Wiggle 40L Luggit Backpack Review

With some changes in my personal circumstances recently I've been commuting further to work and needing to cycle rather than walk. The extra set of clothes, as well as often having to take my work laptop meant I was on the lookout for a new bag to use for work. Previously I was using an ancient laptop bag with dedicated laptop space in the main section - but not enough room for a set of work clothes, and a pair of shoes plus other various bits.

I had a look around and weighed up my options. I really like the look of the Henty Wingman which is available from Evans and other sites. This uses an innovative design to carry a rolled up suit without creasing as well as a small bag inside that can carry a laptop, pair of shoes, your lunch etc. It's a great design with only two flaws that I can see. 1) It uses a single shoulder strap so I imagine any heavy loads will be fairly strenuous on just one shoulders and 2) The price. The thing costs £120 for a bag. A bag! Crazy price. Couldn't justify that at all.

Whilst I'm dreaming I also looked up the Rapha Backpack which is a costly £125! For the price you get enough space for a laptop, pair of shoes and folded up clothes. You also get Rapha's classic stylish design and either a pink or white stripe down it. An added bonus is a bright pink rain cape that is stored in a separate pocket and can cover the bag when it is night or raining to keep your things dry and keep you visible on the road.

In the end though I went to the trusty Wiggle site to see what they could offer. Wiggle have their own dhb range of backpacks and being as I have been more than pleased with their dhb stuff in the past, I thought I would give it a punt.

First of all I ordered the 30L 'slice' dhb rucksack as I thought it looked nice, had a rain cape and wasn't sure how much space I actually needed.
When it came I eagerly unwrapped it and took a look. It was immediately obvious that whilst it was a really nice bag, it wasn't fit for my purpose. There was a pocket that I could use for my laptop and whilst my 13" MacBook Pro fitted in nicely, my bulkier Fujitsu work laptop struggled to fit in comfortably.
Additionally, when I had the laptop in there, I could barely fit a pair of nice brogues, let alone a nicely folded suit and shirt.

I really liked the bag but it had to go back. So I went back to Wiggle to see what else they had available. For an extra fiver I could upgrade to the next size up - the 40L version. This seemed a good option although it had slightly mixed reviews. I thought for the price it was worth a punt - and I could always return it if I didn't like it.

The bag turned up a few days later and I am really impressed. I've been using it as a commuting bag and also a luggage bag on the train for the past 3 or 4 weeks and I've detailed some of my thoughts below:

Overview and Functions:

The bag has a large central compartment and other smaller ones.

The compartment on the back is a laptop specific one, large enough to hold the biggest 17" laptops with room to spare - it really is huge. I've had 2 laptops, an A4 notebook and  a George RR Martin novel in it comfortably! However, there is little to no padding in it so be careful when putting the bag down to not break anything!

The main compartment is very large, I've had a weeks worth of clothes in here no problem.

There is a front top compartment which has a felted interior to keep valuables in. I use this for things like phone, wallet, keys, cufflinks etc whilst cycling but it is plenty large enough to hold much more.

Lower down there is a velcro'd compartment that is quite sizeable though I wouldn't keep anything of value in there as the velcro is only in the middle meaning stuff could get wet or easily stolen. I keep things like deodorant and hair gel in this.

In front of the velcro pocket there is a side zip pocket, of decent size to fit small things - I've used this to fit 3 pairs of underwear in, for example.

There are two zipped side pockets that can fit a 500ml waterbottle in, but cannot be closed up. This is of mild annoyance but it's not a deal breaker for me.

As I've detailed, there are plenty of pockets to keep your stuff and probably room for more!

General Use:

I first used this bag to hold a 3 days worth of work, casual and biking clothes. I took it on a train and even when full it fitted in the overhead space comfortably.

To give you an idea I think I had the following somewhere in the bag:
- 3 pairs of underwear
- 6 pairs of socks
- 3 long sleeve shirts
- 1 suit (trousers & jacket)
- 1 hoody
- 1 jumper
- 1 pair of jeans
- 1 pair of smart shoes
- 1 pair of cycling shoes (with cleats)
- 1 cycling jacket
- 2 jerseys
- 1 pair of bib shorts
- 1 non-padded tights
- 1 work laptop
- 1 A4 notebook
- 1 novel by GRRM
-  iPhone charger
- Edge 500 + charger
- Various cables
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Shower gel
- Hair gel
- Antiperspirant
- Probably something I've forgotten

As you can see - plenty! I was very impressed with the size of the bag and it meant that I didn't need to take a suitcase on the train (always a pain.)

