Arva Equipment specialist in avalanche safety equipment offers you the great novelty of the year 2016 in Freeride bags: the Arva Reactor airbag. Nicolas Navez, development engineer of the Nic Impex Company (owner of the Arva brand) explains everything you need to know about this new jewel.

1- Hi Nicolas, In a few lines can you introduce us to the Arva Reactor airbag range?

We wanted from the introduction to build a complete range of bags. We have 4 models: 18 liters, 24 liters, 32 liters, 40 liters, covering most activities on snow, off-piste, day touring, etc... or ski raid. We have designed the bags so that they are all comfortable, well-balanced, sufficiently accessorized and practical to load. Thus a 40 litre bag with a carbon bottle weighs only 2470g. They are all equipped with the same Reactor double airbag system, which was designed, developed, manufactured and controlled in France, mainly in Haute-Savoie.

2- Can you summarize all the work that has been done to offer an airbag bag that meets the demanding safety standards?

First of all, on the one hand there are the required standards, and on the other hand our own even more demanding criteria that we have imposed on ourselves. Our 15 years of experience in the development and marketing of airbags has taught us a lot about how these devices behave in real avalanche situations.

We have based our work on the study of more than 400 real cases of people caught in avalanches with an airbag. There are many aspects to be taken into account in order to achieve such an effective system in the sense we understand it. The number of airbags, their shape, the way they are attached and the fabric used were the main focus of our work. Secondly, we wanted the most efficient inflation system ever, which is capable of inflating the airbags even if the victim is already carried into the snow, while at the same time reducing the size of the gas cylinder to make it more compact.

Thirdly, the handle had to be easy to grab in critical situations and the activation had to be extremely reliable. Finally, we designed bags capable of withstanding the extreme forces of the avalanche, but with an ambitious weight-saving objective. For the little anecdote, during the 300 kg tear-off test at the certification laboratory, not a single thread showed the slightest sign of weakness... proof that the stress distribution was correctly thought out.

3- At the end of last season I tested the 18-litre Reactor; I was amazed at the work you did. It quickly became clear that this is not just another bag on the market, but one that makes the market move towards greater lightness, comfort, simplicity and safety... Explain us all these assets?

The starting point of the project was to design a product that retains the advantages of the reference airbag systems and improves their weak points. In a few words, we wanted to make a system that inflates better while being more compact, lighter and optimizing the user experience. It is truly a product designed by practitioners for practitioners. The weight gain is not only noticeable on the scale, but above all when you have it on your back. The overall balance of the bag and system is just as important as the number printed in the catalogues. The airbags hidden in the walls of the bag and the inline inflation mechanism in the centre of the back almost make you forget that this is more than just a rucksack. The space saving inside the bag is amazing. Carrying it is simply excellent, especially since the Reactor is equipped with the 3D-Fit sizing system that adapts perfectly to the person's morphology.

Then, we required from the start that the Reactor be equipped with double independent airbags, for more safety and reliability. Its shape offers good protection for the head while allowing freedom of movement.

Finally, the activation handle has a locking system when retracted, preventing unintentional activation. All in all, the Reactor has a multitude of details that make it more pleasant to use.

4 - Introduce us now to the Reactor range as a whole and for which practices are the bags intended?

The strong points of the range are lightness, comfort and space available in the bag. Secondly, the models are very similar in terms of weight: 150g difference between the 18L and 40L, thanks to lighter materials used on the larger capacity bags. This approach is quite consistent in practice, where weight saving becomes all the more essential on long runs.

The R18 is a bag perfectly adapted for freeriding, but also for day hikes. If you're venturing into more challenging freeriding requiring more equipment, choose the R24 instead. This one will also be perfect for ski touring. The R32 offers a more mountainous dimension, with a generous volume and a variety of equipment carrying options. It is very well suited for 2-3 day races. Finally the R40 is a backpack designed for ski touring, not much heavier than a classic touring bag.

Thanks to you Nicolas for all his important information about the Reactor Arva range. With such a job it becomes difficult to go off-piste without having an airbag on your back.

More information about theArvaReactor

- Our test

- Our Arva Reactor bags

- Technical details

- Demonstration

- Presentation of the Reactor range