VeloPac RidePac Allez! Girl

My jersey pockets are usually stuffed full of, erm, stuff for a long ride, so a zipped pack like the VeloPac Ridepac Allez! Girl is really useful for getting myself organised. It's well made but a bit pricey, and a little too large for my needs.

It's a handy, stylish zipped pouch with three compartments designed to fit in your pocket and carry your phone, keys, money and any other bits you can fit in. It features artwork by illustrator Spencer Wilson, with this Allez! Girl being one of a collection of five stylish bicycle-themed designs.

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Inside the Ridepac you'll find a secure zipped pocket, a slot for a bank/credit card and a separate phone compartment big enough for the larger phones out there like the iPhone 7 or Samsung Edge Plus. I tested it with the smaller iPhone 5 and there was room to spare. I also had some spare change, a bank card, lip balm, spare contact lens, a hydration tablet, and a door key in there, and it wasn't too bulky.

With the three compartments you can keep phones separate from other scratchy stuff, but be wary of the zip pull inside because it could damage your phone screen.

The RidePac has what Velopac describes as "a triple layer construction of durable cotton bonded to a microfibre inner padding & waterproof matt finish outer coating". It has performed well in downpours – no water has got in – and I've put it under the tap, too, for a full soaking and can report no leaks.

It does make your jersey a bit sweaty – but if I had my phone in my back pocket it would be sweaty too... so I would prefer my phone stay dry in the RidePac and my back get a bit sweaty.

I also found it a bit big; it poked out of my jersey pocket, and if I was riding in a slightly looser fitting jersey the RidePac would move about, especially if I was out of the saddle up a hill. I was certainly aware it was in my pocket.

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It's pretty pricey too. The large Sticky Pod, for example, is £16.99, the small £13.99, and Lezyne's Phone Wallet is £19.99.

On rides where you don't have to carry so much, the slim ziplock clear plastic pack pictured here with the Ridepac – the Allez! Girl Phonepac2, which costs £8 – is a useful alternative. (It doesn't fit in the Ridepac.) Again, though, there are cheaper options: this Velochampion pouch is currently £2.95.

To sum up, I would happily use the RidePac if I needed to take money and keys on rides, and would also use it out and about to hold my phone and money off a bike, but it's a little too large for my liking and a bit pricey.

Verdict

A handy waterproof pack to carry all your ride essentials safely and protected from elements