> Hey List!
>
> As I ride my A13 to work more and more often I find myself carrying more
and
> more gear. It's turning into a real pain to take all the junk out of the
> little back pack I have strapped on or unstrap it and put it back on twice
a
> day.
>
> Just saw the First Gear Scout Tail Bak and was wondering if anyone is
using
> it. Seems like ideal for my purposes. I don't want a permanent lockable
box
> on the back but I also don't want to leave valuables in the parking garage
9
Well, the bag seems pretty cool, but the price tag seems pretty high. For
that price, you can buy a really decent technical day pack that is bigger,
and would work better as a back pack (obviously). I have never owned a
tail bag or box, I just use my daypack. I have a method that straps it down
to the rear rack in about 10 seconds. I just have to unloosen the straps a
tad, then I set the pack on top of the rack, straps down and the top towards
the rear, then the straps get fed from over the back of the rack, and over
the turn signals and in-between the rack and the rear fender at the bottom
of the straps towards the front of the rack. I then cinch the straps tight
and tuck the excess strap up in-between the pack and the rack. I have
carried all of my books, notes, change of clothes, lunch and whatever else
like this for years while commuting between college and home. The pack I
use the most is a Jansport technical daypack, and I want to say it holds
2200 cubic inches. I was thinking about adding fastex clips to the shoulder
straps to make this process even easier and faster, but I haven't gotten
around to it. Also note, this has worked with heavy books on the highway
and off, on road and off, and has never let me down. BUT, you do have to be
really careful with the straps around the exhaust pipe, as they can and do
melt. If you don't feel comfortable with your load's security, you can use
a couple of bungee cords too, but after I while I just stopped using them.
But, if you have the money to spend, and you check out the tail pack and it
suits your needs, Go for it. I really like my FG Kili jacket.
BTW, I later switched to an even larger 2600 cubic inch technical daypack so
I'd have room to carry all of my books and my laptop, but I mostly wear that
while riding. When seated and wearing the waist strap, I don't even know
its there, even with 40 pounds of books and stuff (no lie, 40 lb!)
Jeff