Woho Classic Roll

The Classic Roll is a cool seat bag from Woho’s Firefly series. It can be mounted to either the saddle rails or the handlebar. What’s truly unique is that they’re made from a translucent reflective material. When you put a light inside the bag (provided it’s not obscured by the rest of the bag’s contents) the whole bag becomes a lamp.

As soon as I opened the box from Taiwan I was impressed by the quality. The bag is sewn with all the integrity and attention to detail you would expect to see on a high-end messenger bag, and the material feels strong and durable. The second thing I noticed was how simple it was to mount the bag. The wide Velcro strap across the top of the bag makes installation fast and secure, and the same goes for the optional handlebar straps. It might seem like a stabilizing strap between the bag and the seatpost would be a good idea, but I’ve found that it works fine without one.

Being that the material is a vinyl-like substance, the bag is almost totally waterproof. Of course since it has a zipper, some water can work its way in. And because there’s not much opportunity for condensation to escape, it’s not always the best environment for steel tools. So if you keep a wrench or multi-tool in a saddle bag, it’s a good idea to check the steel parts periodically and wipe them down with some WD40.

Inside the bag is spacious, and there’s a small, simple strip of webbing across the back to help with organization. If you don’t fill the bag up, your stuff may slide around inside, but on the other hand if you pack it full the light can’t bounce around as much of the bag. Speaking of light, the whole idea is pretty good, but remember that it’s essentially equivalent to putting a blinky light in a diffuser. So hopefully you have a supplemental tail light source, such as a light on your backpack or helmet.

The classic roll retails for $21. Visit www.wohobike.com for more info.