Henty Wingman Backpack

The Henty Wingman Backpack brings together some really well thought out ideas into one well made package. If used correctly it also keeps everything crease-free on a long commute, which is a huge bonus.

One of the things that stops many people commuting by bike is that they need to wear a suit or smart clothes at work, which need to not be a crumpled mess. Assuming you can't or don't want to wear such clothes to cycle in, this is where the Henty Wingman comes in, giving you the ability to carry clothes on their bike without them crumpling up.

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The basic design is a suit bag that sits horizontally and can be Velcroed and clipped shut to keep everything in place. This is then rolled into a cylinder shape, which theoretically means no creases are created and the suit/shirt/dress should come out in the same condition it went in.

Generally speaking this works pretty well when some thought is put into the packing of said suit/shirt, and the included hanger certainly helps in this regard. I found it was more difficult if I tried to take a week's worth of kit in at once – although Henty says that it's designed for three shirts, it is still possible to carry five, it just requires some additional thought into making sure it all fits properly and lies flat.

The suit element of the bag has a large padded suit compartment with taped zips across three sides. This large opening makes it easy to pack a suit and shirt without needing to force anything, meaning fewer potential creases. Outside of this there is also a large pocket, which is useful for storing flat but bendable things such as papers and travel documents.

In addition to the suit section, the Wingman Backpack includes an 18L waterproof 'inner tube', which the suit section wraps around. It's useful for packing shoes, lunch, and anything else you might need for work, and the more you can pack into it the better, because the larger the circumference that the suit bag has to wrap around, the fewer the creases created.

The Wingman also comes with a small documents wallet that can be slipped into any part of the bag to keep smaller items together.

There's a Messenger version of the Wingman with a single shoulder strap and 14L inner tube (for £135), but this Backpack model includes, naturally, two shoulder straps. These sit on the shoulders comfortably, and this 'segment' of the backpack also includes a laptop sleeve for anything up to a 15-inch laptop, which sits behind the padding on the backpack, in addition to a smaller pocket at the base of the back, which is useful for items like hardcover notebooks or tablets.

It's not a cycling-specific backpack, and can be used on motorbikes and just generally, and this does show slightly in the breathability when carrying it. It isn't like having a radiator on your back, but could do with a little more ventilation for comfort, especially when you have the laptop case in use. It isn't really an issue for shorter commutes that don't require too much climbing, but on a couple of hotter days it was noticeable.

The straps are comfortable on the shoulders despite not being the most padded, and there is also a chest and waist strap to keep everything in place while riding. It certainly feels secure and because of the cylindrical nature and well considered material choices, I think it also looks good while being worn.

One of the biggest selling points of the Wingman is that it is weatherproof, and it seemed to be the case, standing up to wind and rain during the testing period, although the weather wasn't particularly severe. It certainly kept out light and medium rain and seems like it would survive considerably worse.

As for value, at £155 it's expensive, but I think the innovative features and high quality design go a long way to justifying it.

> Buyer's Guide: Best casual cycling commuter wear

Overall, the Wingman performed very well throughout the testing period. It was great for transporting everything to and from work, has all the features you'd want from a commuting bag, and keeps out the weather. It would be nice to see a little more ventilation across the back, but aside from that there is little not to like.

Verdict

A well made, innovatively designed bag that keeps your smart clothes dry and uncrumpled