CHROME BARRAGE

£170

Weights and measures

Weighing in at 1410g with a heavyweight 1050-denier, nylon waterproof outer. Its 22 litre capacity can expand to 33 litres, due to its roll-top design. At 54cm tall, 30cm wide and 14cm deep it’s taller but slimmer than the Metron.

Fixtures and fittings

The main compartment is waterproof lined with a simple laptop pocket. The main compartment is roll-topped and strapped down with a broad, two-inch web strap. On the outside there are twin, open-mouthed pockets set on each flank at the base of the bag, big enough for a water bottle or a mid-sized lock. The cargo-webbing strap system looks great and is heavyweight, plus it’ll expand to carry big items. The straps are hard wearing and the adjustable chest strap is held in place with a mini, quickrelease buckle.

On your back

The mesh-backed strapping system on the Chrome offers more support across the shoulders than the Osprey. It sits higher up your back than the Metron and the bodyshaped strap system with metal-fast compression adjusters means it does away with a waist strap. On the bike it feels very secure while still giving you plenty of freedom to move. Its build is tough and it’s also backed with a lifetime guarantee.

Bag for your buck?

The QR buckle plus no waist strap makes it easy to sling on and off quickly, but accessing the main compartment means unclipping and unrolling the top. The Barrage will last for years (this tester has a Chrome roll top that’s more than a decade old) but you need to be smarter when packing it for your commute than with the Metron.

HIGHS

Very tough; waterproof; sharp styling

LOWS

Minimal features and compartments