Po Campo Weekender Bag Pairs Purpose with Style
From messenger bag to backpack to adventure duffel, there are seemingly countless bags for cyclists designed for transporting gear by bike. But what if you want a bag that doesn’t look, well, bike-y?
Enter Chicago-based Po Campo’s Weekender Bag ($95), an accessory so subtle your friends may get confused when you show up toting it with plans to ride. But don’t be fooled by its fashionable appearance: It’s tricked out with enough features to make even the most serious cyclists happy.
The bag, made with vegan weatherproof fabric, has light blue and white stripes and faux brown leather that make it a stylish choice. It has a detachable strap as well as standard duffel handles; the strap has subtle but useful reflective accents, as does the bag’s exterior.
I tested the Weekender for, appropriately, a weekend of cyclocross racing. While it may not be big enough when the temperatures really drop and I need more layers, it was perfect for an early fall race: just big enough to fit the essentials (including the critical post-race beer). I managed to stuff it with a helmet, shoes, skinsuit, warm-up jersey and shorts, embrocation, sunscreen, a water bottle, a beer, sunglasses, and a bunch of other small stuff. A little cramped, but it still zipped easily!
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The smartest part of the bag is the separated lower compartment for shoes (and for muddy clothes post-race). It unzips almost entirely for easy cleaning—I just wiped it out and it was good to go. Having a hot pink liner was a perfect touch: bright enough to hide some dirt and certainly not boring. It also has a polyurethane-coated nylon lining, and will keep your stuff dry even when it gets truly cyclocross-y and starts pouring. There’s also a laptop compartment, four interior pockets that fit water bottles or other small stuff, and two zip pockets.
It’s made a great weekend race bag, but I also love it for a gym bag: The front elastic straps are great for holding a towel for muddy races, but they’re truly designed for a yoga mat, which makes attending yoga class something I almost have convinced myself I love doing.
For frequent flyers, it’s the perfect size for a carry-on, even stuffed to capacity (trust me), and if you have a rolling suitcase as checked baggage, the best feature is the back pocket, which unzips at the bottom to allow you to slide the bag over the handle of your suitcase for easy lugging.
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