity: 60 litres
Material: 600D Polweave Ripstop
Weight (empty): 3.6kg
RRP: $219.99
More info: Black Wolf