Out at interbike I had the pleasure to meet the fine folks from Mission Workshop. They have designed a really cool backpack style bag (the Vandal) that is definitely outside the box of the designs on the market now. I would explain how the whole things works, but instead I found this video to do it for me, I know most of you are visual learners. The bags are made in Colorado and we should have them in stock in a couple months.
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.
R.E.Load makes some really high quality bags all handmade in Philly. They make multiple sizes of messenger sling type bags and backpack style bags. New this year is a split strap option on their sling bags making them even more versatile. R.E.Load also specializes in custom bags, so if there is a specific color combo or graphic you want on your bag, let us know and we can get it for you.
