REMOTE EQUIPMENT BRAVO 18: REVIEW
BRAVO 18 mimicry
FOREWORD
Dear reader, to appreciate the BRAVO 18 you need some context. Allow me to take you down the memory lane.
Exactly 2 years ago, on March 1st, 2018, a Kickstarter campaign went live for a first bag from the unknown company called Remote Equipment. The bag was called ALPHA 31. It featured a unique design, superior materials and had bold claims of becoming the ultimate bag for everyday life - travel, EDC, hiking.
Multicam Black ALPHA 31. A rare beast to come across.
At $289 it wasn’t exactly cheap and the nature of Kickstarter campaigns (overpromising and underdelivering or sometimes not fulfilling at all) has put many people, including myself, on the fence about supporting the campaign from a guy (Philip de los Reyes) who single-handedly designed the bag and started his own company and launched his first campaign. Simply put, it was a big gamble and I passed, even though the bag had more than piqued my interest.
Finally, on April 1st, 2018 the campaign was successfully funded by brave and lucky (on that point later) 132 backers who pledged the total $37,804. The campaign goal was $30,000 so the bag was quite close to not being funded at all, imagine that?
To put things into perspective, let me share some stats from other bag campaigns that I followed in the past few years.
Peak Design Everyday Backpack/Tote/Messenger raised over $6 million by over 26k backers
Peak Design Travel Line raised over $5 million by nearly 14k backers
WANDRD PRVKE 21 Backpack raised over $400k by 2k backers
Boundary Supply Errant raised over $1.2 million by almost 10k backers
Boundary Supply Prima System raised over $700k by almost 3k backers
NOMATIC Backpack raised over $2.2 million by over 10k backers
Finally, the above campaigns were very successful and the bags they brought to market were reviewed with praise and found many happy customers. They did innovate and tried new things, sure. But go ahead on eBay and search for any of those bags and with 99% chance you will find one for sale. Honestly, none of these super successful campaigns have created a cult following. Granted, these companies did push the industry forward, but there is another side of this coin - truly innovative smaller companies that don’t have the budgets for fancy marketing campaigns are left in the dark, not getting the attention they deserve.
Flash forward to today, the ALPHA 31 has become a legend. A Unicorn bag any bag addict hopes to add to their collection. A bag that has not appeared on eBay for sale or on Carryology Classfield postings simply because none of the current owners would even consider selling it. Yes, it is THAT awesome. To make things more interesting - there has not been another production of the bag since August 2018 so good luck in getting your hands on that rare and very special item.
With the ALPHA’s fame, Remote Equipment has found a very special place deep in the hearts of people who appreciate outstanding comfort, quality and the durability of their bags. Having no new production of the ALPHA 31 on the horizon everyone who followed Remote Equipment has held their breath hoping for the ALPHA 31 V2 or at least another run of the original ALPHA. Instead, in July 2019 Philip has launched something very different and unique - BRAVO 18, a “multi-hauler” for lack of a better term that would describe it. (There was also a limited run of the prototype version using different materials)
Since I missed the train on the ALPHA 31 I decided to pick up the BRAVO 18 (while it was available:)) to see what is all the fuss about and if Remote Equipment products are that good.
Read on to find out what I think.
BRAVO 18 in sling mode
ABOUT THE BAG
The bag looks deceptively simple, almost too simple, but a ton of thought and consideration went into making it the way it is. Shaped like a tote with a more vertical orientation it has just 2 zippers on the outside (one to access the front compartment and the second for side access to the main compartment), one small pocket inside to store smaller items and can be carried in 5(!) different ways:
Brief bag using top handles
Over the shoulder by lengthening the handles
Messenger style
Sling style
Backpack
The materials picked for the bag are one the best the industry has to offer today, no expense was spared and zero compromises made. See below the technical specifications from the official site (https://remoteeq.com/products/bravo-18)
X51 (black)/X50 (multicam™) X-PAC™ Fabric from Dimension Polyant. Both fabrics are made with a Cordura® Nylon face with a C6 DWR coating, polyester X-PLY™ reinforcement, and water-resistant polyester backing.
Weight: 1.2 LBS (0.55 Kilograms)
Dimensions: 18" x 10.5" x 6" (45 x 27 x 15cm).
Volume: 18 Liters
Body Fabric: X51 fabric (black), X50 (Multicam™)
Webbing: Nylon weave style MIL-W-17337, polyester seatbelt webbing
Hardware: ITW Nexus
Zippers: YKK® Aquaguard®/YKK® RC coil
Price: $199
Today BRAVO 18 is my diaper bag and it’s handling it like a champ.
QUALITY & COMFORT
Let’s not beat around the bush - the quality is outstanding. The bag dares you to test it’s limits and passes all the abuse with flying colours. It’s quite challenging to find the weakness in its construction and so far I have failed to reveal a single reason to doubt its longevity and durability. There is no inner lining to worry about, so you have peace of mind that if the contents of the bag leak it would do nothing to the bag. Yes, I had accidents with my lunch spilling out from a faulty container and most of the bags going through such unfortunate events are scarred for life with weird stains and strange scents. It’s a different story with BRAVO 18 - it laughs in the face of such incidents and confidently carries on being your trusty bag.
The cinching of the bag is a joy thanks to a very cool custom pull. Just don’t forget to insert in the cinched hole, otherwise it flaps uncontrollably :)
Comfort is a bit tricky. As already mentioned there are 5 ways of carrying the bag and they are not all equally comfortable, at least with my scenarios. Let me try to break it down for you.
