Unpacking the MIKLAT

Let’s face it - every company out there racks its brains to think of good names for its products.

We often chuckle at a tramping pack named after an iconic New Zealand mountain or route despite said pack being designed and made by people with zero connection to said name.

We're simple folks here at Cactus so when we needed a daypack to add to the range, our primary task was to design something with bombproof fabric and bombproof construction.

Naturally then this iconic bomb-proof, single-compartment Canvas wonder was named after... Bomb shelters. It seemed apt 25 years ago. 

Why, you may ask, does this name have relevance to a canvas backpack? 

Well, in the early days of Cactus, the beginnings of a responsible approach towards work meant that our trips into the wilderness, for hiking, climbing and general adventure-ing, tended to be of the weekend variety.

Cactus, being situated in Christchurch, is within a few hours drive of some amazing places for weekend mountain missions (Castle Hill! Craigeburns! Lewis Pass!). We needed a weekend pack that was super rugged, and super simple. Something that was, essentially, bombproof. You getting the gist?

Gwilym (the same Gwilym in whose bedroom Cactus was born, all those years ago) went back to basics: single compartment - tick, a lid instead of a pesky zip - tick, canvas - tick tick, reinforcing everywhere. Bam.

Yes, the Miklat (pronounced Mick-lut, please) is simplicity and strength personified. It promises that, no matter how much matagouri you walk through, mountain bikes you fall off or scree slopes you tumble down, your gear will be safe inside.

We can verify that it'll take everything you can throw at it, including our pesky Keas. The Miklat - a 100% New Zealand crafted Canvas backpack that is built like a bomb shelter for all your weekend missions and... getting to work during the week. Over specialization is so 2010.