When cycling or carrying this very full bag the straps are comfortable and the weight is distributed nicely across my back. It's much harder to pick up a full bag and carry it by the carrying handle than it is having it slung across your back.
I've been quite layered up during my recent commutes so I can't say if the bag produces a particularly sweaty back but I've had no issues so far. The padding keeps the back of the bag away from your back so I would imagine it keeps your back cooler than many alternatives.


Summary:

Well made and very large bag from Wiggle's dhb range. Comes in at a great price point (£35 at full price) and sits nicely on your back.

I've fitted plenty of clothes in and it is large enough to meet the demands of my daily commute.

Really pleased with this bag as it enables me to have a few more home comforts to travel with me.


Pros:

1. Very large. Fits in lots, with lots of compartments
2. Sturdy and well made
3. Looks good
4. Distributes weight across back evenly
5. Separate laptop compartment

Cons:

1. No rain cape like there is on the 30L
2. It's all black without too much reflective detail
3. The description on the website is out of date - probably indicative of a previous iteration of this model. 
4. Little/no padding in the laptop section

Lezyne Micro Drive Front Light Review

When the sun goes down it is dark.

I don't think I quite understood this before I started cycling. When I was younger I hung out in lit places in the evenings - all the streets around my area had lights. Then when I could drive and went anywhere, the cars headlights lit up the entire road for me to see by, potlights, animals, cyclists.

Last week I went out and found it too dark for my liking. Descending was a slow process and the light shining from my two front lights were not bright enough for my liking.

In steps the Lezyne Micro Drive. 

Overview and Functions

This light is more at the budget end of bike lights (I bought it for £26 in the sale) but boy is it worth the money. The light has two 'functions' normal & race. The normal function has 5 settings. 100 lumens (pretty bright), 150 lumens (really bright, don't point it straight in your eyes!), 50 lumens ('economy') and then two flashing patterns, both at 100 lumens. 

The Race function then has 2 settings - 50 lumens and 200 lumens. 

200 lumens is the brightest this thing will go, and for general road riding I think having any more would lead to a series of diminishing returns the more money you spent.

With 200 lumens shining on a pitch black road I can see straight ahead for about 100m and about 25m of road lit up and clear. The beam is very wide so I can see both edges of the road (on single carriageway) as well as any potholes or other dangers with enough time to react to them (branches, glass etc)

General Use

You get between the two functions by holding down the single-button for 5 seconds, and then cycle through each setting by pressing it once. The button is held down for 2 seconds to turn on or off, and pressed just once to indicate the battery life. Green is fully charged, Orange is in use and Red means charge me please or you will soon be in pitch black!!! 

It's pretty intuitive but I have found pressing the button down with cold, numb hands whilst cycling along to be of moderate difficulty.

As far as battery life goes I am a left a little bit wanting but the unit is so impressive with size, weight, looks  and strength of light beam that for me, it is not a deal breaker.

Lezyne claim 3 hours of usage on Economy setting (50 lumens), 2 hours on 100 lumens and just 1 solitary hour on 200 lumens. But I can't imagine needing 200 lumens for very long - if ever really.

In my first week of use I have found that to be enough, my commute on its longest day is now an hour and I only need the 150 lumens for it so it's all good as long as I remember to charge it!

Now, charging it is awesome. The only lights I've ever had before took normal batteries that you had to replace once they were used. The Lezyne Micro drive uses an internal battery that gets recharged. How do you recharge it? Well, it's super simple. Just screw off the cap and underneath it is revealed to have a built in USB stick! Pop this in your laptop/pc/other charging device for a couple of hours and it will be back to full strength next time you want to use it. (Lezyne note it takes up to 4 hours to fully charge, though I've not had to charge it for longer than 90mins down as far as about 1/3 charged.) What's even better is that other than the cap there's nothing to lose. No leads, no battery packs.

It secures to the bike using a plastic holder which is itself secured by a thick rubber 'ladder', which has lots of bars on depending on how thick your handlebars are. My handlebars are oversized, yet the rubber ladder is still too long, and I am left with a rubber tab sticking up one end - to help remove it, and an excess bit of rubber ladder at the other end, threatening to get in the way of the light! 

It is however, easily kept out of the way and doesn't impact on the use of the light. It is held in place securely  and doesn't jiggle or rattle whilst riding. 

Summary

I really like this light. I'm so glad I bought it and it is possible even literally a life saver for me this winter. For the price I think the performance is incredible and the little niggles I have with it aren't worth splitting hairs about. 

