autumnleaves wrote:retzie: was wondering whether the pawn or Ivan is a better fit... how tall are you? I'm a 5ft10 male. are all new chrome bags made in china or just some? thanks for the heads up on that, I didn't know.
p.s. hell yeah on the rain gear!!! I was gonna ask actually! any recommendations for particular items?
aroes: cheers, will check out those stores to see what they have. are the waterproof spaces large enough for a laptop? I would want to be able to put my lappy in there and be sure it'll survive a 30min downpour if I have to ride home in srs rain.
I am little! 5'3" and a girl. I totally had buyer's remorse after I got the Pawn too coz it is so big. I was going to take it back and get one of the Mission Workshop numbers instead (either Sanction or Fitzroy) but they didn't have a good pocket configuration for me - I need two large compartments and access to multiple things from the outside. The shoe pockets on the Pawn are good for this. Wallet, keys and train pass live in one of them, lunch in the other. I use the front 'weatherproof' pocket for 'puter cables, hat, gloves, umbrella, etc., then have put a laptop sleeve in the main waterproof one, so lappy, work clothes, work, etc. Apart from the size, the laptop sleeve not being built in made me hesitate, but honestly there is no difference now with an aftermarket.
I think Chrome started outsourcing to China when they hit the wider market. The original designs are still made in the US, with the newer ones going to China. On the Chrome website, each has "Built in" as the last line in its description page. You're after "Chico, CA USA"
Glad to hear the rolltop isn't a problem for vision IRL - I cannot has a bike here, so I've never tried! The Ivan is a full 11L bigger than the Pawn, so it's definitely gotta put that somewhere. May I suggest a man-date with teh one like aroes for you to try it on?? Only way to know, innit.
aroes, plz put out - don't make me look bad.Oh, in yesterday's downpour, while the bag looked after my stuff, I was kept totally dry by my Nau trench. Can't recommend them highly enough. In Chicago, the wind renders umbrellas not only useless, but a danger to life and limb - good rain gear is a must.