Mission Workshop in San Francisco

Inside Mission Workshop

Proper testing of the Vandal

Subtle Signage

The Vandal, 3 months in

At the beginning of May I wrote about a variety of bicycle commuting bags that would suit my needs in various ways.  I touched on the high and low points of each bag and the cost.  Recently I had the opportunity to visit the flagship Mission Workshop store in San Francisco (check out my vacation posts) and from that point forward was sold on the MW Vandal.

The store is tucked away in a little alley off of Valencia Street.  The big sliding barn doors open wide for a cool view of the inventory and space.  I fiddled around with just about every bag in the store, weighing my options. Admittedly, the price tag and shock took a moment to sink in.

Annually I commute approximately 2,500 miles on my bike.  Rain, cold, snow, sunshine, humidity, and all types of weather are common here in Pennsylvania. Having a piece of gear that could get me through each season was, at this point, not something I wanted to skimp on.  

So I decided to bite the bullet and go all in.  Three months down the road, I am still happy with my purchase and impressed at how it has performed so far.  I look forward to many, many years with this bag.  

Here are some of my favorite features of the Mission Workshop's Vandal bag:

- Lifetime guarantee

- Padded straps with padded back rest 

- Expands from a 22 Liter capacity to 44 Liters!!!

- Waterproof

- Chest straps that are horizontally and vertically adjustable

- Roll or flap top closing

- Tough as nails velcro

- Great buckles (and they now offer metal buckles that can be switched out)

- Craftsmanship

- Repairs for life

*AND I mentioned to the man helping me that a friend's MW bag had a zipper malfunction.  He said the bag can be shipped back for repairs and they will send out a bag for the friend to use while his is being repaired!