Hi, this is Pam and Gilbert of 2 Bikes 4 Adventure.
A couple of months ago, we had the chance to cycle our Bromptons along the Confederation Trail from
coast to coast in Canada's Prince Edward Island. It's an ideal route for a painless cycling holiday,
273 kilometers of stone dust trail that never exceeds a 2% grade. It's well maintained, supplied
with covered picnic tables and other amenities and never far from a village or attraction.
P.E.I. is also the home of Anne of Green Gables and, bonus, it has micro breweries for those who
like a refreshing beer when they finish cycling. Basically something for everyone. Because we had a
vehicle and stayed at a centrally located cabin, we drove every day to a different starting point then
hopped onto the Bromptons to complete the trail end to end in a series of consecutive day trips.
Since we only carried the gear we needed for a few hours, we used this opportunity
to test various bag configurations. We had brought our full-size favorites, a
C-Bag and a WotanCraft Pioneer Basket but bigger is not necessarily better on a day trip.
On a regular sized bike, we wouldn't use full-sized panniers when a handlebar bag would be sufficient.
We need room for a mobile phone, wallet, snacks or lunch, a spare tube and some
tools. Even a slightly larger bag could also fit a light jacket or more camera equipment.
The size we find ideal is between 5 and 10 liters. For many years, the go-to bag in this range was the
7 liter Mini-O, but it has been discontinued and Brompton's only options in this size now
are the Tote Bag, which is better suited for local errands, and the Small Borough Waterproof.
One setup we tested on our P.E.I. trip was the Medium Expandable Pioneer,
a military inspired rectangular bag from WotanCraft that clicks onto the front luggage block.
Its vertical buckle strap can compress the interior capacity or expand it to 8.5 liters.
When fully deployed, it fit a drone, a small tripod, various camera equipment, snacks and a cycling vest.
The inside pocket stored smaller items. We use the optional outside pockets to carry phone,
wallet, small accessories and a water bottle. This last feature is practical as the Brompton doesn't
have any brazons for a bottle cage. The bag is very robust and weather resistant. We had only fine days
on the Confederation Trail, but if we had expected heavy rain, we would use some kind of rain cover.
Another option for the Brompton that wasn't available in time for our trip is the Y-Bag also
from WotanCraft. It has a similar capacity to the Expandable Pioneer and includes some new features.
Both bags are based on the same carrier frame and have identical rear webbing support for external
pockets. On the interior is a microfiber lined panel to attach optional modules plus a zippered
compartment. One difference is the carry handle. The Pioneer's webbing handle is not comfortable
and its position on the back of the bag means that the stitches are under vertical tension
when the bag is carried at full load. It would be more practical to use the optional shoulder strap.
The Y-Bag handle is both padded and better positioned. When fully loaded, access to the
Pioneer's contents may be tight because the zipper is at the rear of the bag while access on the Y-Bag
is via a top flap that closes with a Fidlock allowing easy single hand operation. An interesting
feature of the Y-Bag is that it converts into a mini basket bag when its top flap is open.
This makes it practical for errands like picking up snacks at a convenience store. The front of the
bag incorporates a horizontal metal stiffener as well as a plastic liner that enhances the overall
rigidity of the bag. We recommend being cautious when riding with the top open. Side cinch straps
to tighten the load or longer flap to cover the opening would be a nice upgrade in the 2.0 version.
We'll compare these two front bags with the Mini-O bag. We'll score each feature with zero, half or
one point. The Y-Bag with its Fidlock and wide opening provides the easiest access to contents.
The Y-Bag and Mini-O carry handles are similarly comfortable,
but the shoulder strap is included with the Mini O-bag which gives it a slight advantage.
For interior storage, the rectangular form of the Pioneer best optimizes the available space.
It's called "Expandable" but perhaps that should be "Collapsible" whereas the volume of the Y-Bag
is truly expandable in mini basket mode. We give it only half point however as
the contents are less secure in this mode. All these bags offer a zippered internal pocket but
the capability to add internal or external modules gives advantage to the WotanCraft.
The Mini-O bag gets a full point for its legendary waterproofness, nothing comes close when riding in
a downpour. Appearance is a matter of taste and we're partial to the vintage aesthetic.
In our comparison, each factor is worth only one point, but your decision matrix may weigh
some features more highly such as volume and waterproofness. We hope that we all have plenty of
opportunity to enjoy traveling light on beautiful cycling paths like the Confederation Trail.