With the B-Safe, the Dutch basket and bicycle bag specialist Basil sells an elaborately finished commuter backpack. The special feature: it can also be used as a bicycle pannier.
The Netherlands are the cycling people par excellence - especially when it comes to everyday cycling. In no other country do so many people cycle to work or for leisure activities as there: around 30 percent. This calls not only for suitable all-weather protection, but also for the right bags and backpacks for commuters. The B-Safe is meant to be just that.
The features
At first glance, the B-Safe looks simple and unobtrusively elegant. The side and rear walls are black, the front is finely mottled gray. Striking: the almost 20 centimeters long transparent light strip in the middle. By pressing on the battery compartment - a pity, no battery to be charged via USB - inside you get a narrow, constant, fast or slow flashing light strip. A gain in safety in poor visibility or at night, regardless of whether you are on foot or by bike.
There are compartments on both side pockets that you can use for the small water bottle – if the backpack isn’t full to the brim. Because the two compartments are not made of stretchy mesh, as is usually the case, the cargo in the pockets presses inwards and reduces the space in the backpack itself.
The volume is specified as 18 liters - thanks to the very long zip that runs all the way around the side pockets, the main compartment is very easy to load. The backpack makes full use of its 18 liters and even looks bigger. Do you pack a little shopping after the office? No problem. Only the mentioned small battery compartment for the light strip is a bit in the way; Unfortunately, if things get tight in the backpack, the light can turn itself off because the small on button on the battery compartment protrudes a little.
Inside, there is the laptop compartment (15,6 inches) close to the back with two rubber straps to secure the device. In front of it is a smaller compartment for A4 loose-leaf binders or pads. A compartment for the wallet and the smartphone is placed next to each other in front of it - here now in mesh design. A key holder dangles above it on a ribbon.
Below the small battery compartment on the front of the backpack there is another zipped pocket. An easy-to-reach bag-shaped pocket for the glasses case is sewn on the left inside.
In the left side pocket on the outside there is also a hidden zipped compartment for small, important things like the computer stick - very practical! A cable with a mini-USB connector ends in the pocket on the right. Here you can charge your mobile phone if you have a power bank in the inner compartment.
The back, which is stiff because of the pannier function, is completely padded and covered with mesh material. In the upper area, directly under the straps, a small zipped pocket can be opened. The hook system "Hook on" by Basil appears below. Two simple, springy plastic hooks and a small bar that prevents the backpack from jumping off the luggage rack strut if it is shaken.
The rain hood, which is sewn onto the backpack, is hidden behind the lower zipper on the back part. If necessary, it is pulled out and forwards over the entire backpack.
The carrying straps are stable and very comfortably padded on the inside. A small EC card compartment is hidden on the left at chest height. The bus or train card is safe and handy here.
The whole thing is much more dimensionally stable than a normal backpack or pannier and is based on the square floor plan of the stable base.
In practice:
To open the backpack, you can pull the two-way zipper to the left and right deep into the side compartments. Very practical to put away, takes some getting used to when it's already full - then it's quite fiddly to open the backpack really wide and even more fiddly to close it - simply because the two side compartments narrow when the backpack is full due to their already mentioned lack of elasticity , even if they are not used themselves.
It can also be fiddly with the purse bag: Because it is quite far down, it is a bit difficult to pull the money out of the filled backpack - for example when shopping. It's a shame, because otherwise the structure would be very practical overall.
The dimensional stability of the backpack is also really practical - a fact that you only notice over time. You can simply place the thing full or half-empty on its base with two little feet, and the backpack stands. Anyone who has ever had experience with classic everyday backpacks or panniers that you constantly have to lean against somewhere - and even then they gradually slip away - knows how much that is worth.
Apropos: When used as a luggage bag, the northern lights cut a fine figure. The two carrying straps are folded forward and held together with the chest strap so that they cannot swing into the spokes. Attaching to the luggage rack is a snap. We couldn't test whether the hooks could really withstand shopping every day. One thing is certain: the backpack, at least filled with a laptop and office utensils, could certainly cope with everyday life as an office bag on the luggage rack, and the five kilogram load is easily enough.
The wearing comfort is also not without. For our short commute to the office, the B-Safe was perfect, even if the straps seemed a bit too wide. With a live weight of 1,3 kilos, the backpack is quite heavy - which is certainly due to its stability as a pannier bag - but its weight is okay because of the high level of carrying comfort.
Another special feature: the B-Safe can also be used as a trolley bag. There is also an extra strap that protects it from falling.
Facts:
Dimensions: approx. 31 x 16 x 52 cm
Volume: approx. 18 l
Weight: approx. 1.300 g
Material: 100% Polyester
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