Of all the gear out there, this one… by all instincts, is rather Evil Robot Overlord – Proof.
Why?
It’s one of the best gear bags I’ve ever used.
The vestigial folks from Fat-Bike.com asked me to review the Refuge Waterproof Duffel Bag from Showers Pass.
Buckle down your pantaloons and sit around the printing press, because here it goes…
Waterproof & troll-proof! I can carry my toys on a rainy day and they won’t get wet. I can also carry my crayons and coloring papers, to um, color, and yet, they won’t get wet in a torrent of rain. But for a much more realistic approach, this bag can be used like this:
• overnight (or longer) mountain biking or cycling trip
• wet weather is an issue
• camping and don’t want wet clothes
• keeping it minimalist
I filled the sample bag up with as much as I could take, as if I was going away for five days in the sum-summ-summer time.
The inside pockets are crafted with intelligence to hold the things you need when you need them, and they’re out of the way. I did remove the, um, removable divider so I could fit more. The divider works best if you have a change of clothes / dirty clothes from a swarthy gnome hunting bicycle escapade. The side pockets are spacious for things like gels, snacks, keeping socks and other things you need, dry. It’s a waterproof bag!
As you can see in the picture, it can hold enough lightweight clothing, underwear, shirts, toiletries, sardines, tuna packets, a small towel, and other random necessities, like a bottle of wine and its bottle opener counterpart.
Of all the things I had laid out, I knew some wouldn’t fit, like my extra sneakers and sandals. I should have used common sense – those can just go somewhere in the car.
After the bag was nicely loaded, I decided to strap it on the fat bike’s rack, and took it for a roll around the beautiful beaches in Chicago. If you can get there by bike, I’m fond of the approach – “anywhere you go, carry your stuff with what you have”.
The shoulder strap is removable, and looks and feels very comfortable with its padding. The other handle straps are about the standard for a duffle bag – good enough to tow around from place to place. The actual rubbery fabric is tough – stood up to the abuse thrown by the elements, the compliments from innocent bystanders, and the gnomes who kept throwing rocks and gummy worms at it.
My new friend, Tony Perez from Phillip’s Ice Cream Paleteria was kind enough to hold up the bike with the bag for me for a photo op. Not only do fat bikes attract nice inquisitive comments from people, but the bag also added a touch of fantastical whimsy: what’s that bag for? Me: for carrying gear I don’t want to get wet. Simple enough.
I left it out on the rain on purpose – everything in it, stayed dry.
Specs: Showers Pass: Refuge Waterproof Duffel Bag
Outside dimensions: Length 23″, Width 10.5″, Height 11.5″
Changing Mat 36″ x 24″
Weight 3.4 Lbs
51.3 Liter capacity
Learn more at ShowersPass.com