Brief carry:
This is one of my two preferred ways to carry. The handles are long enough to be comfortable and still keep the bag from touching the ground. I do quick grocery runs in this mode.
Brief mode ON.
Over the shoulder carry:
When carrying the bag wearing a shirt/t-shirt it’s totally fine. But I am a big guy and noticed that the straps are not long enough for comfortable carry when I have thicker jacket/parka on. Allowing the straps to get a tad longer would rectify this issue.
Messenger carry:
It’s fine. I don’t carry the bag this way purely due to aesthetic preference, some might dig it.
Sling carry:
My favorite and most used mode. I live and breathe carrying this way. I like the stability it offers when the strap is cross-body while keeping the bag almost vertical. My one wish is to have a stabilization strap that could be securing the bag further and prevent swaying when running.
Backpack carry:
I am not a fan of how the bag looks in the backpack mode. The straps are bare-bone, have no padding so under heavy load your shoulders will feel them digging in. Also on all my backpacks I secure the straps with the sternum strap, it’s a habit and I use the strap not for the weight distribution but more for securing the bag on my body and keeping the straps in one place.
Also, the shape of the bag in the backpack mode is authentically not something I dig. Your mileage may vary :)
The second strap has been put on ice to serve as a backup/replacement item.
No BS. Just the essentials.
ORGANIZATION
This section will be quick, the organization is minimal, just the essentials :) You have at your disposal:
Front compartment. It’s flat and has almost no dimension/volume. Good place for your flat items such as notebook, wallet, tablet, etc. To my big and pleasant surprise, it fits MBP 13 2019 like a charm! Granted, without a case, but still awesome to just slide it in and carry on. Love it!
Main compartment. A roomy hole that can be accessed from the top cinch or the side zip.
Small mesh pocket inside with a nice zip (Excellent for small things like wallet, keys, etc)
That’s it. The upside - it’s difficult to forget where you put what, the issue I have when a bag has too many compartments (Yes, I am looking at you Code of Bell X-Pak, you almost make me anxious with all your options of pockets and compartments)
Who could have thought that cinching the bag would be so much fun!
WHAT’S HOT
Superb materials, build quality, durability. Bombproof!
Minimal design and features executed extremely well
Perfect size for an EDC or collapsible travel bag
The weight! The bag is so lightweight (550g) that I instinctively reach out for the BRAVO for 90% of my needs
YKK Aquaguard zippers are a joy to use, the zipper pulls are my favorite among all the bags I have used.
WHAT’S NOT
The straps are bare-bone and not very comfortable to operate when the bag is full/heavy.
Adjusting the length of the strap is a bit finicky
I wish there was a quick release option for the straps. I mainly carry the bag across the body (sling style) and I am sorely missing the ability to quickly release the strap instead of taking the bag over my head.
The bag is not very comfortable to put on/off when wearing a parka or jacket with a hood, it often gets in the way. This could be rectified with the quick release buckle on the strap mentioned above.
It’s the nature of the materials but the X-Pac picks up lint and hair like a magnet. This is more noticeable on the black version and a bit mitigated on my MCB. I imagine it would not be a problem with the Alpine White version.
As you can see most of the issues I have are related to straps. I wish Philip offered custom straps with more padding, quick release, stabilization strap options. I am already researching the alternatives, this is the only part of the bag that I would change and it’s mostly related to how I use the bag, for you, it might be perfect as is.
WRAP-UP
If it’s not clear already I will just say it - I am smitten by the BRAVO 18. It has instantly become my go-to bag and I appreciate how it simplified my carry routine, my everyday life.
As you saw from my nitpicking (those are not serious negatives) I did not mention the lack of internal organization (I am already used to pouches to hold my cables, chargers and small items) or the padding/dedicated laptop sleeve - these things would only complicate the bag and take away from its beautiful simplicity. The bag is like nothing else on the market, it takes bold risks and offers a unique perspective on what an everyday bag can be.
All in all, Philip has struck gold with BRAVO 18 and created a modern classic. This is my first product by Remote Equipment and I can confidently say that I am now a believer and a big fan of this company. The hype is real. And if the BRAVO 18 with its simplicity offers so much value and brings so much joy, I can’t imagine what would the ALPHA 31 do to me once I get my hands on it :)
At the beginning of this post, I mentioned those 132 backers that made the ALPHA 31 a reality. Imagine the first campaign had not been funded and the whole project scrapped. No ALPHA, no BRAVO, no Remote Equipment. That, folks, would be a very sad world to live in.
Bear with me for a moment here.
When we think about making a big purchase we often consider it an investment in our quality of life, usability, productivity, etc.
But consider another side of the story. By making a purchase we should not forget that it’s primarily an investment in the company, a manufacturer that made this product. We vote with our money to have some businesses prosper and others wither and die. Remote Equipment is a company worth investing in, the bag-maker that is not afraid to push the envelope and elevate our day to day life.
I am very much looking forward to anything Philip and his team create in the years to come, I am sure my BRAVO 18 would be a nice daily reminder of this :)
P.S. It was confirmed by Philip that ALPHA 31 V2 is indeed in the works and is scheduled to release some time in 2020. This is going to be an amazing year for everyone who was dying to get the ALPHA for the past few months (and years!) with no luck.
