Oxford Atlas B30 Backpack review | Innovative modular luggage that should last a lifetime

5

Oxford have always made bloody good motorbike luggage. It must be well over twenty years ago that I had a Kawasaki ZX-6R kitted out with the ‘Sports’ lifetime tank, tail and side bags, which converted my middleweight sportsbike into a long-distance tourer. It was tough as old boots and performed well, however this new Atlas range has bumped the Brit firm’s baggage to the next level.

I opted for the biggest bag in the collection, the B-30 motorcycle backpack, as it has the option to be used as a rucksack or tail pack. Thanks to a well thought out ergonomic design it’s a comfortable thing to carry even when fully loaded, but that flexibility comes in handy if you want to expand on its 30-litre capacity with other bags in the modular range.

On a daily basis, the B-30 is my go-to rucksack and has more than enough internal storage to transport laptop, lunch and a change of clothes to the office. The outer construction is a tough but flexible rip-stop fabric with a kind of rubberised reinforced base, that feels like it’s been built to last. Inside is a removable waterproof dry bag, and as a neat touch extra bags can be added using the same hook and loop fastening to create separate compartments. They’re £13.99 each, and it’s a great way of avoiding cross-contamination between sweaty gym gear and clean clothes, or the risk of mixing food and drink with tech bits.

With the wide, shoulder straps adjusted correctly, the B-30 sits snug on your back with two full length cushions either side of the spine. A clever magnetic catch connects the straps at the chest, securing everything in place so doesn’t swing around when riding. It’s essentially a one-handed operation to do up, just requiring proximity to lock the two halves in place, however unbuckling does require a bit of a knack. Which is ok with me, as I don’t want it coming apart unexpectedly. As with all the fittings, it’s well made and certainly doesn’t feel like it would fail in a hurry.

External storage includes a mesh pocket ideal for spare/wet gloves on one side and a deep pouch that I use for visor cleaning kit, a shopping bag-for-life, selfie stick and other handy bits and bobs on the other. Particularly neat are the two small chest pockets on the shoulder straps, which are just the right size for stashing a debit card and ear plugs.

I’ve used the B-30 as a tail pack on several occasions, with an Atlas T-10 tourpack or two for extra capacity. They integrate together well, and it’s easy to attach the additional packs using the supplied alloy hooks and loop tabs once the main unit is secured to the bike. All the attachments have compression straps, so once the bags have been mounted everything can be snugged down securely.

The Atlas B-30 backpack has proved to be fully waterproof, even in torrential rain, and feels tough enough to outlast its lifetime guarantee. With Oxford’s innovative modular system it has the potential for a variety of additional load lugging options, giving it the versatility to be not just a rucksack, but the core of a custom setup that can be tailored on a trip to trip basis. At less than £150, it’s great value for money too.

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