Wilsons Sandbox

> 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

> hours per day. > > http://www.intersportfashions.com/right/html/luggage.asp#scouttailbak > > Any advice? > > Thanks in advance, > > Jim Jackson II > A13 - South Carolina >

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