v2 is real. It's been mounted, ridden, and taken on a trip. It works. The core idea holds up. It's a backpack when you're off the bike and a tail bag when you're on it, and the conversion actually does what I hoped. I've used it on a few rides. The concept is sound.
Now here's everything that's wrong with it.
It's too small
This is the big one, and it's the reason I'm writing this now. v2 holds enough for a light commute and not much more. I want more room — but I want it to come from depth, not length. In fact I want to make the bag an inch shorter and push the volume into how deep it is. A taller bag rides worse and sits awkward on your back; a deeper one carries more without growing up your spine.
How much bigger is the open question — and I'm not deciding it alone. More on that at the bottom.
Fabric isn't final
v2 runs Robic 420D on the body with an X-Pac front panel standing in for Hypalon. For v3, Hypalon moves to the structural and high-wear areas. The outer shell is most likely Challenge Ultra, still deciding between the 400X and the heavier 800X. The tradeoff is weight against abrasion life.
Challenge has specific construction requirements too. Nothing larger than a v69 thread, #18 needle, and they recommend flat felled seams. Taping after stitching adds stability back where needle holes weaken the film backing. Every extra stitch line is a potential failure point, so accuracy matters more than reinforcement.
The inside is a black hole
Right now it's one big compartment, which means everything obeys gravity and ends up in a pile at the bottom. On a normal backpack that's just annoying. On a motorcycle it's a real problem — when all your weight slides into one corner of a bag strapped to your bike, it changes taut the straps are. I'm tired of my water bottle rolling around loose back there and is the main culprit of shifting items. I'm thinking loop-and-hook backing on the interior walls with attachable pouches, so you can move things around or strip them out depending on what you're carrying that day.
No quick-access pocket
v2 has no way to grab your phone, wallet, or gloves without opening the whole clamshell. That's a problem when you're standing at the bike in gloves. v3 gets an exterior pocket.
The straps are the biggest open problem.
I love the handle and the fastening system on Code of Bell's straps — that part they nailed. But I don't like their strap pocket, and I'm not sold on the shape. So I'm looking to improve on it.
Here's where we have an advantage most moto bags don't. Because this bag converts to a tail bag for riding, you're not wearing it on your back on the bike. That means the straps don't have to be designed around a riding position like most moto backpack straps are. They're built tight, stiff, with a chest strap cinched across your torso so the bag doesn't shift at speed. That's the wrong starting point for a bag you only wear walking.
And those chest straps have a bigger problem. They're designed around men's bodies. Women who ride have been saying for years that they're genuinely uncomfortable across the chest, and the industry's answer has mostly been a shrug. I don't want to build another bag that's only comfortable on half the people who ride it.
It's not just a women's issue either. Men have told me those same straps get awkward the moment you're off the bike and want to wear the pack loose without it cinched across your chest. So you end up choosing comfort in one scenario or the other.
Ours doesn't have to make that tradeoff. The straps only need to work off the bike, which means I can pull from what technical hiking packs do with load distribution, sternum adjustment, and shoulder shaping instead of designing around a riding position that doesn't apply. Comfortable for everyone, in the only scenario you're actually wearing it.
Velcro patch on the front?
Still undecided on whether the front panel gets a loop field for patches and flair. That one's probably going to the community for a vote.
The one I'm handing to you
Of everything on this list, size is the call I can't make in a vacuum — because the right size depends entirely on what you carry. So I'm putting it to a vote.
18L, 22L, or 26L. Sleek daily, do-everything, or full weekender. Whatever wins is the size I start cutting for v3 in August. Voting closes July 31.
CAST YOUR VOTE by subscribing to email list!
More problems solved next time.
— Chin
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