POC VPD 2.0 Spine pack Review

POC Philosophy

The Swedish brand POC has, since 2004, made it their mission to ‘do everything we can to possibly save lives and to reduce the consequences of accidents, for gravity sports athletes, by developing and renewing what personal protection is all about’.

Ten years later and, having been bought by American outdoor specialist Black Diamond, that basic mission statement is clearly at the center of a large and comprehensive range of safety products for cycling and snow sports.

During this time POC have won numerous design awards, including this years IPSO (sports industry innovation and excellence) Award for their Skull Orbic Comp skiing helmet, which incorporates a sensor to monitor impact and indicate to the user the structural integrity at the touch of a button.
 

Alastair McNeill with the Poc 2.0 Vallee Blanche, Chamonix.

Afan Forest. Whites Level and W2 tested.

A recent partnership with Volvo cars, which sees the two companies share knowledge and research into safety technology is further evidence that POC are continually looking to lead the field in this area.

One outcome of this collaboration is the interesting AVIP (Attention, Visibility, Interaction and Protection) road bike specific range of helmets, apparel, eyewear and accessories.

VPD Protection

The Spine pack is a 25 litre backpack that incorporates an integrated back protector made from POC’s trademark VPD (Visco-Elastic Polymer Dough). This is designed to offer extreme impact absorption whilst also providing an ergonomic fit for the user.

As touched upon in the Preview of this product, what is interesting about VPD as a material is that POC state that in the event of a single accident, users are actually often subjected to a series of impacts, with each one generating more energy and therefore, more damage through to the body. So in layman’s terms the first hit hurts, the next hurts more and so on. VDP is designed to absorb each impact effectively so that, in the event of a big fall, it protects as well on on any subsequent hits as on the first impact.

The Poc 2.0, waiting to descend the Pas De Chevre

The VPD Spine pack is aimed squarely at off road cycling and skiing / snowboarding; with this in mind I tested it whilst mountain biking in the Afan Forest in Wales, as well as taking it to the Alps for a touch of off piste skiing down the Pas De Chevre and Vallee Blanche in Chamonix.

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