Topeak Escape Pod (medium)

The Topeak Escape Pod is a simple, effective way to carry tools, spare parts and other stuff on your bike, using a free water bottle cage. It's a simple idea, and Topeak has done a good job of the delivery.

Using a manky old water bottle to carry spare parts has been a cyclist's trick for as long as bottles have existed. Easily swapped between bikes, or removable for security purposes, bottle-storage is far easier than dealing with saddle bags or other ways of hauling stuff around. Popping into some shops, or a pub, and don't want to leave the circa £100 collection of nice mini-tool, tube, levers and micro-pump on your bike? Take them with you in one package.

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Of course using a bottle cage for bits means one less water bottle you can carry, but many people overestimate the amount they need to drink anyway, and with the rise of more-practical frame features, a third set of water bottle bosses – usually under the down tube – is increasingly common. If you're headed over rough terrain you'll be wanting to use an old toe-strap or strip of Velcro to secure your bottle.

The 620cc Topeak Escape Pod (Medium) does a good job providing secure storage. The opening is 59mm, allowing you to stuff in a decent selection of oddments. The internal length is about 160mm, meaning that a small pump like the 136mm Birzman Mini Apogee disappeared easily inside. As the lid needs something to thread onto, the top 3cm of the Escape Pod is restricted somewhat, opening out to the full internal 72mm diameter below the indentation for the bottle cage to snap into.

Topeak provides a little neoprene 'handbag' to stuff loose stuff inside – Allen keys, levers and so on – so they don't rattle around inside. Depending on how you pack your stuff this may or may not be needed, but it is handy for keeping everything in one place and quiet. Further aiding on-bike serenity is a layer of open-cell padding inside the lid, which squashes down on the contents.

I keep my inner tube, levers and a nitrile glove packed inside a zip-loc bag, mostly to prevent abrasion of the inner tube. Due to the restricted mouth this needed to go in first, then the mini-pump could be slid down the side. I could then pop a small multi-tool (Topeak's Mini PT30, review to come) on the top.

That pretty much filled the 620cc capacity to the brim – you could get a bit more by eschewing the neoprene liner, but not much. There's an 850cc Large version of the Escape Pod that adds another 7cm to the length, meaning pumps up to 206mm long should be fine. There's also a 520cc Small size, suited to CO2-inflator fans.

Expect the Escape Pod to look pretty scratched up after just a few rides – but hey, it's luggage, not a beauty contest. The dark grey doesn't show filth too badly compared to lighter coloured or black bottles.

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Alternatives abound, as you'd expect for such a simple idea. Stu found the Vel Tool Bottle to his liking, while the cheaper, compartmentalised Bontrager Storage Bottle is a neat take on where to put your car keys – not a silly idea, given modern car remotes can run to many hundreds of pounds replacement cost. And then there's the B'Twin Bike Tool Box from Decathlon for £3.99, doing pretty much the same job as the Topeak, albeit without any concession to rattle reduction (BYO bubble wrap).

All in all, Topeak has done a good job of the Escape Pod. I can't see how you'd wear it out, and if you did it's recyclable. So for £11.99 you may have an on-bike-storage family heirloom on your hands.

Verdict

Good, solid, rattle-free way to carry tools and spares on your bike