Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack

The Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack is a low-profile and lightweight design that sits high up the back and is specifically for ‘training before and after work’. As you’d probably guess, it’s not the most spacious backpack out there but what it lacks in capacity it makes up for in good manners while riding – or racing – to or from the office.

> Buy now: Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack for £110 from Rapha

For more options, or if you need something bigger, check out our guide to the best cycling backpacks.

Rapha says its Pro Team Lightweight backpack is designed for time-crunched cyclists committed to training pre- and post-work. It has a 10L capacity, which is smaller than most but is just about enough for workday essentials – shoes and spare clothes, for example. Mine, anyway.

My regular commute to road.cc towers is around 30km and like many I find that it’s a great way of combining my training and work day. Without a significant detour the roads aren’t overly scenic and there are plenty of hills to contend with too. I’ve long been after a backpack that doesn’t swing about on out-of-the-saddle efforts and means I’m not confined to using a bike with panniers (sometimes I head straight to a race after work).

I was quite excited then when I saw this Rapha offering, that is after I’d stopped rolling my eyes at the addition of ‘Pro Team’ to the name… The backpack itself, though, is excellent and has been my trusty commuting companion for, er, too long really (sorry to Tass, our reviews ed!).

So what can you actually fit inside? Well, the essentials and not a lot else. My commute normally requires me to take a 14in laptop (which is the largest you could comfortably fit), its charger, a pair of lightweight trousers, a T-shirt and… that’s about it. I have on occasion managed to cram in a pair of shoes as well, but if you’re looking to transport boots or a jumper on top of anything else then this probably isn’t the bag for you.

If that is enough capacity then I’m pretty confident that your ride will be a happy one. The backpack sits very close to the body and the two adjustable chest straps ensure a secure fit. The straps aren’t overly rigid and are also particularly wide, and so when empty it almost feels as though you’re pulling on a gilet rather than a backpack; it really is a comfortable bit of kit.

Even when fully loaded the backpack is easy to forget about thanks to its weight, not swinging about even when climbing out of the saddle. It sits really quite high up the back (I’m not going to make any rash aero claims but yes, it probably is faster than most) which enables access to jersey pockets, useful for stashing food so it’s still accessible during the ride.

Further storage for smaller essentials can be found in the zipped pocket on the left strap. Note that Rapha suggests using this for gels, keys and cards, and a phone will fit too at a push.

At the top of the review you might have already read that the lack of internal segregation in the main pocket is my main ‘con’ of the backpack.

There is actually a small zipped pocket at the top which is useful for a bank card or things that you want to keep handy. For a bank card it works well, but for bulkier items such as a multitool or headphones, things you want to keep away from your laptop, it’s less good – they can dig into your back as you ride if they’re behind a hard object such as a shoe or a laptop. Keeping the weight close to your back is great for preventing the contents swinging, but personally I would have preferred this zippered pocket to be on the front of the bag and not against the body.

Another welcome addition would be a laptop sleeve – even just a thin, half height sleeve or something would do the trick, but alas, it seems we can’t have it all.

I have found that anything inside the bag has stayed dry during light showers, and the lower reflective panel prevents road spray from seeping through. ‘Proper’ prolonged rainfall will eventually find its way through, so this isn’t going to be a year-round commuting option, but for damp days it’s more than enough.

I kind of glanced over the big reflective panel – top work Rapha! Most of the alternatives to the Pro Team backpack aren’t cycling specific so this is something they’re not likely to have.

If you don’t want black, the bag is also available in a lighter ‘Dove’ colour, which again incorporates the reflective panels on the rear and the strap.

Value and conclusion

At £110 the Pro Team Lightweight Backpack is far from cheap – there are plenty of cheaper options out there, such as the Altura Chinook, which is much larger and a fraction of the price at £75, or the 13L Apidura Packable Backpack at £46 – but there are also plenty that are more expensive.

The Chrome Industries Hondo 18L backpack, for example, is again a fair bit bigger but in many ways serves a similar clientele for £116.

So, it’s expensive but not the most expensive, and for that you get a premium product which, after more than a year of hard use, looks just the same as it did on day one.

The price tag is big and the bag itself will simply be too small for some, but for me it’s great and the only backpack I’ve found I’m happy to wear while doing hard efforts. It’s niche, but it does its job well.

> Buy now: Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Backpack for £110 from Rapha

Verdict

Carrying kit while training and commuting just got a lot more comfortable

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