Mission Workshop The Rambler

Mission Workshop Rambler Bag £225

There's no denying the Rambler from Mission Workshop is a beast of a bag. It's designed to be a 22 litre rucksack that can expand up to a massive 44 litres when required. Primarily it's aimed at commuters but also utility riders who are looking for a capacious bag.

The bag looks great, in a low-key urban sort of way and is made from a super tough waterproof fabric, a carbon fiber reinforced internal support frame and water resistant zips. Set up with three different compartments, each with separate external zip access, it expands to its full size via the roomy main compartment in the centre of the bag. There's a large flat pocket the full area of the front of the bag, and also a smaller smartphone sized pocket at the bottom corner of the front. The main pocket can either fasten via a more weather resistant 'roll top' method, or the traditional flap type configuration, and secures with a broad webbing strap and heavy duty buckle. The rear carrying system consists of broad, adjustable cushioned straps. In addition to the expandable central section, there are strips of fabric and rails on the straps for attachment of further accessory pockets which are available as optional extras.

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In use, the front compartment (not the expandable one) was an ideal size for small laptops or a notebook, while slightly larger laptops could be housed in the main expandable section. This central section was truly cavernous and for commuting held not only a change of clothes and gadgets, but even shopping picked up on the way home when used at its full capacity! At its smallest, it still had plenty of space for an essential change of clothes, a 15' laptop as well as notebook and papers. Compression straps at the top of the sides of the main compartment enabled cinching in when it wasn't used to its full size, but the shape of this bit did mean that an extra set of straps at the bottom of the central section would have been handy to keep more structure. With just the top straps, there was some sagging and deformity of the central compartment, when expanded, and although zipping up some of the external bellows zip did help, that was extra strain on this zip which could in time result in unnecessary wear and tear.

The broad cushioned straps, low profile shape and carbon reinforced back panel meant that the bag was extremely comfortable from the word go and very, very stable on or off the bike, even when carrying heavy loads. As the name suggests, this is a bag that's as useful for trundling around on foot as on the bike, even though specifically designed for bike use. The width of the bag and strap orientation meant that I personally found it to be a little on the obtrusive side, particularly when looking over my shoulder to check for traffic, but those with broader shoulders and longer backs and shoulders would probably find that to be less of a problem, but it's worth considering.The design, capacity and comfort also make it ideal for taking into meetings and office work too, without looking out of place.

This is also not a light bag, even when empty, so is definitely best suited to those who need a bombproof pack for regular heavy duty commutes, but the exceptional build quality and excellent materials mean that it'll deliver for that purpose for years. That innovative design and high quality does come at a price, however- at £225 is a lot of money and represents a significant investment.

Verdict

Extraordinarily well constructed, comfortable, stable load carrier. Expensive and best suited to non-small riders though