OGIO No Drag Mach 5 : Motorbike backpack : review

The Background.

Being in the software industry, I have to carry a laptop to office among other things. For a while now until recently I was commuting to my office in my car instead of my Kawasaki Ninja 250r hence carrying the laptop was no issue. Feeling guilty about not riding my ninja enough I decided to ride to office recently. The question was how do I carry my laptop. I had an "American Tourister" backpack which I thought would be convenient as it had a lot of space to carry my 15.6 inch screen laptop and other accessories.

The distance to my office from my residence is around 8 kms and I get enough straight stretches in between where I can take the ninja upto the speeds of 140 km/hr. The first day itself I felt major drag forces on my body due to the bag and after reaching home I could sense slight pain on my shoulders and back. I immediately realized that this bag was not made for riding. I had earlier bought a laptop bag for riding "Mobile Edge SecurePack" (http://www.mobileedge.com/securepack-black-1.html).

Mobile Edge Secure Pack

Mobile Edge Secure Pack : Inside view

I pulled it out of storage and took it to the office next day. There was a huge improvement in the stress on my body. I felt better with lesser stress on my shoulders and back as the bag distributed the weight evenly. Even the drag was significantly lesser but not totally unnoticeable. There was still some sort of drag and I was not able to push the ninja as fast as I could without the bag on my back. I used this bag for a while before my friend showed me the link to the OGIO website. 

I immediately took a liking to the OGIO No-Drag series of laptop bags. I decided to go for the top of the line Mach 5 model. I got my bag last week and have been using it for a week now. The first day I took out my ninja with the OGIO bag I was amazed at the difference. I did not feel any drag and on the contrary I felt I was getting a speed boost. It may be due to the better aerodynamics that I actually was feeling a draft or a push from the bag instead of drag. The bag is amazing with the space utilization and comfort. Last but not the least, the looks are killer.

The review.

Ergonomics: The bag has excellent aerodynamics which are very evident when riding the bike with the bag on the back. Instead of a drag it actually propels you forward. The carry handle is aerodynamic and concealed. The shoulder straps snugly fit the body and distributes the weight evenly so that there is no fatigue even after a long ride with a fully loaded bag. There is a quick release buckle on one of the shoulder straps to remove the bag easily from your back. I have been using for my daily commute to my office and yet to test it out on a longer distance although I very optimistic that it will come out with flying colors in that too. The internal space of the bag is very well organized and easily accessible. There are crevasses in the back foam which provide ventilation. The interior red lining makes the inner compartment very visible. 

Build: The bag is built with very good material and it shows. It's streamlined single shot molded exterior is nearly waterproof and will not deform with wind shear. Although it is early days for me I get a confidence that this bag will server me if God willing for a lot of years to come. Care has been taken to design small things which make a difference like the off center hip belt so that it does not scratch the tank and soft neck shoulder straps increase comfort while riding and will not scratch helmet exterior. The bag is also fitted with reflective strips so that the rider is visible at night to the traffic behind it.

Performance: I was of the opinion that with a laptop backpack on my back I will have to live with a certain amount of drag and will not have the same amount of fun riding my bike as I would have otherwise without the bag. I was proved wrong by OGIO. The first day I took my ninja out with the OGIO No-Drag Mach5 I felt a boost in the acceleration. Here I was hoping that at least there would be a reduction in the drag, on the contrary I was pleasantly surprised with a boost in acceleration instead of a drag. I am yet to understand the phenomenon behind this but I suspect the advanced aerodynamic design removes the drag and provides a reverse draft which actually pushes the bike forward even more.

Looks: There is no question that this is the best looking laptop bag I have ever seen. It doesn't look bulky yet has more than the space expected out of a laptop bag. The carbon weave shell on the outer looks stunning. It fits around the body snugly and looks very stylish instead of geeky. The OGIO logo looks fantastic.

Features: 
1. There is a removable zippered fleece lined hip pouch which can be attached to the hip belt to put small things which needs to be readily accessible during the ride like wallet etc.
2. There is a zippered fleece lined small pocket on top of the bag accessible directly without opening the bag.
3. There are shoe storage hooks inside the main storage to stack shoes for the commuting professional.
4. Padded interior helmet visor sleeve to store an extra visor during rides when we need two separate visors for day (UV protected) and night (clear).
5. There is some 450 cubic inches of extra capacity which can be used by opening the U shaped zipper around the main compartment.
6. The is a nubuck leather helmet carry strap well integrated with the shoulder strap and can also be removed when not used regularly.
7. Padded laptop sleeve with elastic closure which can fit most 15" laptops. I have a 15.6" Sony Vaio laptop which fits perfectly as shown in the pictures above.
8. Padded tablet sleeve.
9. The bag is hydration ready i.e. a hydration pack can be put in the pocket behind the laptop sleeve although it will eat up the bag capacity so I am not sure how useful the bag will be after putting in a hydration pack. This feature is yet to be tested.

Conclusion.

Concluding the review my last words would be that this bag comes with a premium price tag but is worth the buck because of the features and intelligent design. If we look at frequency of buying a motorbike laptop bag it is a good buy and a prized possession.