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showerspass rainslinger waterproof hip pack
as distinct from touring cyclists, their modern equivalent, the bikepackers and arguably certain corners of the mountain biking world, us roadies, who inwardly believe that we are simply temporary refugees from the peloton, are pathologically predisposed towards 'not' carrying luggage. one member of the sunday morning peloton rides a titanium bicycle festooned with one mudguard (after a ride of the missing bolt), a rear rack and a zipped box sort of thing that sits atop the rack. what he keeps in that luggage, we're all too scared to ask, but none of us are going in there without first alerting the coastguard.
velominati, by way of their rule #29: no european posterior man-satchels, positively decry any cargo augmentation other than the three rear pockets on the average cycle jersey. no real mention has been made of the now mandatory, fourth zipped version. yet, despite that tablet from on high, here is portland's waterproof specialists, showerspass offering the very item that the man from velominati has banned.
that said, as far as possible, i'm keen to over-ride style with pragmatism when the situation requires. i surely cannot be the only cyclist to have handed over a soggy fiver for coffee after time-trialling in the rain? islay and most of west scotland, has much in common with america's pacific northwest, particularly that of rainfall. i believe the hallowed isle overshadows portland by only a few millimetres per year, so, from a velocipedinal point of view at least, we are every bit as much in need of waterproofing as our north american counterparts.
clothing is pretty much taken care of by any number of purveyors, even showerspass themselves, but on those days when it becomes necessary to carry a smidgeon more than just a mini-pump and coffee money, there's a limit to the capacity offered by those jersey pockets. the problem is magnified when precipitation falls, so despite our sporting aspirations, perhaps a european man bag would be the very answer, even if it originates from across the pond, rather than the channel?
the pack itself consists of fully welded construction with a weatherproof outer coating, featuring a main zipped compartment, divided internally into two pockets. there's a second, smaller zipped pocket outboard of the latter. the entire pack is surrounded by a cordura strap, stitched to the outer face of the rainslinger. it is this adjustable strap that ultimately fastens around your waist to keep the hip pack where you'd intend it to be. according to showerspass, the main compartment is capable of carrying a hardshell rain jacket and a pair of waterproof trousers, or two water bottles.
personally, i carried a windproof jacket, an inner tube, mini-pump, a compact digital camera and a spare pair of gloves, with a few cubic centimetres to spare. from my own experience, that may have been too much from a weight point of view. the cordura strap and buckle is adjustable, so it's relatively easy to tighten it sufficiently before clambering aboard your bicycle. however, i found that everything slid downwards just a bit, in the face of only moderate pedalling. ramp up the activity, bumping around on gravel and there was definitely some noticeable slippage, mostly due to a slight loosening of the strap.
over the top of a waterproof jacket, it was harder to keep it all in place, though things might have been different with less weight. (it was the camera wot done it.) worn over a regular cycle jersey, maintaining the initial position was easier. that said, the pack never slid to the point of impracticality or discomfort; it never got in the way and was a lot less swot and hetty than a regular backpack. i'd agree that there's a great danger of my making mountains out of molehills, because despite a major amount of inept thundering through the undergrowth, the rainslinger pretty much achieved what showerspass intended.
my only real, genuine complaint is allied to the 'two nations separated by a common language' paradigm. there's a slot in the outer face of the strap in which to pop a (supplied) flashing red light, but unfortunately, for those of us in the uk, that light sits on the left side of the pack. i say, unfortunately, because motorised traffic passes us on the right over here. to offer a more international flavour, it would have been perhaps more practical to have a slot on both sides, or compromise and place it dead centre.
despite my contention that the average roadie would be less than attracted to the showerspass rainslinger, in truth, we are scarcely the target market. witness this quote from the showerspass website: "Suitable for mountain biking and gravel rides, but also perfect for those city bike commuters looking to keep what they need to carry dry". it is the latter group i feel would suffer most from the 'misplacement' of the rear-facing flashing light.
i'm not entirely sure about its suitability for mountain biking/gravel riding, based entirely on its inability to stay put in the face of aggressive activity, but for the commuting cyclist it appears almost perfect, with a well-judged carrying capacity and 100% waterproofing (just to check, i carried a paper handkerchief, here, there and everywhere in the rain and it still came out bone dry).
showerspass (almost) at their very best.
saturday 17 august 2019
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