Pros: 

1. Very bright - easily bright enough for pitch black riding.
2. Fantastic charging method 
3. It's remarkably light and small - doesn't get in the way at all
4. Great price - lower end of the market but still high level of performance
5. Secure in place yet easily taken off when you leave your bike
6. Lots of functions and options depending on your preferences - economy for daytime, flashing if you want it or the high powered settings for when it's truly dark

Cons:

1. Battery life isn't great - you would struggle on a long evenings ride of more than about 2 hours on unlit roads. I would happily have a larger body to accomodate more battery
2. The beam is so wide I get HUGE shadows of my handlebars, brake levers and hands on either side of my vision
3. The rubber holding attachment is too long, and it leaves lots of rubber either side of the light base - even though my bike has oversize handlebars. 

If you need a new light for this winter, but don't want to spend over the odds then I strongly recommend this fantastic product! 

An Experiment of Quality

Having heard so many good things about Merino Wool - keeps you cool, keeps you warm, keeps you dry, doesn't smell etc - I thought it was about time I got myself some.

I did some research and it looked like (surprise, surprise) that the Rapha winter baselayer (here) would be the best in terms of quality, warmth - I wanted it for winter afterall - but also with the highest price tag.
I'd love to be able to justify £80 for a base layer, but I probably couldn't so I decided to look around to see what else was on the market.

In the end I bought the Rapha winter base layer (£80. As well as a winter hat (£35) to qualify for free delivery),
This LS dhb base layer from Wiggle (£35) and also this LS roll neck/zip base layer from Mountain Warehouse for just £20. (as well as a round neck one in two sizes, just in case.)

The products all came on the same day which was a bit like Christmas!

The dhb one was too small across the chest so I knew that was a no-no straight away but realistically it wasn't that nice. It didn't look too great, the material felt quite 'rough' and it didn't seem to be that warm (from just trying it on in my living room.) Which is unusual for Wiggle as usually I am massively impressed with everything about them - their products, prices and customer service are more often than not, top notch.

Next the Mountain Warehouse version. The cheapest of the 3 it fitted the worst - it was too baggy but that's better than being too tight, I think. It looks very chic in all black and the zip roll neck isn't uncomfortable at all. It's also actually only 80% merino wool, but for that price I'll let them off.

Lastly was the Rapha offering. Of course it was the nicest. Of course it fitted the best. It was warm, it was comfortable and it looked incredible. I was in love. However, it wasn't really 4x better than the Mountain Warehouse and as sad as it made me - I had to return it as I couldn't justify the cost. Oh if only I were a better rider and could get sponsored by Rapha... that would be amazing....

The long and short of it is, that I sent back the Wiggle & Rapha offerings and kept the cheapest option (which pleased my wife). I wore it out on a run that evening (couldn't send it back after that anyway!) and was pleasantly surprised by its performance. To start with I was a bit warm with it on, but after a few K's in the legs my body started to regulate itself better and the merino wool felt nice against my skin and ended up keeping my core temperature down. When I was done (10k in 59mins, not bad for the first 10k since April) I was very dry under the base layer and it itself wasn't damp or smelly.

I look forward to wearing this base layer across the next few months but I look forward even more to buying more merino wool in times to come and hopefully being able to afford some high performing premium articles.

The Nights Are Drawing In

I was out last night for my first truly dark ride of the year. Took in a normal 30mile loop with my friend Josh but failed to think about just how dark it would be without streetlights. A couple of the descents were sketchy to say the least.

I currently have 2 front lights - a cheap eBay jobby which is actually pretty bright, and a middle-ground CatEye light which produces a fair beam and is just about good enough to see by for a few metres in front of me. After last night however I've invested in a Lezyne Micro front light for the princely sum of £26 from Wiggle so that should improve my visibility on the road and make me that little bit happier. I'm excited that it's USB re-chargable and I won't need to faff about with AA batteries all the time.

I also wore my new merino wool baselayer from Mountain Warehouse for the first proper ride last night - it performed admirably. Any sweat was absorbed and there was no smell - I even wore it to work today and it still isn't damp or smell! So for £20 I was very impressed and will definitely be investing in more merino wool in the future.

Not much else to say really except we ended our ride last night up Michaelgate climb - which is a cobbled 16% hill in the centre of Lincoln going up to the Cathedral which is used 13(!) times in the University of Lincoln Grand Prix. I struggled up the climb at 6mph with the cobbles sapping any of my speed whilst Josh danced away from me and around the corner. I will definitely be doing the climb again but I have developed much more respect for the riders such as Kristian House and Peter Kennaugh who fly up that climb multiple times at the Lincoln GP.

Looking forward to more late night rides as the weather gets colder and I will report back on how the light adds to my arsenal of lights on the road.