Yes – I know! The Brompton Game Bag is expensive. Even if you consider that the bag was build in the UK. More or less the same price tag as you will find with the Billingham bags for your camera gear. They look similar, were build in the UK too and you pay a high price for them too.
The fishing bags made by the same company who produces the Game Bag (Chapman Bags) will set you back only half the way. So it is 50% “Made in the UK” and 50% “Brompton Labeled”.
The Brompton C-Bag made somewhere in Asia (labeled “radicaldesign.nl”) offers 22L compared to the 17L volume of the Game Bag and it is half the price. Unfortunately it is only a quarter of the beauty.
The Brompton Game Bag is made by Chapman Bags, a company from Cumbria, England. I don’t know if Will Butler-Adams (Brompton Managing Director) is a fly fisherman – I am. So when I saw that Brompton will release a Game Bag, I was excited from the start to get my hands on it. I like the source of the design. The bag puts together two of my most favorite hobbies: fly fishing and bicycling – at least from a visual point of view.
The size is perfect for my daily ride. The bag will hold my MacBook and there is still enough room left for a light jacket or my lunch box.
It took Brompton some time from the announcement of the Game Bag in March 2014 to get it into the shops in late June. I got mine finally in Olive Green. You can order the bag in Navy Blue and Mustard Yellow too. The approximate size is 430 x 280 x 150 mm.
The bag consists of:
- 1 main compartment (I would love to find a small pocket here – but there is none)
- 1 padded laptop pocket with popper opening within the main compartment (suitable for laptops under 14” and some 15”. My 15” MacBook Pro fits perfectly into the pocket.)
- 2 zipped bellow pockets at the front
- 1 side pocket with popper opening (perfect to store the rain cover)
- webbing strap (could be easily stowed using a special strap on the side of the bag)
- solid brass hardware
- Brompton water resistant cover, specific to the Game Bag
The Bag is made from cotton canvas with full grain leather edging and YKK zippers. The quality of the materials used is outstanding. I’m sure the bag will look even better with some patina. The canvas has a soft touch and the seams do have a very professional look.
The new Game Bag uses a new clip-on frame which does not feature a plastic handle. There is a handle and it is made out of canvas – part of the bag, not the frame. The rest of the clip-on clip-off design is like you know it from all other Brompton bags. You could remove the frame if you unbolt two press buttons on each side of the bag. Not so easy to reach – but you won’t remove the frame regularly.
Didn’t have to try it so far, but I don’t think the canvas would offer any water resistance. There is a yellow plastic cover included to add rain protection to the Game Bag. It is a simple strap on solution.
There is no sign of a “membrane of natural rubber” or “a double layered canvas with latex in between”. Maybe there is something hidden under the canvas but at least you have the plastic cover. You could wax the canvas too. That’s what they did with game bags in the good old times. A lot of work and it will give your bag a complete different look. I will leave my bag as it is now.
13 responses to “Bilbo Baggins arrived – my new Brompton Game Bag”
Doggy Bag for the Brompton
So beautiful, but ouch, that price!
yes – it hurts. But the quality is worth it – somehow… ;)
Hey there!
That olive green version is exactly what I want – really beautiful! From where did you order yours?
Thanks!
//Jocke
Helsinki, Finland
Hi,
I got mine from a local dealer! Should be available in all shops now.
Cheers,
Detlef
Thanks! I just got word from my local dealer that he has reserved one bag for me, yessss! All I´m missing now is the bike itself. Ordered it last week and should get it in four weeks time.
Cheers,
//Jocke
I gave two Billingham photo bags and love them. But I balked a little at the price of the Game Bag. Instead, I bought the Carradice City Folder in green with olive trim. Looks great on my raw lacqeur Brommi, separate laptop / tablet sleeve, plenty room, two rear pockets. Worth a look, IMHO.
Hi Ron,
the Carradice bag is a great bag too and will work well. But the quality of the game bag is on a different, higher level. Still the Carradice is a fine option for a much lower price.
Detlef
The price of the game bag IS expensive. No doubt about it but sometimes the expense is worth it. My local dealer had ALL the Brompton bag options in stock when I visited this weekend so i played with them in the store for about 2 hours, checking all the pros and cons. Here is what I found.
Carradice city folder: Good quality, functional. Useful bottle holders. The fabric feels coarse and rough, not a problem on the bike but not so nice when using as a bag off the bike.
Carradice Stockport: Good quality, nicer material and finish than the city folder but padded laptop insert is TOO bulky and takes up too much of the inside space, no outside pockets.
O bag made by Ortlieb. Excellent quality, great clip on pocket system, comes with 2! waterproof without needing a cover,
Looks like a bike bag though when off the bike, tarp like look which you may or may not like. One problem, oddly cone- shaped snap closure buckles which feel annoying to use. Your fingers seem to slip when you try to squeeze them to release the buckle. This bothered me. However the capacity of this bag is great and is the most practical option.
Game bag: Top quality,MUCH better feel, softer material than Carradice ( as you’d expect at this price) so is much nicer to use as a bag off the bike. Easy to get into, Capacity a bit smaller than O bag, The side pocket is a bit too small, would have been nicer if they had made it bottle sized. Will tale a cell phone nicely. The Navy blue one has a terrific color combo with the red strap and splash of yellow inside. neat strap securing clip on the side. No outside pockets.
So, which one did i buy?
I narrowed it down to the O bag and the Game bag. You can’t go wrong with either of these for quality, performance,
I went with the Game bag and I love it. The styling and feel of the material won me over. It doesn’t look like a bike bag off the bike which I really like. It takes seconds to stretch the cover over it in the rain and then when you take the bag indoors you’ll have a dry bag with no water dripping off it.
If you can afford it the Game bag IS worth the money.
Hi Steve,
thanks for your nice comment – I agree 100% – I do love my Game Bag :)
Detlef
He game bag is no expensive.
What is 300€ in 2014 ?
An average hotel room for 1 night with breakfast.
A good watch leather strap.
I git the live one and noticed several problem on it :
1) one the the closing leather strap is not well stitched to the fabric, it is loose. Sewing defect. A thread was pull out of the fabric under this strap too.
2) the bad tends to crush down in the back when loaded because there is too much space for the frame in the bag. A design defect.
Only thing I miss in the bag is a slot for the coffee flask. Any ideas?
I got a blue Game Bag for Christmas. It’s really good quality and I’m sure it will last for a very long time. I use it just as a bag for work whether or not I am on the bike. Expensive price tag but definitely worth it I’d say.
Mine bought in November as present but only started to use recently. Top handle is already coming off and one of the frame poppers has come off. The inside doesn’t appear to be lined so fabric strands are pulling off one after the other. Verdict?
Verdict is that for that amount of money, you should get a lot of years of good use out of it. Mine might have been an odd poorly made one so I reserve judgement.
I have an old billingham given to me by an older friend and still going strong. Hopefully I can get some satisfactory resolution soon.