Tag Archives: messenger bags

5ive Points with Travis Poh of Freight Baggage

Travis on the Omega with a messenger large Sling.

Elusive, overworked, and prolific are words describing San Francisco-based messenger bag maker Travis Poh, and all are fitting descriptions for anyone serious about what they do. For someone whose brand has such a massive following, there is little web information on the man behind the Cordura curtain. Why?  Because his bags speak for him.  As Travis states on his company’s website, Freight Bags are handmade in San Francisco – deigned and tested (daily) by working messengers (including himself). They strive to create the most comfortable and functional bags possible, using only the finest domestically manufactured materials. Freight Baggage guarantees all of their work to be of superior quality and craftsmanship. Big in Japan, huge in the states and coveted everywhere, Travis’s bags have been seriously field tested for years by us at NYC Velo and could be the last bag YOU ever buy. Freight bags are some of the first products we carried here in the bike shop. We met Travis back in July 2005 (6 weeks after opening our doors) when the Cycle Messenger World Championships were here in NYC (or Jersey City…) and became a dealer on the spot. Many thanks to Travis for taking time form his fabric filled schedule to participate in our 5ive Points Q&A.

NYC Velo: What bike do you ride?
Travis Poh: It varies. So many bikes… Currently its been an English Omega track bike with a P&S rack for boxes.

NYCV: What’s your favorite ride?
TP: S.O.B!, I just broke my favorite ride last month. It’s a custom Dale track bike. Its my pride and joy. R.I.P.

NYCV: What’s your favorite post-ride food?
TP: Makers Mark.

NYCV: What is one thing you always carry on a ride?
TP: I used to always have to wear a bag or I’d feel naked. Never nude. But since I’ve shed that fear, just a wallet.

NYCV: What’s next?
TP: Inevitably, to build a better mouse trap. Hopefully travel more. And get some sleep.

Gear Review: Mission Workshop Sanction Rucksack

30% off labeled courier bags and backpacks

That’s right! Stop by the shop and checkout the selection of Chrome courier bags and backpacks that we have on sale. We hand picked some colors and styles from our extensive selection and marked them down 30% (just for you.)

NYC Velo Gear: Bailey Works Backpack

We are a shop born to celebrate the handmade. From bikes to apparel, we work hard to bring you some of the finest in quality handmade cycling related items.

From the smallest single-person companies working out of their “live/work” spaces, to companies whose multi-employee workforce sports a collective discerning eye for detail and craft, we do our best to bring you the best. We really do derive a sense of pride from sharing items with our customers that are more than form and function, they’re craft as well.

One such artisan company is Bailey Works from New Hampshire. Known for their high quality bags, Bailey Works is a company whose bags are synonymous with durability, good design and cycling. We had the good folks at Bailey follow our recent bag design collaboration through production with a video camera. The result is a document and testament to how much work goes into a single bag. Enjoy the show.

Vandal Backpack: NYC Velo Special Edition

I’ve never had luck with timing.  It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the Cavernous and awesome Vandal backpack, produced by our friends at MissionWorkshop.  The minute I buy my own, I find out that Andy has been working with the west-coast luggage fiends on a special edition of the bag just for our shop.  That’s right kids, now you can have your very own Vandal backpack bedecked with our awesome logo.  I guess I was wrong when I though they couldn’t make this bag any cooler.

-CJ

Gear Review: Mission Workshop Vandal Backpack

I guess it’s easy to write off a shop’s “gear review” as a bit “biased.”  However,  one has to feel strongly enough about a product in order to overcome laziness and write about it. That should say something.

I had been using a small Chrome backpack for the last few years that an ex-girlfriend got me as a birthday present.   While it looks good and is the de facto hipster norm of backpacks, it became apparent over the years that it wasn’t an effective bag when it came to carrying anything significant.  Messenger-style bags that hang on a single shoulder have an inherent design flaw of using one shoulder instead of two (duh.).  I had been waiting for someone to come along and produce a good looking yet utilitarian backpack.

Enter the Vandal, produced by Mission Workshop.

After owning this backpack for a few weeks, I can tell you that its the best messenger bag/backpack/urban bag/keg hauler I have ever used.  Solidly and locally constructed,  waterproof, and expandable, this bag is as versatile as MacGuyver in a hardware store.   Here are some deets on the bag:

4,000 Cubic inches is enormous. Kloe Kardashian enourmous.  The compression straps keep the bag tight when expanded.  You would think that it’s too big for everyday use, but the collapsible midsection keeps things slim.   Here’s a shot of it in its collapsed form,  which still has 1,800 cu. in. on space:

Time to put it through its paces.  I started by using it as my only bag for a 2 day excursion to the Gran Prix of Gloucester.  It fit all of my CX gear (including helmet and shoes), clothes, laptop, camera, and other items.  The perfect weekend bag.

The bag is comfortable when on the bike.  I would assume this bag is well-liked by the “legit” messenger community as it is waterproof, comfortable, gigantic, and well-compartmentalized.

This bag is also perfect for anyone looking to carry something on a motorcycle.  it fits well and doesn’t get in the way.  to test this out, I used it for a few laundry runs on my Ducati.  Yes, I’m aware that doing laundry runs on a Ducati is about a 105 on the douche-meter (out of 100)  A week’s worth of laundry was no problem.

As for negatives,  I would say that I’m worried about forgetting something in one of the cavernous pockets.  it’s only a matter of time before I accidentally leave a Bahn Mi in one of the compartments only to discover it a month later…

This bag gets an A+ in my book.  My friends are sick and tired of my ranting and raving about it, so to them, I apologize.

The Vandal retails for $259,  and they are in stock at the shop.  Stop by and see how you like it.

Mission:Great Backpacks

About six months ago we got a postcard in the mail from some old friends.  The postcard had a lenticular image of an elephant on one side and an invitation to visit a trade show booth on the other.  It was signed by Bart and the guys behind Mission Workshop, whom we knew from their days running another fave NYC Velo brand, Chrome.

At Interbike a few weeks later, the trade show booth smelled like promise (and glue), and Bart proudly showed prototype backpacks which were like nothing we had seen before.  Mission Workshop had contracted the factory responsible for originally making Chrome bags, and have recently been manufacturing gear for Mystery Ranch, to fabricate their new line.  Our mouths watered. Our hands shook. We needed these.

Fast forward a few months to an early spring and a trip to the Bay Area revealed the finished products:  the Vandal and Rambler backpacks and the almost unveiled Shed rolltop shoulder bag as well as an SF (in the Mission of course) workshop/storefront.  The buildout of the homebase utilized a healthy dose of reclaimed wood, so it felt like home.

“The Vandal is a good size – it doesn’t block visibility when riding, the shoulder straps are extremely comfortable, and it’s waterproof!”

“The bag is lightweight and surprisingly slim when empty and huge when expanded, the 3 “slim” pockets (outside of the main compartment) are very versatile, making it great as a carry on/general travel bag as well”