Braasi Industries Webbing 18ltr Urban Backpack

The Braasi Industries Webbing 18ltr Urban Backpack is a roll-top rucksack with tough character and a unique external webbing system that can hold a limited amount of extra cargo should its 18 litre capacity be insufficient.

• Pros: Rugged, comfortable and stable when on, webbing adds extra storage capability and access for quickly needed things, good for not cycling
• Cons: Toploading makes packing awkward, pricey

Brassi Industries is based in the Czech Republic and this simple yet robust backpack is handmade in Prague by craftsmen who stem from sporting, outdoor and urban cycling backgrounds, which gives this bag its rugged looks and universal utility, some of which might include cycling.

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The Webbing Backpack is made from Cordura 1100D fabric which makes it a tough beast that should survive a long life of being treated badly on the bike and then kicked under office desks and pub tables. While the fabric isn't waterproof, Braasi says it's completely water resistant (whatever that means) and it's heavy duty enough to shrug off a fat shower.

Access to the main compartment is via a roll top that's kept secure by two straps extending up from that external webbing with YKK buckles. If you're used to the gaping mouth of a normal zipped rucksack or large flapped courier bag then unclipping and unrolling the bag to gain entry can be a bit of a faff, especially if you use the bag frequently during the day.

The roll top means that access to the bag is essentially via the open end of a floppy tube, so filling the bag and retrieving stuff can be awkward. Diligent bag packing is a must for efficient use of space. If you're trying to fill the bag with groceries rolling off a checkout belt it can feel like an extremely pressurised game of Tetris, trying to utilise all the 18 litre capacity productively as the ability to leave a wasteful empty void in the bag is incredibly easy.

Complementing the main storage compartment are three pockets big enough to fit a paperback book in, or your wallet, phone, pens, glasses case, electronic reading/playing device... all the bits that might need secure yet easy access without getting them involved in the general melee of the main hold. Unfortunately these are placed a bit down the rear of the bag and are quite deep too, so if the bag is already full they can be a squeeze to access.

Externally there's just the one pocket, zipped and against the back. It's suitably sized for a 17.4in Notebook, but wallets, purses and keys can also fit – anything that needs easy, frequent retrieval. While its capacious nature could be seen as a plus point, it made it a bit of a rummage to find keys as it's nearly a foot deep; a smaller external pocket for constantly-reached-for house or bike lock keys and maybe a wallet would have been great, though that could be a just-me niggle.

Adding to the storage potential is the signature Braasi external webbing, with four horizontal and three vertical straps crossing the rear of the bag. Each of the horizontal straps is adjustable both sides to cinch stuff down, and the bottom of the bag extends up to form a shallow sleeve to tuck things in if needs be.

The external webbing isn't quite as special a feature as I thought it might be, or wanted it to be, though it does come in useful. If the bag is full then there isn't much extra you can stick in the webbing; although all the horizontal straps are adjustable, whatever you want to slip in there needs to the thin or squishy or long and thin, like a baguette. If you regularly need to transport items that are oddly shaped and might not fit inside a regular bag then this might be the backpack for you.

It is a useful feature, however, if you run stop-start errands around town and need frequent and easy access to a lock or somesuch without opening the bag each time, as a D-lock or whatever will slip easily behind the webbing and tuck securely into the little sleeve at the bottom. It's also a handy place to strap a helmet when you're off the bike, and any number of rear bike lights could clip on there as well for blinky safety overload.

You can extend the storage of the Webbing Urban Backpack a little by not rolling the top down and just clipping the straps over the top of everything – if you get carried away with the special offers in the supermarket or need to take homework back – but you'll need to put any squishy items at the top, and mind the eggs. The Braasi Wicker is the same bag but bigger, with 10 more litres for 50 extra pounds.

Once on, the Braasi Industries backpack is very comfortable, even when full and laden with things that can usually cause targeted back pain, like awkwardly packed tins of beans/cat food. This is thanks to the wide and thickly padded shoulder straps and incredibly well padded rear. And when heavily stuffed, the Braasi bag doesn't move or shuffle about even under the most erratic of pedalling efforts, and does so without the need for either a waist or chest strap.

There's a top and centre carry handle for lifting and more manual based lugging about.

The yellow of this Webbing Backpack (black, grey and white are also available) gives a high degree of SMIDSY avoidance from the rear, but only during the day as there are no reflective accents to the bag anywhere for a nod to nighttime visibility.

What everyone needs from a bag they're going to use on (and off) the bike varies enormously, and the market is oversaturated with bike baggage choice now in both size and price, so you can afford to be choosy. Or just go with the one you think is cool.

> Buyer's Guide: 14 of the best cycling rucksacks

If you're a bike commuter and know roughly what you're taking to and from work each day and what capacity that requires, with maybe a bit of room for that extra item taken on the way there or pint of milk picked up on the way back, then the Braasi Webbing is a good bag that should survive the rough-and-tumble of daily misuse pretty well. It also doesn't scream 'cyclist' when you're off the bike and need a general sturdy holdall; it easily fits within aircraft carry-on dimensions, for example.

But if you use your bike as a packhorse and run day-to-day errands on it and need to carry all sorts of crap, be that random work-related ephemera or just need to pick up a few days' groceries, then the top-down packing can make frequent use a frustration, either in trying to fit things in efficiently or retrieving something from the bottom. And while the external webbing is a feature that makes it stand out from the crowd of bike-ready bags, it might not be quite as useful as you imagine, and certainly doesn't extend the bag's carrying ability by much if it's already full.

Verdict

Hardy carrier both on and off the bike, but check to see if storage space and external webbing suit your needs