Dakine: Backpacks and luggage with surf roots – new at SportFits

Whether it is a laptop for university, luggage for a skiing holiday or tools for the trail: Dakine is all about storing and carrying your gear effectively. The Hood River brand is now available at SportFits, with backpacks, wheeled bags, hip packs and mountain-bike accessories.

It all began in 1979 on Maui’s North Shore. Rob Kaplan was a surfer who enjoyed tinkering. As more and more friends came to him with torn leashes, the cords connecting foot and surfboard, he developed his own using particularly durable material. That was the start of Dakine. Windsurfing accessories followed from 1980, and the first travel bags arrived in 1982.

In 1986, the company headquarters moved to Hood River in Oregon, where the windsurfing scene was based at the time. The town is not far from Mount Hood, where snowboarders and skiers trained in summer too. One of them wanted a slim backpack for heli trips in Alaska. Dakine made one to his specifications, creating the Heli Pack, which the brand itself considers one of its best-known products.

The classic everyday backpack is the Campus, which has been around for 20 years and is also available as a special edition for the anniversary. It has a padded laptop compartment, an insulated compartment for drinks and snacks, and a soft-lined pocket for sunglasses. That makes it equally suitable for school, university and the office.

Travel bags have been part of Dakine’s range since the beginning. For long journeys, there is the Split Roller 2.0 wheeled bag, available in 85 or 110 litres. Inside, it is divided into two levels, making it easier to find ski clothing and spare clothes. A reinforcement that is patented according to Dakine keeps the bag in shape and can be folded flat for storage. Designed as cabin luggage, the Split Carry-On has a capacity of 42 litres and offers more space when needed.

If you prefer carrying your bag to wheeling it, the EQ Duffle 2.0 packs away into its own end pocket after your trip. The large Split Roller is also available as a team edition for snowboarder Jamie Anderson, who won Olympic gold in slopestyle in 2014 and 2018.

Discover all Dakine travel gear ↗

By around 2005, Hood River had also become a mountain biking area, and new questions began coming into the shop. For example: how do you load three bikes onto a pickup without scratching anything? One answer is the Pickup Pad, a padded cover for the tailgate that secures the bikes individually.

Today, the bike range spans hip packs and backpacks with room for a hydration bladder, as well as gloves, protectors and helmets. The Cross-X 2.0 model is also available as an edition for team rider Graham Agassiz.

Discover all Dakine mountain-bike products ↗

Dakine is for you if you are looking for a backpack or travel bag with a well-thought-out layout, whether for commuting to work or flying on holiday. Mountain bikers can get bags, a helmet, gloves and a protector from one brand.

The models featured here are not designed for multi-day trekking trips with heavy loads. For that, a trekking backpack with a more supportive carrying system is the better choice.

Dakine recommends cleaning the backpack by hand with mild soap, cold water and a soft brush. If that is not enough, it can go in a front-loading washing machine inside a pillowcase or laundry bag, using a cold, delicate cycle. Do not use bleach. To dry it, hang it in a warm, shaded place and only store it once it is dry inside and out (Source: Dakine).