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I held off on writing this frankly cause I haven't had a chance to use the bag since I got it.
I had originally purchased the Joe Rocket Blaster Backpack, thinking that I could do the odd weekend trip and still have an around town bag. The big selling point to the JR was the integrated helmet holder. I used that bag once. No that there was anything wrong with it. ON the contrary. It was just what I wanted I fit three days of clothes, my wallet, cell phone and even sneakers. Had a waist and sternum strap, another big point for me. Problem was, I have a short trunk, making bag selection critical for riding purposes. I found that it would interfere with my helmet and so I lowered it...well that made the waist strap useless, cause it would ride the bag back up. Sitting up on the bike was a no no. It would rub against the cowl and that I didn't like.
So...I sold the JR and did a lot of reading on bags. I settled on the OGIO Mastermind. I love this bag. First, this bag has nice wide straps that are very comfortable, adjustable of course. It also has only a sternum strap that helps to keep the bag from shifting everywhere when you ride. The bag it self is light and features a heavy duty grab handle between the a shoulder straps which was a very nice touch.
This bag has more storage than you can swing a dead cat at, but it features plenty of places to put one...or 20. This bag was meant for the student on the go but I love it all the same. Let me see if I can list all the designated storage compartments:
-1 laptop which fits a 15" or maybe a 17" incher (The laptop pouch is side entry and up against your back. It is hidden pretty well for anyone who may be paranoid like me.)
-main storage pouch
-laptop battery storage
-laptop mouse storage
-audio storage which has a super soft liner and throughput for headphones zipper is water tight on this one only
-accordion style pocket with three separations for filing
-tool pocket with 7 individual pouches, 1 zippered
-cell phone pouch
-laptop power cord pouch
LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
-an airline ticket pouch. They have thought of everything.
I honestly don't know how they crammed all that into this small bag. All the zippers are heavy duty with extra big pulls great for gloved hands. Each pouch also features a small pict-o-gram for it's intended purpose so you don;t have to keep guessing.
I stopped at the dealer today during my ride to get an oil filter and oil. I put 4 liters of oil and a filter in the main pouch and had only used half the space. had I placed it in a more orderly fashion I could've have made up some room, not necessary on this bag. I rode for another 45 minutes and honestly forgot I had it on. It wasn't intrusive or obstructive. When I finally returned home and unhooked the sternum strap I felt the weight of the bag. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or the intended design, but color me impressed.
At the same price as the JRBB even though it doesn't have the helmet holder, I didn't miss. I never even used the one on the JR. So on a scale of 1-10 this bag, taking it's price point into consideration gets an 11 from me. I cannot recommend it enough.
I had originally purchased the Joe Rocket Blaster Backpack, thinking that I could do the odd weekend trip and still have an around town bag. The big selling point to the JR was the integrated helmet holder. I used that bag once. No that there was anything wrong with it. ON the contrary. It was just what I wanted I fit three days of clothes, my wallet, cell phone and even sneakers. Had a waist and sternum strap, another big point for me. Problem was, I have a short trunk, making bag selection critical for riding purposes. I found that it would interfere with my helmet and so I lowered it...well that made the waist strap useless, cause it would ride the bag back up. Sitting up on the bike was a no no. It would rub against the cowl and that I didn't like.
So...I sold the JR and did a lot of reading on bags. I settled on the OGIO Mastermind. I love this bag. First, this bag has nice wide straps that are very comfortable, adjustable of course. It also has only a sternum strap that helps to keep the bag from shifting everywhere when you ride. The bag it self is light and features a heavy duty grab handle between the a shoulder straps which was a very nice touch.
This bag has more storage than you can swing a dead cat at, but it features plenty of places to put one...or 20. This bag was meant for the student on the go but I love it all the same. Let me see if I can list all the designated storage compartments:
-1 laptop which fits a 15" or maybe a 17" incher (The laptop pouch is side entry and up against your back. It is hidden pretty well for anyone who may be paranoid like me.)
-main storage pouch
-laptop battery storage
-laptop mouse storage
-audio storage which has a super soft liner and throughput for headphones zipper is water tight on this one only
-accordion style pocket with three separations for filing
-tool pocket with 7 individual pouches, 1 zippered
-cell phone pouch
-laptop power cord pouch
LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
-an airline ticket pouch. They have thought of everything.
I honestly don't know how they crammed all that into this small bag. All the zippers are heavy duty with extra big pulls great for gloved hands. Each pouch also features a small pict-o-gram for it's intended purpose so you don;t have to keep guessing.
I stopped at the dealer today during my ride to get an oil filter and oil. I put 4 liters of oil and a filter in the main pouch and had only used half the space. had I placed it in a more orderly fashion I could've have made up some room, not necessary on this bag. I rode for another 45 minutes and honestly forgot I had it on. It wasn't intrusive or obstructive. When I finally returned home and unhooked the sternum strap I felt the weight of the bag. I don't know if this is an isolated incident or the intended design, but color me impressed.
At the same price as the JRBB even though it doesn't have the helmet holder, I didn't miss. I never even used the one on the JR. So on a scale of 1-10 this bag, taking it's price point into consideration gets an 11 from me. I cannot recommend it enough.
