Pax Bicycle Bag L: Functional and Visible

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by Kyle Roodberg, EMSCI #196
Operations Chief, Denver (CO) Health Paramedic Division

The Denver Health Paramedic Division’s All Terrain Medical Unit (ATMU) began in 1991 for the Denver Grand Prix. The crowds and reconfiguration of the streets in downtown Denver posed insurmountable challenges for ambulance responses that were overcome with the bicycles. Since then, we have covered numerous other high-profile events, including World Youth Day in 1993, Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup victory in 1996, the Summit of the Eight (G8) in 1997, and the Democratic National Convention in 2008. We routinely cover the Denver Broncos games, Mile High Stadium, and Colorado Rockies games, along with numerous other events in the downtown area.

Over the years, we have gone through many different equipment and bike configurations. Our bike team operates as a double paramedic ALS resource with each bike set up identically. Each bike has the necessary equipment to handle everything from minor complaints through the second round of medication administration in a cardiac arrest. Our present equipment-carrying configuration includes a pair of large Ortlieb roll-top panniers that our medical bags slide into, and a Topeak MTX slide-on trunk bag mounted to a Topeak Super Tourist DX rack. This configuration works well for us, but we are continually looking for the best arrangement for our needs. With safety always being a top priority for our crews, we have been looking for a high visibility, robustly constructed, weatherproof pannier. When Maureen at IPMBA told us about the PAX Bicycle Bag L, we were excited to have the opportunity to conduct a product test and review.

After the details were arranged, we received the “day bright yellow” color PAX Bicycle Bag L with two versions of the inner pouch kits. Our first impression was that it appeared to be a robustly constructed product made of long-lasting, weatherproof materials in an extremely high visibility color augmented with several retro-reflective applications. We then placed it on one of our service bikes and loaded it up with our gear. The spring-activated hangers operated easily and smoothly, securing the pannier to the hang bar on the rack. The lower horizontal anchoring hook is twice as long as the anchoring hooks on our current Ortlieb panniers. We found this attribute an advantage to more securely keep the pannier fully attached even with slight forward or backward shifting of the pannier on the rack’s hang bar.

With the PAX on one side of the bike and the Ortlieb on the other, several obvious differences are noticeable.

The PAX is very high visibility, with more retro-reflective applications and some contrasting high visibility accents. The PAX is several inches taller than the Ortlieb. We use the Topeak Super Tourist DX rack, which places the panniers slightly outboard from a traditional rack, allowing us to have unhindered use of our trunk bag. Our initial concern with the height of the PAX was whether it would interfere with the trunk bag sliding operation or side pocket access. That did not prove to be the case. The combination of the high visibility color and height should also result in greater conspicuity.

The pannier material gives it a more set footprint without sagging or creasing. We like the firmness of the shell and expect it to be less likely to get snagged on fences or gates. It should also be easier to remove dirt, slush, and other debris since it does not have creases or folds. The pannier has a single flap that folds over the upper third of the pack and is easily secured with a single buckle. With the top flap open, the two side zippers are easily accessed. The side zippers are weatherproof and are operated by large pull tabs, which can even be operated with gloves on. The zippers travel about two-thirds of the way down the side of the bag.

With both zippers open all the way, the user has direct access to everything in the pannier rather than being limited to a single top opening. Both sides of the inner pannier surface have three full-length segments of heavy-duty Velcro® attached. The Velcro® securely attaches the various sized modular pouches that come with the pannier. The modular pouches are also robustly constructed and are a nice match with the pannier dimensions. Due to our equipment needs, however, we would only be able to use a few of the pouches in the set.

Our equipment bags fit nicely into the PAX panniers. There was minimal load shifting with curb ascents and descents as well as stair descents. The attachment system securely held the pannier to the rack without concerns for dislodgement. There was unused space at the top of the pannier that could be used for extra equipment or clothing for the shift. We liked the PAX pannier for several reasons: in regard to safety, we like the high visibility color and reflective applications; in regard to functionality, we like the side-zippers and unhindered access afforded by the large opening; in regard to durability, we like the heavy-duty materials and attachment system. Departments looking for a more stealthy, low profile or low visibility shell material may need to look for other options.

PAX panniers are distributed in the United States by Rescue Essentials. Contact Amanda Stout at amanda@rescue-essentials.com for more information and to purchase. Rescue Essentials participates in the IPMBA Product Purchase Program, offering 10% off all purchases.

Chief Kyle Roodberg has been with the Denver Health Paramedic Division since 1991. He was an active field member of the bike team for twenty years before moving into a primarily administrative role and presently serves as the Operations Chief. He is still very active in overseeing the bike team and is an avid biker. He can be reached at kyle.roodberg@dhha.org.

Photos courtesy of Kyle Roodberg.

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