This Reflective Backpack Is A Gift For Commuters That Keeps On Giving 

While we understand gift-giving is regarded as a selfless act, we have a controversial recommendation for the motorcycle commuter on your list this year: Choose your gift selfishly.

At first, this may sound like bad advice, but hear us out.

Giving someone a gift you know they’ll love and use is great, but if that same gift also benefits you tremendously, isn’t it better? Enter the reflective commuter backpack, a convenient carryall for two-wheeled commuters that gives the rider in your life a useful tool, but also gives you peace of mind while they’re out on the road.

Sound too good to be true? Here’s how it works.

Why Riders Will Love This Gift

 A good commuter backpack needs a few specific things: space to hold all your stuff, plenty of pockets to keep it all organized, a protective compartment for laptops and other sensitive electronics, and some degree of weather protection for when mother nature doesn’t want to cooperate.

1) Storage Capacity

The Riderbag delivers all this and more. As far as space and organization go, this reflective commuter backpack includes a healthy 35 liters of storage, which is more than enough for lunch, a change of clothes, and just about everything your commuter could possibly need for work. (Insert image here to show the space capacity and also how accessibly convenient it is.)

2) Organizer’s Dream

Organization-wise, the bag sports a well-padded laptop compartment with space for screens up to 16”, a large main storage pocket, and a smaller quick-access pocket on the front with multiple dividers for odds and ends. There’s also a special hidden pocket on the bottom of the bag, but we’ll get into that in the next section.

3) Weatherproof

As far as weather protection goes, the Riderbag itself is highly water resistant, thanks to its tightly woven 600D nylon construction. When the weather really takes a turn, however, every one of our reflective commuter backpacks also ships with a full-length rain cover, rendering the bag completely waterproof even in the gnarliest of weather.

4) Extras

We’ll also note that the Riderbag includes a handy stashable helmet net, which tucks discreetly into the pack when not in use. This net is large enough to securely hold a full-sized motorcycle helmet to the outside of the pack, leaving the rider’s hands free around town when they’re on foot.

This is also a favorite feature of motorcycle riders everywhere because it means their helmet never needs to be left with the bike. Helmets are one of the most important (and expensive) investments we make as riders, which unfortunately makes them a prime target for theft, even when they’re “locked” on a motorcycle’s helmet hook. We’ve had our fair share of helmets stolen over the years, so   was a must when designing our reflective commuter backpack.

Comfort is also an important factor for riders with long commutes or heavy loads, which is why we designed our reflective commuter backpack with thick yet well-ventilated padding on both the back and shoulder straps of the pack. By using a supportive foam that’s covered in 3D mesh, we keep air flowing between the bag and the rider, while still offering bounce-free support with integrated hip and sternum straps.

Why You’ll Love Our Reflective Commuter Backpack

 So, what’s in it for you? In a word, safety.

Safety is what sets the Riderbag apart from the competition, and safety is what’ll give you peace of mind knowing the rider in your life is safe on their commute. A few unique features make the Riderbag a standout option in this category, so we’ll touch on each here.

1) High Visibility Colors

The single biggest risk any two-wheeled commuter takes is sharing the road with automobiles. While your thoughts might immediately go to things like road rage, tailgating, or other aggressive driving scenarios, the main culprit is actually much more obvious: visibility.

Visibility, or the lack thereof, is one of the leading causes of two-wheeled accidents on public roads. Drivers simply fail to see two-wheeled commuters coming through intersections, merging into traffic, or even sitting patiently at stop signs. In fact, the DOT has reported that the majority of motorcycle accidents are actually caused by another vehicle “violating” a motorcyclist's right-of-way simply because they didn’t notice them in the first place.

Do you want this to happen to you? Neither do we.

For this reason, one of the best gifts you can give motorcycle riders is high-visibility gear. High-vis colors (aka fluorescents) work by reflecting much more of the sun’s light than traditional textiles, which in turn makes them much harder to ignore and much more visible to others on the road. We offer the Riderbag in a variety of fluorescent colors for this very reason, which means your rider can look good out on the road without sacrificing style for safety.

2) Retroreflective Panels

While studies have shown that high-visibility garments reduce the risk of motorcycle accidents by as much as 37% in the daytime, high-vis colors are only effective while the sun’s rays are shining.  

While you may not be familiar with the term “retroreflective,” chances are you’re already acquainted with this technology out on the road. You can find retroreflective materials in street signs, the painted lines on the road, and pretty much any occupational safety vest you see on construction sites or around the  

So what makes retroreflective materials so special? Put simply, there’s no more visible garment for commuting in dark or low-light conditions. That’s because unlike regular reflective materials, which only reflect light at a fixed angle, retroreflective material is designed to always reflect light directly back toward its source.

In the case of motorcycle safety gear like the Riderbag, this means anytime a driver’s headlights shine on a rider, the bright illuminated material bounces directly back at the driver, all but guaranteeing the rider will be seen. This material is effective from hundreds of yards away, which gives drivers plenty of time to detect and avoid motorcycle commuters on the road.

3) Back Protector Compatible

While visibility is any two-wheeled commuter’s first line of defense, accidents can still happen, which is why we make every Riderbag compatible with our low-profile back protector insert. These soft armor pads are thin and flexible, yet still capable of dramatically reducing forces transmitted to a rider’s back/spine in the event of an accident.

We did this for two reasons: First, the effectiveness of back protectors has been well documented, and the safety benefits of CE level 2 back protectors in particular are worth every penny for the performance they deliver. Second, our goal in creating the Riderbag to was make safety so convenient and worry-free, that it just becomes second nature.

Our thought process here is simple. While every commuter’s gear, clothing, and location may differ, the one thing they all have in common is a backpack to carry their essentials. By making the one item they’ll always have on their person both highly visible and highly protective day and night, we make rider safety a constant in their daily commute.

4) Designed by Riders, for Riders

At Riderbag, we're riders ourselves, and we understand your needs intimately. That's why our reflective commuter backpacks are designed to cater to the unique demands of riders. The waterproof and water-resistant materials ensure your gear stays dry even in unpredictable weather. The adjustable waist and chest straps keep the backpack snug and secure, preventing unnecessary shifting during your ride. Finally, we made the bag lightweight but with extra padding on the back and straps to help prevent excessive sweating.

Go Ahead, Compare Us To the Competition

We’ll also point out that despite its affordable price, the fabric of the Riderbag is considerably thicker and tougher than what’s found in most of the “premium priced” competitor’s bags. We’ve seen our fair share of bags from big-name brands that use fabrics well under 500D thickness, yet still cost twice the Riderbag’s price (if not more).

The Final Word On Gifts For Commuters.

Well there you have it: when it comes time to choose gifts for a bike or motorcycle commuter, we say you can have your cake and eat it too with our reflective backpack. Your rider gets a handsome new backpack that’s specifically built to handle the rigors of a two-wheeled grind, and you get peace of mind knowing they’re riding as safely as possible every time they leave the house.

No other backpack for motorcycle or bike commuting protects as well as the Riderbag. Day and night, our bag keeps your rider safe with its combination of high-vis colors and retroreflective materials, giving any commuter the ability to prevent accidents before they happen.

Should they happen to go down in a crash, the Riderbag keeps on protecting with its optional CE level 2 back protector and outstanding abrasion resistance. You’ll find no better combination of safety and value on the market today, so do your rider a favor and get them the gift that keeps on giving  .