Exotec SP-3 A great aussie inovation By: Garry Morrow Monday, 6th November, 2006 ID: 18 - Views: 49369

The Exotec protector pack system has been specially designed for off-road motorcycle riders and is the result of two years of solid development and testing.

So what is it?
Quite simply it’s a chest protector married to a hydration back pack with a tool bag/roll thrown in. It is fully customizable and comes with a kit to quickly convert it to a stand alone hydration/tool back pack alone.

Appearance
This thing looks mint. The version we got came in black and I am pretty sure they only come in black. it's not a Mad Max looking black but very slick. it looks and feels tight and well put together. The quality and finish is outstanding and it uses the latest materials and technology.

Fitting it up:
Once the unit is fitted it feels like any other top quality chest protector it fits snug and feels very comfortable. it has a sort of ribbed inner so your body can breathe well. Once you fit it up and adjust it to your body shape you really can't notice it that much at all. With a helmet on it was actually a bit better than some others in that we could swing our heads around quite comfortably. There is plenty of space to swing your arms about and you don't feel at all restricted.

Now the obvious thing we wanted to know was what was it like fully loaded, 3 liters of water, a few tools, some Jelly Beans and a puncture kit. Well it definatly did change the feel and balance.

For those who normally wear a hydration pack over a chest protector will know that it's not the most comfortable but you can push and pull and things settle down to a good balance. With the Exotec it's a bit different as the whole unit is really one. It did pull up and back a bit at first but the trick to the unit is a couple of extra straps that go from low down to the top (See Photo B). Once these are tightened up the whole thing swings back into balance nicely and as would be expected it has a very un-cluttered feel.

The ride:
As most of out testers wear a bum bag type tool bags they did feel a little top heavy with the thing fully loaded but pretty quickly came to terms with it. It is not a bad feel just different. After a good 20 min run the testers said it became un-noticeable. All riders reported that out on the trail the whole package felt very good and quickly became un-noticeable, which in the end is what you are after.

Highlights:
It is a great compact unit that keeps everything together.
After initial bed in it feels light and very comfortable.
The hydration pack is excellent quality and dirt cover for the bite valve is awesome
Plenty of room to move
Looks a million dollars
Great protection
Excellent attention to detail and quality

Improvements
Our main area where we think it could be better was the integrated kidney belt. Whilst it does offer more back and kidney coverage than a standard chest protector it is a bit thin. It is not notable but it could be better with a more hugging effect, maybe a bit wider.

Setup: It does take a bit of fiddling around but once it is set up for you will never have to change it, unless you add a few kilos of blubber that it.

Overall Impression:
There is no doubt that this is an excellent product. It looks great, feels great, and is fully customizable. Retail price of $325 at first seems a but steep but when you weigh up what you get it is actually pretty good value. The fact that it comes apart and can beused as a backpack alone is good value.

The Exotec is not suitable for every riding variation but will cover most. If you wear a heavy Enduro jacket in the middle of winter then it would be unpractical but then so would a hydration pack and a chest protector as separate units.

The end result is that this is a great unit and a great Aussie innovation and well worth forking out for. I also can't emphasis you how sexy it looks - you really have to see and feel it to get all sweaty over it like we did.

You can see more detailed photos at the Zacspeed website http://www.zacspeed.com/