As I type this I’m staring out at a very damp Mill Street and the brave souls who have ventured out are looking very soggy indeed!

However it’s the perfect weather to tell you all Aquapac and their brilliant bags and cases. But first a story…

There is nothing more soul destroying than arriving at a camp site after having ridden through a deluge to find the lovely, snuggly dry clothes you were so looking forward to putting on in various of stages damp to downright dripping.

This is exactly what happened to me (Jodie) once too often and thus I decided to invest in a decent waterproof bag that I could confidently chuck my belongings into..and voila my first Aquapac was purchased – the 40L Upano Duffel. (Pictured below in sunny Spain)

Now I’m not going to lie the Upano wasn’t exactly cheap at £100 – the phrase I like to use is ‘considered purchase’ but I didn’t have to consider it too long as the folk at Aquapac are so confident of their products that they come with a 5 year warranty. I bought that bag 10 years ago, and it’s still going strong and has been used on EVERY trip, be it on the bike, or lobbed on a plane, train or automobile. (I have an aversion to those wheely cases, but that’s a story for another time!)

In the intervening 10 years, their designer has been busy and they’ve launched a ‘Trailproof’ range. This is bright, fun and funky and is what you’ll find here in eclectica and here’s 5 reasons we reckon you should own one:

* You’ll find duffels, messengers, waistpacks and electronics cases.
* The Trailproof range comes in at a much lower and affordable price point than their pro range as they’ve done away with some of the bells and whistles and simply left the stuff that you need.
* The products are made from lightweight and durable Polyurethane.
* They are 100% waterproof.
* All products come with a 5 year warranty.

…oh and here’s one more

* You are buying from a British company.

So who the heck are Aquapac?
Aquapac’s been going since 1983. It all began with three guys chatting in a London pub and the story goes that one of them said “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you could listen to a Sony Walkman while windsurfing?” (both the Walkman and windsurfing were pretty new right then). They all agreed it would, so the very next day they set about creating a waterproof case that would make it possible. From these small beginnings emerged a waterproof case for handheld VHF radios that boaters all over the world still rely on today

To date they’ve sold over 5 million bags –  not bad going for an idea someone came up with in a pub! Many of which are still manufactured at their HQ in south London.

Last but not least they’ve been honoured with no less than three Queen’s Awards For Enterprise.


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