Fox Transition Duffle Bag
- Price: $149.95
- Available at Backcountry
As a kid we had one of those tiny camper trailers that looked hardly large enough for one human until it made some Transformer moves, and morphed into a fort-like house with room for four. Before “camping” in it, I wondered, “why don’t we just use our tent.” Once I was cocooned warmly inside, listening to the evening rain, the answer was clear. That was a few years back when car and camper interiors were a compulsory shade of brown, and the little pop-up fit the forest nicely.
The Transition Duffle Bag from Fox has a similarly cavernous interior that expands as needed and rolls into a compact bundle for storage. The bag has a voluminous 45-liter main cabin, a separate space for dirty shoes and stinky clothes, a softly lined zippered sleeve for goggles or electronics on one side, a second sleeve of the same size with a key clasp, and several internal organizational pockets. The best part: it’s essentially waterproof, thanks to a 450D polyester diamond ripstop exterior layer. Though it doesn’t have taped seams, it will keep your gear dry as long as you remove it from your back before jumping in the lake.
There are three different ways to carry the Transition Duffle, with a set of backpack-style shoulder and sternum straps, and a handle on the top, and another along the backside. The shell is covered in loops to hook things on, should you manage to pack the inside full.
One side pocket is lined with a soft fleece for packing goggles, electronics, or anything else you want to keep scratch-free. On the opposite side, there’s an equally large pocket with a key clip, spacious enough for an e-reader or a handful of tools.
I typically pack light — let’s say competition-level light — and the primary cargo bay has enough space for my helmet, kneepads, gloves, and 4-5 days of riding and chillin’ kit. On the backside of the cabin hatch, there are two large stretchy pockets to further separate your goods, each with space for a packable jacket or 3-4 pairs of socks. Just above those two pockets, a pair of mesh zippered pouches complete the internal organization system, and one has a key clasp so you don’t have to remember where those things went. Overall, the bag has just enough pockets to keep gear tidy without having to recall where all of the compartments are when it’s time to hunt for something.
The internal material is glossy, and easy to clean after a weekend of muddy and/or sweaty riding.
Below the main cabin, the seperated stank-drawer has space for a pair of shoes and a dirty kit or two, depending on how bulky the dirty clothes are.
Finally, tucked tightly into that same lower compartment, there is a changing mat to stand on while slipping into clean clothes. Like the rest of the bag’s internals, it can easily be sprayed clean between adventures.
Though this pack is designed to function as luggage it’s certainly comfortable enough to ride with if needed. For pedaling between your pop-up camper and a nearby lake, or between a hotel and the train station, it fits comfortably over the shoulders.
