Kenneth C. Martin Blogs: Product Geek reviews the Chrome Kadet sling bag

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Product Geek reviews the Chrome Kadet sling bag

The Kadet by Chrome, a company based in northwest Portland.
(Photos: James Buckroyd/BuckyRides.com)

James Buckroyd is our resident product geek. See his past reviews here.

I have been slinging this guy around the city for a while now. Mainly on small in-city runs to and from meetings where I needed a few essentials but not a massive bag full. Here’s what I found:

Chrome’s Welterweight Kadet bag ($100) is a single strap low profile “sling bag” – this particular one has been weight-reduced by using aluminium buckles and selective use of lighter materials. Regular versions can be purchased with steel buckle and many spicy fashion-forward colour options.

What it carries well: a u-lock, notepad, can of beer, a few pens, keys, phone, and a wallet really well. If you omit the can of beer, you can squeeze an iPad in there (I fit the 9.7-inch version during the test), but I’m not so sure I recommend it, as it feels a bit too large and rigid. It can also accommodate a lightweight rain shell folded with care.

What it doesn’t carry well is a medium-sized camera. Think of this Kadet as carrying slimmer things well. Beyond that, I struggled either with not being able to zip it up all the way or had to make do with lumps. Maybe a pocket-sized point and shoot but not a small mirrorless or DSLR. My smaller camera is 5″ x 2.5″ x 2.5″ and it was just a bit too awkward which is a shame really (even though on the Chrome website it shows a camera in there, they have obviously not tried to zip it up and ride).

So, why would you want this bag? A few logical reasons:

Smaller than a backpack, less bulky, more convenient than a larger bag.
Sling style swing around accessibility for on the go-ness
A single strap look without the played out messenger fixter look
Available in other colours in the regular models
You want a fresh look for on or off the bike

What would be cooler?

Make it fit a compact mirrorless camera, the “sling around feature” is a sell for this – riding and shooting.
Lose the Chrome badge off the front. You don’t need it chrome, you own this market. Have some confidence and make a design statement.

Consider this:

How much stuff you need to carry, this bag has a specific niche.
Chrome should lose the Chrome badge off the front. You don’t need it Chrome, you own this market. Have some confidence and make a design statement.
Not really for riding with a camera, Chrome should make it fit a compact mirrorless camera, the “sling around feature” is a sell for this – riding and shooting.

Read more about this bag over on buckyrides.com.

If you’re in the market for a full-featured camera bag, check out Chrome’s new Nike F-Stop Backpack.

— James Buckroyd @JBucky1 on Twitter and BuckyRides.com

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