aurora techno recurve backpack
This well organised backpack from the Bignami stable is great addition for any recurve archer. I’ve been using a smaller Aurora backpack for seven years now, and have struggled to find a suitable replacement that is large enough to keep my kit tidy and in place, but doesn’t make me feel like I’m off to my first day of “big school” when carrying it.
This backpack comes complete with a removable pouch for the riser and limbs, and includes an arrow tube. There is plenty of space on the inside, with various pockets that have tags to suggest what you should keep in there. There is a pocket with a small diagram of a sight on the tag (perfectly sized to store my Shibuya sight case) two labelled with stabilisers for the side rods, and a longer one adjacent to the arrow tube to store the long rod.
The shoulder straps are padded, and there is a waist band to take the weight off your shoulders if you have to carry the bag long distances. I used this configuration to carry it backwards and forwards across the university campus to my training venue, and found the backpack much more comfortable than any other I have used previously, likely due to the padded shoulder straps and the fact I used the waistband. This waistband contains a pocket complete with a USB port, so you can attach your own USB portable charger to the inside and charge your phone from the bag while you walk! I can see this coming in very handy if you have to trek home after a long day at a competition and want to listen to music on your phone as you walk. If you don’t fancy carrying the backpack on both shoulders, there is the option to hide the shoulder straps inside a hidden pouch, and convert the bag into an over the shoulder strap bag, with a comfortable shoulder strap included. I trialled this method to carry the backpack shorter distances to and from the car when I was at my outdoor training venue, but I didn’t find it as comfortable as the backpack straps. I like that there is the option to do both, but found that the shoulder straps give you more control over the backpack and leave both hands free to carry other things as you walk.
I’m very impressed with this backpack, and would highly recommend it to the recurve archer who wants a backpack with a place for every item. The backpack is very comfortable to wear whilst walking, and the multiple pockets means things don’t slide around inside while you walk. It also comes at an affordable price, around 100EUR/£90. This price puts it between the Avalon backpacks of similar style, and the more expensive, but very similar Easton Deluxe backpack.