Saturday, January 7, 2017

Po Campo Pilsen Bungee - a Purse with Purposeful Utility?

Last summer while I was online, ordering bike parts, other items for sale appeared on-screen, one of which was a deeply discounted Po Campo Pilsen Bungee handbag. I admit, I'm a sucker for a bargain. Seeking a new purse anyway, and enamored with Po Campo's style and utility - and yes, I presume it was targeted advertising because I've browsed the Po Campo website a number of times - I easily pressed the "add to my shopping cart" button and a packaged arrived a few days later.

This is not a review per se, but more an overview because as it turns out Po Campo has dropped this style from their offerings and I think I understand why. But firstly, I am impressed with the bag's quality. The fabric is heavy cotton. The strap is versatile and can be extended to use the purse cross-body style if desired. The purse sits flat - probably its best feature - and the zipper is well made and easily accessed. The interior has a few small organizer pouches and zippered compartment - perfect place to hold my cell phone. As a purse, this is a good replacement for this bag which I have retired.

Po Campo's bags often come with stylish-looking attachments to secure the bag to handle bar or rack, to make it simple for quick trips around town for stylish women on the go. For the Pilsen Bungee style, silver colored buckles connected to strong elastic cord are easily unhooked and wrapped around rack tubing, then re-attached to provided D-rings. In general the system works well, but the stretchy cord and the manner of securing is not fool-proof. The bag shifts around on rough terrain; once sliding off my front rack. The bag is clearly meant for short trips, and for use only on top of a platform rack. Because of these proprietary set ups, I believe this is why Po Campo no longer carries this model. It is not as versatile as their other styles, which hook to handlebars - a safer solution for any cyclist with or without a rack.

For my purposes, the Pilsen Bungee is primarily my purse, so I mostly stuff it inside my Blackburn Central Shoppers pannier. But on occasion, when I run errands on the way home from work and stow additional items inside my pannier, also strapping a paper shopping bag beneath my spare bungee cord on the rear rack, I shift the purse to my front rack. This is when the Pilsen Bungee shines. To have the flexibility to mount the bag in another location, even though it may not be totally secure, is a wonderful feature. At any rate, I can keep my eye on my purse to make sure it stays in place for the short ride home.

After several uses, I replaced the bungee attachment with strong ribbon, because I felt the elastic cord was the bag's primary weakness. It does seem to improve the bag's security. At any rate, I can alter this feature, should I want a different coordinating ribbon color or switch back to elastic in the future.

After not planning on buying a new purse, then stumbling on a bargain, I'm satisfied with Po Campo's Pilsen Bungee. After all, every woman should treat herself to a new handbag every now and then.

20 comments:

  1. Nice. I would try to fit it on the rack lengthwise, if possible, but I guess you tried that already. I sometimes look in secondhand stores to find discounted bags I can make into bike bags, as they offer some color. Nice to see the taupe Po Campo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice to find another creative soul. Re-purposing bags into bicycle panniers/bags guarantees that it will be one-of-a-kind and festive.

      Delete
  2. Nice bag. My curiosity is gnawing at me...what makes this a "woman's purse" and not merely a non-gender specific shoulder bag?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Po Campo was started by a woman and features women in their advertising so their styles fill a women specific niche for stylish, city bags. You can decide for yourself. Here's a link to this specific model:
      http://www.pocampo.com/products/pilsen-crossbody-bag?variant=259515934#

      Delete
    2. Ah, yes, after viewing the websites I see it is a women's bag.


      Delete
  3. Good overview. I've looked at this bag and others on offer at Po Campo many times. I once ordered their six-corners handlebar bag, which is now discontinued, but had to return it because the zipper was too sticky. I keep going back and browsing, though, because I have the feeling that one day they will offer just the bag I've been looking for. It's a business I'd definitely like to support.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It looks like Po Campo is evolving, aiming to find their target market. Several styles have come and gone. Currently they only offer 3 types of bags.

      Delete
    2. Like Kendra, I have one of their older style handlebar bags... it's somewhere among the mess of bike bags I've tried and have used over time... but, the version I own is quite small, suitable only for very small items (I'd say, keys, a phone, some cash and credit card(s) would be about all I could cram into it). I like it for its very small size, making it easy to remove and carry off the bike, but it's not quite functional as an actual purse.

