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"  Price: $160 At the end of July Chrome Industries\u2014the outfit known for its messenger bags and other urban biking gear\u2014released its latest hauler, the Barrage Cargo Backpack. Good timing: I commute by bike, and my right shoulder was sore from the weight of all the items I lug to and from work in an old Lacoste messenger bag. For the past few weeks, both shoulders shared the load as I hauled all sorts of stuff around Manhattan in the Barrage\u2014up to 32 pounds&amp;#039; worth, which is near the upper limits of what I&amp;#039;d want to transport in a backpack without a waist belt. Even at that weight the backpack felt stable as I slalomed around potholes and pedestrians. The cargo net was expandable enough to handle, on one outing: a tennis racket, a can of tennis balls, a JBL cylindrical portable speaker, a bunch of magazines, and a manuscript. The bag&amp;#039;s dual interior compartments would make sense if I wanted to haul a 15-inch laptop (my Macbook Pro&amp;#039;s 17-inch screen disqualified it from the test) safely alongside wet gear. Frankly, I never figured out a use for the heavy-duty Velcro shoulder straps.  I was eager to test Chrome&amp;#039;s claim that welded seams, a military-grade, truck-tarpaulin liner, and rolltop closure render the backpack waterproof, even though it doesn&amp;#039;t seal with a Velcro strip and multiple folds the way that a canoe or kayak dry bag would. Fortunately for me but unfortunately for this test, New York has been enjoying fantastic summer weather, so riding in the rain was a no-go. Instead, I stuffed the backpack with laundry and took it into the shower to replicate monsoon conditions. Score one for the Barrage\u2014the laundry emerged dry, and the backpack&amp;#039;s 1000-dernier nylon outer shell dried quickly. Likes: The sternum strap&amp;#039;s mini-seatbelt buckle with the Chrome logo. Dislikes: I could have used a shallow zippered pocket near the top of the compartment for my wallet, house keys, and phone. Maybe I was just being overly cautious, but given my bumpy rides on city streets, I never felt confident enough to put that stuff in the pack&amp;#039;s side pouches. Also, under heavy loads the chest strap slipped, which I fixed by simply knotting the strap. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gear/a9402/bike-commuting-with-the-waterproof-chrome-barrage-cargo-backpack-15826205/>