Ogio Flight Vest instead of backpack

[KTMphil]

Eric / Ride LARA, the infamous Laos, off-road, tour company owner, has a huge amount of off-road experience and is impressed with his new gear carrying set-up.


Instead of strapping all the heavy stuff to the bike (tools etc..), he's been using a Ogio Flight Vest which fits snug/ tight to your body, nothing bouncing around off-road, which often happens wearing a backpack.


vest 1 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr



From the tester:


"What's so much better than a backpack, all your shit is firm n snug on your torso. It doesn't move at all, zip, none, period. The shoulder straps don't slip off like a backpack. It's a really really smart piece of gear. I'm/was carrying 18 packs of smokes, I know, dumb, but you can't get anything but Lao smokes in these areas. Ick. I choose my cancer. Point is, there's Alot of space not being used. I'll give u lowdown yomorrow".






vest 2 by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




From the tester:

"All you need. Small bag for pump, tubes, and a pair of shorts and 2 shirts.

All my tools money n smokes, in the vest. Sick.

Seriously. What am I missing" ?





image_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr




Just a small tail bag needed for the light stuff


image (5)_edited by Triangle Golden 007, on Flickr

 

[KTMphil]

Ogio Flight Vest from their website



http://ogio.com/flight-vest

Features:

• The ultimate utility vest with built-in hydration
• HYDRAPAK reservoir bladder and drink system included
• Tool organizer pockets and sleeves
• Goggle and lens pockets
• Back tool storage pockets
• Several multi-use pockets
• Dual side expansion buckles
• Zippered chest pocket
• Multiple adjustment points for custom fit

MATERIALS:

• 420D dobby nylon / 600D poly

 

[Kawboy]

The potential increased ramifications of a major get-off with screwdrivers and such being adhered to me would be a bit of a worry- that said, I have a friend who runs Baja every year and he swears by his Flight Vest.

 

[LivinLOS]

Yeah that looks a good option..

I used to have one of those like 'photographers vests' that had like 20 different pockets of assorted sizes.. The amount of shit you could get into that, also with everything fitting right, and everything having its correct pocket / place.. Was nuts.. And that had nothing like the large size of the above.

 

[Lightemup]

When I rode bikes in the Army, I played around with different setups. Including load bearing vests.
Obviously I had to carry mission essential gear like radio, ammo, water and various other different items on my body at all times. For a long time I used a vest, not very dissimilar to his setup, but went back to normal belt webbing setup after a while because it could rest on the hips and seat and take the load of my back and shoulders, which can lead to fatigue quicker than when your body isn't carrying the weight all the time.

 

[The Bigfella]

The downside is, as mentioned, the damage that crap will do to you in an off. I've heard of a guy busting ribs with a motorway toll device... which is the size of a packet of matches.

Stick the gear on the bike... stay smooth. Keep the bones intact

 

[KTMphil]

A negative about it, is that the pockets aren't waterproof, so you're tools will get wet (rain), any with a ferrous content will rust. Zip lock bags in each pocket wouldn't be too much hassle but will chafe over time.

 

[Lightemup]

Seeing that he is wearing a proper armored vest underneath I wouldn't worry too much about impact damage from tools and gear. But additional heat build up might be a concern also.
Like I said, what made me move away from vests was the fatigue it induced having the gear supported by shoulders and back all day.
Funny thing, this was at a time where I was co-founder of a company we ran on the side that designed, produced and sold tactical gear vests. And having all my colleagues who bought and wore our vests asking me, why I didnt wear my own gear?

 

[Lao2stroker]

Seeing that he is wearing a proper armored vest underneath I wouldn't worry too much about impact damage from tools and gear. But additional heat build up might be a concern also.
Like I said, what made me move away from vests was the fatigue it induced having the gear supported by shoulders and back all day.
Funny thing, this was at a time where I was co-founder of a company we ran on the side that designed, produced and sold tactical gear vests. And having all my colleagues who bought and wore our vests asking me, why I didnt wear my own gear?

There's no doubt, one of the great things about being in this sport is there is such a wide variety of shit to suit our needs. There isn't one "generic" fit all piece of gear that works for us all.

Now when I got it, I wasn't too impressed, but I could see some advantges. LIke alot of stuff, looking at it vs using it present some real differences in opinion.

Wearing it, I was super impressed. As mentioned, the biggest plus for me, was it doesn't move or slip. I can see why tactical vests are desgined this way. For me, the burden of all that crap on my hip in a tool bag or whatever, just sucked. chaffing, slippage, movement, kinetic energy slinging aorund. That's me.

As for the getting stabbed, there are 2 long puches running the length of the vest under the armpits. One has puches and holders that keep the long pointy stuff parallel to you...in looking, it may seems possible, but put in to action, I'd be hard pressed to see how one could get stabbed. And as well, my armor covers my body.

Heat? Well, maybe....it is mesh in some places, but shit, it's already hot as it is when I'm sitting still. Maybe move more? And in terms of how much "hotter", man, that's hard to say...I'm hot in armor as it is, I can't feel like I'm much hotter at all due to this. Again, just my idea, but max, a degree to 2?

As for the annecdote about the toll tag, sure, lots of shit CAN happen, and does, we hear odd stories all the time. But in probablity vs possiblity, it doesn't look good to me, not probable. But again, people slip and die from a walk on the sidewalk, but it doesn't keep me from leaving hte house.

And strapping everything to the bike, for me, seems careless. In all the years I've dont his job (>15), the only shit I ever lost, was strapped to the bike. And it was always shit I needed, so I adopted the rrule of "if you can't loose it, put on your body." And for me and my bike, putting on the Jack Wolfskin bazooka dry bag panniers just fucked the handling to hell. All that weight down low was rotten. Like a different machine. As well, if I put too much on the rear, same issue. So for me, I'd rather carry as much as possible, although it does sometimes suck.

In closing, I'll say that the only drawback for me personally, was the non waterproof pockets. Lame. A big oversight IMO. But i'm a biker, not a production engineer, so what do I know? hahaha, alot, I think, I'm gonna write them an email. I am a huge fan of Ogio products, built to last, with great zippers. Always function. So hopefully, with a little feedback, they can improve what I feel is agreat product and one I will continue to use and support.


Thats all I got...I hope if you try it, yuo'll like it!

 

[KTMphil]

Eric - You've inspired me tp give mine another try, all my tools are in it now(in zip lock bags), I'll wear it on the next trail ride. Good write up, thank you.

 

[Lightemup]

Eric how much does you vest weigh filled up?
Im guessing with 18 packs of smoke, not so much

My experience with vests were all from the Army, so I carried around 15-20 kgs in it on any given day.