      I, also like Kendra, am frequently perusing their site because I'd like to support Po Campo, but something is always just a bit off about any particular bag, causing me not to go through with purchasing. I do think their more recent fit/attachment systems make sense compared to some in the past. I also like their pattern/color choices, but the fabrics always seem to be some sort of plastic-y material, and I'd really rather have a cotton or waxed canvas material myself (more like the material of the bungee bag you have, Annie). I realize the plastic materials are better for weather-proofing, but I'd just rather have something more natural in the fabric choices. I did see recently that they have a faux-leather option coming soon, but I'm still not sure that works for me... but perhaps I'm just being too picky. I suppose when I'm going to plunk down a decent amount of money, I just want it to be pretty darn close to what I'm looking for in a bag.

      Delete
    3. The canvas material is what initially attracted me to this particular style, especially for a purse. But I agree that with a plethora of bag choices (and perhaps there are too many choices) why settle for something mediocre?

      Delete
    4. G.E. Your experience is similar to mine. I guess I am fussy about bags: On any given bag, whether from PoCampo or any other company, I seem to find at least one feature that isn't quite what I want. But I am glad that PC exists and is at least trying to fill a need.

      For commuting and shopping, I'm still carrying my purse/shoulder bag in a front basket.

      Delete
    5. Who would've thought that an individual could be so particular about a bag?! :) The purse I normally carry (and use on my bikes either cross-body or in a basket because I still haven't fallen in love with anything) I've had for so many years. It has tears and holes and is falling apart, but I've had more people stop me to ask about it than anything I've ever owned. If I could recall where I purchased it, I'm sure some people would be very happy. I had one woman following me through a grocery store (which was a little unnerving), only for her to finally say, "I'm not crazy... I just keep trying to see if there's a maker on your bag because it's just what I've been looking for."

      Delete
  4. i bought the same exact bag years ago, color and everything but one of the lobster claws broke. But you can still use the bag even without the bungee cord. I actually like the design, items are easy to find because it's shallow and wide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree about the bag's dimensions. I like the style quite a bit for a purse. It's just wide and shallow enough to find everything I stow inside.

      Delete
  5. I love reading your posts about bags, as I have made a lot of bags myself in the past and would love to make some specifically for my bike. When I go shopping I use an over the body bag which I made from an old waxed jacket, and which I stuff in my panniers. I definitely think I shall be having another go at making one which sits on my rack ( I made one once but it wasn't a very good design). I am also thinking of getting a front rack - what sort is yours?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lizzie. My front rack is inexpensive and attaches to the cantilever brake mount bolts so it won't fit every style of bicycle. This rack is very handy as support for a DIY handlebar bag and for stowing small items. It's approximately 8-10" long.

      Here's an example:
      http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_167593_-1___?cm_mmc=Google%20CPC-_-Dynamic%20Search%20Ads-_-Catch%20All-_-DSA_Catch%20All

      Delete
    2. After reading some of the comments on Nashbar, I see the rack can also install on v-brake mounts. I wish it came in silver, then I could try it on Miss Clementine.

      Delete
    3. I have this rack, which is similar and comes in silver
      https://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Gold-Front-Rack-700c/dp/B002MKHR7A?th=a1

      I use it as a rear rack to support a Carradice on a small frame.

      Delete
    4. Unknown, can you verify that the silver finish is durable? I've used a similar "silver" rack (of unknown brand name) on another bike and within a month the silver quickly dulled or tarnished, etc. and it is now a dull nickel grey color. However, the rack still functions fine.

      Delete
  6. Oh thank you Annie! Looks like this one of yours isn't available in the UK but I shall do some googling and see what there is. Having said that, this afternoon I picked up a bit of scrap metal - ! - that looks like a bit like a small oven shelf, and thought to myself "ooh I wonder if that could be made into a bike rack!".

    ReplyDelete
  7. My own bike purse is the Topeak DX bag. Available only in stylish black, so it probably isn't for everybody.

    ReplyDelete

Due to increased Spam, I am moderating comments. Thank you for your patience.