Homegrown gear cookery Rock Ready Engineering has lifted the lid on the latest goodie in their pot of useful biker stuff – a roomy, weatherproof motorcycle bag that morphs easily from a mount-on to a carry-on. The RRE Expedition 36 is now seeking crowdfunding on Kickstarter. Before we pledge our dollars, we need to know: is this born-in-Singapore product as tough and usable as it claims to be? No fancy packaging or user manuals – we grabbed the prototype to find out.
It carries 36L of helmet + other things.
A big stamp of approval: the padded main cavity will hold a full-faced ADV helmet! A roomy top pocket fits your gloves and essentials, and a laptop sleeve hugs your data with a neoprene liner. The mesh organiser is a thoughtful addition that will hold your biker bits and bobs in place.
It keeps your stuff dry & protected.
What we’ve got isn’t the finalised production version, but the build quality already feels premium. The Expedition owes its rugged exterior to water-resistant ballistic nylon, a waterproof liner, water-sealed zippers and hypalon outer panels. Hypalon is what military boats are made of, so that should help the bag take a beating.
We put the bag in the shower, with my laptop hostage inside. Laptop emerged fine, along with a paper towel that we put in the top pocket for good measure. So we’re still friends, Rock Ready Engineering.
It comes on and off in a pinch.
The Expedition mounts on your motorcycle using 4 mounting loops that can be strapped to a rack or subframe. The mounting loops are pretty much fix-and-forget; thereafter the bag fixes on with simple G-hooks. Tighten the straps and it stays in place even with some vigorous riding action. If you can operate a bra, this is cheesecake. We like how it’s so simple to dismount – just unhook and go.
Things get complicated with sportbikes and other models with no easily accessible subframe or racks. We’d also prefer if the compression straps were separate from the mounting system, so that the main compartment can be accessed without having to loosen the straps.
To this, the RRE team has shared that they are finetuning the mounting system for more versatility, and will also be adding backing material for non-slip contact with bike seat covers.
Carry it off the bike.
Is the Expedition a backpack that mounts on your motorcycle, or a motorcycle pannier that can be backpacked? Either way, you’d be correct. The RRE designers haven’t cut any corners when it comes to dual-purpose functionality, and the bag stands well on its own merits as a backpack.
Its clean, modern silhouette wouldn’t look out of place in the office or at a cafe, and the straps are broad and padded enough to distribute the weight of a helmet and laptop comfortably. The finalised version will undergo design tweaks for even better ergonomics, so that’s something for our shoulders to look forward to.
We would have liked for the Expedition to be lockable for extra security on a parked motorcycle, and for it to be offered in a few more colors, but otherwise the prototype is impressive enough for its genuine usability. At an expected retail tag of 210 SGD, you’ll be getting plenty of commuter convenience for your dollar. Even better that it’s made for the world, right here in Singapore. We’re putting our money on this!
Like what you see? Make the RRE Expedition 36L happen. Pledge your support on their Kickstarter page here!
