At first glance, the Road Trip is an attractive bag. I found the beige 'buttercream' unappealing but as the bag is available in a variety of colours, including black, aqua and navy, that's not a major niggle. It's nicely styled, with an unmistakable nod towards the courier bag, but with genteel proportions and a girly edge. It has a strap that curves around to sit across the chest, to leave the bag hanging across the lumbar area of your back, in courier bag fashion.
The Road Trip has no fewer than eight varied pockets - including a rather mysterious pocket with a little 'no men' symbol on it - plus a substantial main compartment. That main compartment is zipped, lightly padded and should securely accommodate most laptops up to 15in. It's not waterproof so you might want to consider an additional sleeve anyway. There's also a grab handle on the top of the bag.
In use, the bag did not live up to its initial promise. The shoulder strap is adjustable by only a small amount, and was still long even at its shortest. It's not ideal for shorter women or those with shorter backs. Whilst it didn't hang ridiculously low for me (at 5ft 5in), it did hang behind the saddle - although still well clear of the wheel. More strap adjustment would have been better. However, the main problem with the strap was the lack of any kind of secondary chest strap to prevent the bag from swinging round when riding. This, coupled with the bag's silky backing fabric, meant that it migrated around to my side, then further forwards, rather than sitting securely across my lower back. I was constantly having to re-position it. It's fiddly and irritating at best, potentially dangerous at worst, if you're in busy traffic.
The migration issue means that the Road Trip just doesn't cut it as a commuter bag. I'm sure even the most sedate of recreational riders would find it a problem.
Nice looking bag, but its lack of stability on your back means that it's not as practical as it could be
road.cc test report
Make and model: Ogio Road Trip bag
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Aimed at style conscious female riders who want an urban styled bag but with a feminine touch.
Looks the part, but doesn't quite match function with form.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
8 pockets- some zipped, some velcro, some magnetic- each purpose-designed and with an icon to show proposed use.
Padded main body with zip- will hold up to 15" laptop
Padded shoulder strap- adjustable
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
5/10
Comfortable and very usable but there's a big problem with it migrating around the body when cycling.
Rate the product for durability:
7/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
7/10
Quite light for the level of padding etc.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
5/10
Very comfortable strap and back of bag, but less comfortable in use due to instability/migration issues.
Rate the product for value:
5/10
Would be good value if it didn't swing around the body in use.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Useful size and nice design with lots of handy pockets, but ultimately it didn't do what a courier bag is supposed to. It didn't stay put when riding.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Style, pockets, price
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Insufficient adjustment of shoulder strap, lack of retaining chest strap to stabilise bag.
Did you enjoy using the product? Not really.
Would you consider buying the product? Not unless it gets a re-design.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? No.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
A nice idea and well implemented, apart from the major flaw of swinging around the body in use.
Age: 37 Height: 1.65m Weight: 67kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, general fitness riding, mtb,
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