When heading out for a holiday ride in search of beautiful scenery and fresh air, I often find myself steering toward lush, green mountains. However, there are times when I encounter trash discarded in such remote areas, which always makes me think—as I do in my daily life—that we should be mindful to properly sort our waste into trash cans and strive for a lifestyle that minimizes waste as much as possible.
Speaking of the waste problem, plastic waste management has been a hot topic recently. Last month, during the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth held in Karuizawa, a joint statement was adopted that included the creation of an international framework for reducing marine plastic waste. In response, Uniqlo announced that starting this September, it will gradually switch from plastic shopping bags to eco-friendly paper ones made from recycled materials across its operations in 12 countries and regions, including Japan.
One habit that has become rooted in our daily lives as a response to this waste problem is the use of eco-friendly shopping bags. When you go to the supermarket, it’s a common sight to see many people unfolding small, folded bags to pack their groceries. However, most of these bags are designed purely for convenience; they are shaped like simple totes, and their only functional feature is that they fold down compactly for easy storage. For cyclists, a cross-body musette bag might be considered the equivalent of an eco-bag.
I’ve never been particularly interested in items like these before, but the OUTER SHELL ADVENTURE Foldable Backpack that I’m introducing today really piqued my interest.
【OUTER SHELL ADVENTURE】
Foldable Backpack
Price : ¥10,500-(excl. tax)
Color : Black, Brown, Dark Grey, Blue, Navy, etc…
A Backpack-Style Eco-Bag
Unlike many others, this Foldable Backpack is designed as a backpack. This means that when you need to carry heavy items like bottled water, you can carry the load securely on both shoulders. Plus, unlike a musette, it won't slide around to the front while you're riding.
A Useful Capacity for Daily Essentials
With a capacity of about 10 liters, it’s not only perfect for unexpected shopping, but also extremely handy for transferring items from your bike bag when you head out for a hike or walk around a tourist destination after your ride. If the bags you have mounted on your bike are on the smaller side, you could even just pack them inside this one.
Easy to Carry
The bag is highly portable as it folds down quite compactly.
It’s small enough to fit inside your cycle jersey back pockets, as well as in other OUTER SHELL ADVENTURE bike bags like the Drawcord Handlebar Bag or Stem Caddy.
Recycled Marine Sport Materials
What’s particularly worth noting is that the fabric used is recycled from kiteboarding and windsurfing gear. These materials are incredibly durable, lightweight, and water-resistant. Even though they are recycled, they are selected for their excellent functional quality, making for a top-performing bag. Furthermore, because of the carefully selected fabrics, each and every bag is unique with its own distinct character.
You’re welcome to check them out in person at our shop to find your favorite, but our WEB SHOP also allows you to select general color tones. You can pick your preferred color and wait with the same excitement as turning a gashapon machine, wondering exactly what kind of unique pattern will arrive.
By the way, this Foldable Backpack is manufactured by MAFIA BAGS in San Francisco. Aside from these collaborations with OUTER SHELL, MAFIA BAGS specializes in handcrafting bags for everyday use by recycling materials primarily from marine sports, such as kiteboarding and windsurfing sails.
As an aside, the aprons that the Circles staff have all been using lately are a product of a collaboration between Patagonia and MAFIA BAGS. It feels inevitable—even if the scale is different—that Patagonia, which thinks deeply about environmental issues, would come together with MAFIA BAGS to create products like this.
Circles, with its treasure chest of diverse items beyond just bicycle gear, is stocked with goods that are eco-conscious or can be useful in that regard depending on how you use them. I personally want to continue to be mindful of the small details in my daily life, even if it’s just one step at a time.
