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:
- Very large. Fits in lots, with lots of compartments
- Sturdy and well made
- Looks good
- Distributes weight across back evenly
- Separate laptop compartment
Cons:
- No rain cape like there is on the 30L
- It's all black without too much reflective detail
- The description on the website is out of date - probably indicative of a previous iteration of this model.
- Little/no padding in the laptop section
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