Ventoux The Training Camp Bag

You'll not be surprised to learn that Ventoux's Training Camp Bag is designed to get your gear safely to a training camp. And if that's what you want to use it for, it's hard to imagine a better bag. It's a good all-round hold bag for more general travel too.

The bag is mainly constructed from heavy duty 400D ripstop nylon, with beefy zips and a rigid base. There's a bottom compartment for shoes, pedals and other bits and bobs while the cavernous main compartment will swallow kit, clothes and helmet with ease. At one end there's a standard pocket for more guff, and the other is waterproofed and insulated for your bottles and gels; there are three bottle holders. At the back there's another zip: it expands into the same space as the main compartment but it's separate and waterproof, so good for your smelly worn kit.

Eurobike isn't technically a training camp but I was carrying the same basic gear: normal clothes, riding kit, helmet, shoes, pedals and other assorted bobbins. The massive Ventoux swallowed them all, plus 20 road.cc T-shirts for the show, 25 pairs of socks to hand out and an assortment of electrical cables. In fact, until you've put a week's worth of stuff in it the Ventoux won't even really keep its shape. The ends fold down flat into the base for easy storage and it takes a lot of kit to make the bag full enough to get them vertical. The bag has a 114 litre capacity, including end pockets. That's a lot.

Once loaded up to the Swissair maximum of 23kg the Ventoux was an unwieldy beast to carry, so it's good that it comes with decent wheels and an extendable handle. I found that the bag rolled well but because it's a lot taller and narrower than a suitcase you have to be a bit careful on the corners and kerbs if you don't want to find yourself dragging it along on its side. It's a skill you quickly learn though. At 4.5kg empty it's no lightweight, so it might not be the best option on airlines with a draconian hold policy but with a standard 20kg limit you should be fine with a week's worth of training camp kit.

Overall I think the Ventoux bag is an excellent tool for the job it's designed for. It's not cheap but it's exactly the bag you want for a training camp and you'll probably find yourself drawn to its many useful compartments next time you're packing for a family holiday too. It's built to last and easy to spot on a carousel. I like it.

Verdict

Great bag for transporting your training camp gear, or pretty much any other gear