Wild Things Tankbag Offers Lots of Room For the Money.
Wild Things Tankbag Offers Lots of Room for the Money.
EVALUATION
Tank bag design appears to headed in one general direction since the development of Dupont's Cordura material. Big, black bags with lots of pouches and some Velcro and a clear map pocket on top are produced by lots of companies now.
One variation on the common theme is a bag from Wild Things of New Hampshire. It's made predominantly of black Cordura and there's Velcro and a map pocket on top, but it also has its own novel features.
It mounts in a conventional enough manner, with a pair of straps fastening around the gas tank. Velcro connects the two ends of the straps, while the straps are partially covered with a synthetic fleece to protect the tank from scratches. Although the straps are wide and fasten easily enough, the combination of the two straps with the fleece coating makes the bag slide around the tank too readily. The mounting system, in fact, is the single major shortcoming of the tankbag, but then the mounting system is a difficult problem
with many tankbags.
Two main compartments, both about 12 in. by 18 in., are provided in the Wild Things bag. The bottom section, about 4 in. tall, is closed by a zipper around its edge, and a second, collapsing compartment fits on top of the bottom compartment. The top compartment closes with a zipper down the middle, covered by a flap with a map pocket on it. The flap connects to the base pouch with a nylon strap, which can be adjusted to keep the top portion collapsed around the contents.
This is a huge tankbag. Wild Things says it has over 1400 cubic inches of capacity, or about eight-tenths of a cubic foot. With both sections filled full of clothes and rain suits and enough film and cameras for a weekend the Wild Things bag looked larger than bags claiming to carry more than a cubic foot, so we don't doubt the 1400 c.i. claim.
Carrying lots of stuff for an extended trip is what the Wild Things bag does best. As an around-town go-shopping type of bag it is less convenient to use than others because the top flap must be opened before the compartment can be unzipped, and unfastening the plastic clip on the nylon tie line can be an inconvenience.
The only outside-access compartment is a change pocket on the side, but it's not large enough for a pack of cigarettes, for instance. Map pocket access is good, and it's well sealed, but the map pocket is only 5.5 in. wide.
To add some color to the bag the top flap can be ordered with red, black, white, blue, green or yellow trim. Certainly the basic black adds little style.
Because the Wild Things bag is so large, it really requires a large gas tank for attachment. It adapts to a wide variety of tanks and can fit the largest.
Now comes the best part. The Wild Thingstank bag sells for $45. At that price it's a bargain even with a couple of nuisances. Available from Wild Things, P.O. Box 182, North Conway, N.H. 03860. (603) 356-6112.
