Rex Marsee 10 Liter tank bag review
September 30th, 2008
Rex Marsee, a US based company that have been around since the late 60′s kindly sent out one of their excellent tank bags for me to review. This came about because I was on the look out for a bag and therefore was researching the available products that the average UK supplier offered.
I wasn’t looking for a bag specifically made for my bike because I have a bit of a habit of changing bikes once a year. I was also looking out for a product that was made well and would last the distance if you know what I mean. The UK markets are full of products from Oxford, Hien Gericke and the like. I’m sure they are good but I was looking out for something special. My Google searches eventually came up with Rex Marsee. Personally I have never heard of them prior to my recent dealings but it quickly became apparent that Rex’s products were different to the rest out there. For me the the semi rigid design and strong poly carbonate clear map window at the top of his bags seemed like common sense designs to me. I often only need to carry a disc lock, spare gloves, phone and wallet so having a bag half empty bag flapping about in front of me wasn’t something I relished.
Anyway, moving on… I spent a bit of time researching the bags that Rex had available and then got in contact with their European distributor to enquire about a delivery to the UK. Bill Shaw of Mission Motos explained the available bag options including their electrical hook ups to me and recommended the 10 Liter (litre for those in the UK) teardrop bag to me along with the electrical hook so that I could power my phone, gps and heated clothing when the weather gets tough. At this point I also emailed Mr Marsee and it was eventually agreed that a bag would be posted out for review.
10 days later and here we are, a seriously cool and functional bag is fitted to my bike and I will tell you now, its really well made and its obvious that someone with a bit of a brain has actually thought about the design and materials involved in putting this bag together. Fitting was easy. The base fits easily thanks to the length adjustable straps and the electrical hook up was quickly secreted into the bike and connected up to the battery.
When you first fit the bag to the base there appears to be some movement around the zipped area. I can assure you now that the bag is totally planted up to the legal speed limits and beyond (allegedly). I used the map area of the bag recently to get me to a place in London that I was not familiar with and it was great being able to print out a Google map and instructions and just pop them in the top. When you need to change page just stick the bike in neutral when stationary at a set of traffic lights an pop the top open and flick to the next page. There is no need to take your gloves off to do this. Not everyone wants to use a GPS all the time. As it happens, the bag will happily hold a powered GPS in the top if required with the power cables running nicely though the two holes into the lower part of the bag. I found it very handy being able to store my disc lock, phone, wallet, spare light weight gloves, keys and other bits in the bag. Technically its dangerous carrying anything in the pockets of your jacket. a phone tucked away in a breast pocket will break a rib with ease whilst sliding down the road.
The bag is easily fitted and removed from the base. It just zips on using the nice chunky zip and seems to be well secured once done up. If you are out for a blast and don’t need the bag but still need a map the base has a water tight map window in it that’s very handy. Well thought out.
I’m a daily commuter and use the bike as part of an onwards journey. I can now store a flask, wallet, phone and waterproof trousers in this bag and just carry it about when on the train. Its a good size and usable on and off the bike. I’ve not ridden in heavy rain with this bag yet so cannot confirm its waterproofing but I can tell you now, I’m not going to jet wash the bag down and then moan about it failing. That’s not a fair test to me. The zipped area looks pretty tough and there is a good sized lip inside it so I suspect that in normal wet riding conditions it’ll hold out as expected. If you are concerned then pack your electrical items in a bag to be safe.
If you are interested in purchasing a real tank bag that’ll actually do a proper job for you, speak to Bill at Mission Moto’s Bill is the European distributor for Rex Marsee and will go out of his way to make sure you get the right bit of kit for the job in hand.
No doubt I’ll be updating this article with my future experiences of this bag but for now I say well done Mr Marsee for building a properly designed bag that’s actually useful for normal bikers.
Below are a few pictures of the bag and here is the full picture set on Flickr.
Weblinks:-
2 Responses to “Rex Marsee 10 Liter tank bag review”
Bil Shaw September 30th, 2008 at 5:41 pm #
We do not claim the bag is waterproof – but it is highly water resistant.
The lid is strong enough to stand on – pictures on the flicker link (my backgarden too!)
Mine has seen a lot of use – both on and off the bike….. seen a lot of rain too – no major issues – but it does let the inside stain a bit after a couple of hours.
Paul did not mention much about the silver interior – helpful in bad light and soe of the other features – hopefully yhese will appear in local posts….
Spain and Portugal last week - Page 2 October 15th, 2008 at 10:01 pm #
[...] my time too…. we are taking the Marsee Tank bag into europe – one very public report is this one Fatbiker Rex Marsee 10 Liter tank bag review which has some pictures of yours truly standing on the tankbag top Product Reviews – a set on [...]