Before I got this Outershell Drawcord Handlebar Bag, I would have my camera stuffed in a camera bag stuffed in a backpack. Anything remotely cool to take a picture of, I’d have to stop, swing my bag around, pull out my other bag, then pull out my camera, hope the thing was still there and take the photo.
It was a pain in the ass. The backpack was heavy, the whole thing was awkward and I’d most likely miss whatever cool thing I’d be trying to take a picture of.
Then John Watson put a review of this bag up on The Radavist, and I started saving my pennies.
Turns out I didn’t have to save em, cuz my wife bought the bag for me for the holidays a few years ago.
Since then, it’s been on the front of my bike for literally every ride I’ve been on.
Details about the bag: most important thing for me is that it has a foam insert that lets me take my camera along and protect it from the gnarly shit. My camera is a Canon EOS Rebel T5i that I got for my birthday five or six years ago. It has the smallest lens Canon makes for their DSLRs, a 24mm f2.8 prime pancake lens. As such, it fits snugly into the bag, with a bit of a bulge from the profile of the lens. I also have room to tuck my Garmin eTrex 10 in, some gummy bears and my wallet/phone (depening on what other bags I’ve got going at the time).
It also has some side pockets, in which I have my Crank Brothers m5 multitool, a small wooden spoon, a pocket knife and the classic Park Tool TB-2 Emergency Tire Boot. Also cuz I’m a nerd I have a proknot.com knot tying guide, just in case. There are some other odds and ends in there too. I think I saw a rubber band. There’s probably a Clif bar wrapper too.
One of the other cool things about the bag is that it doubles as a camera bag. I bring this with me to work every day (I’m a journalist in the day time, so my camera has to come with me every day). A cheap strap (Outershell sells em, but so do thrift stores) and it’s a shoulder bag.
The bag attaches to the bars by two straps. There’s a small elastic loop to secure the bottom of the bag to the head tube, and then the upper flap of the bag closes over top by another elastic that loops over the stem. The main compartment also cinches closed one-handedly, which is nice for riding.
I’ve experimented with a carabiner on the bag to hold a Camelbak mouthpiece in place, not sure about it, but I’m trying something.
So far I’ve had it on my bike for four years. There is no real wear and tear on the bag, a bit of dirt and some tiny bit of wear from rubbing, but I only noticed because I’m looking closely for this review.
Anyway, I love it. I’d buy another one, but I doubt I’ll have to because it’s so well made.
https://outershell.com/shop/handlebar-bag