If you are a photographer and a cyclist you understand the never ending search for a utilitarian camera bag. Something that fits and protects your equipment, doesn’t dance/slide to the rhythm of the wind on your commute to the shoot, is comfortable, doesn’t cause strain to your wallet and lastly doesn’t look gross. As someone that rides with my equipment on my back most days, I have been desperately, desperately looking for a solution that wasn’t just an insert into my messenger bag (which admittedly did the job…before I decided lenses were like Pokemon and you had to collect them all) or some awkward bag medley stuffed into my Mission Workshops Vandal bag with a whole bunch of hoodie padding. Yikes, I just admitted that on the internet.
Would this fit my minimum of two lenses, a flash, 5D body and battery grip and a complimentary medley of assorted items such as a book, Ulock and wallet? And a mono/tripod on the exterior?
Yes. It does. I can even fit my lunch and a bag of jelly beans in there without a problem. And…here was the kicker: ITS STILL COMFORTABLE AT MAXIMUM CAPACITY!
Nailing it.
At the price point of $105.00, the bag is a must buy for avid cyclists who tend to have equipment on their back with great frequency.
Last month I received a bag from Jon Bailey of Bailey Works bags to test out. It is a prototype bag that has an exterior of vinyl instead of the typical Cordura. We already know that the basic Bailey Works Bags are great and are a staple bag for couriers and commuters all over the world, therefore the main question is, does changing the outside material to vinyl detract from any of the great things this bag has to offer. I have been riding with this bag now for a little while and figured I would pass on my thoughts.
Before testing this bag I hadn’t ridden with a sling style bag for a few years, so it was a little different from the get go, but the ease of use and comfort of the Bailey bags make them very easy to love compared to other slings I have used before. Putting the bag on is a breeze, I would give you the tutorial, but I would rather let you watch this little video instead.
Pretty nifty right. The only thing the video leaves out is that you can loop the tightening strap through the main strap using the D ring at the end, this is the super trick way to rock your Bailey, so don’t get caught with it hanging loose. Jon tells me the only reason they don’t ship this way is because people couldn’t figure out how to tighten them, but believe me it works great and keeps it up and out of the way at all times.
So lets get into the meat and potatoes of the bag, it has pretty much everything you need, a blinky light clip, reflective strip, exterior pockets, interior pockets(even one with a zipper), velcro and buckle closure, not to mention the whole thing is waterproof. Throw into the mix that all the bags are handmade in Portsmouth New Hampshire and you can see why I love this bag.
So the bag functions great, but how about the vinyl exterior? Well I didn’t notice any problems. It didn’t seem to feel any worse against my back and I can only imagine it would make the bag more waterproof as well as making it easier to keep clean. So I say it’s time to put this prototype into production!
We keep a full selection of Bailey Works bags in stock at both of our shops (Cambridge Bicycle and Superb) including the new Bailey Works Backpacks. So stop by to try one out for yourself.
