Yankz! T2 TriathlonBAG–Final Review

We’ve been using the T2 TriathlonBAG from Yankz! for a while now.  Before you continue reading this review, we suggest you get up to speed with the information from our initial review of the T2 TriathlonBAG from Yankz!.  As with all bags, our first step was to stuff it full of all the gear we expected to take to a triathlon and see how things fit.  The real test, of course, is the day of the actual triathlon.  We used the T2 bag at White Lake 1 and found it to be a very well designed and executed product.

Getting to the point where we actually need a tri bag has been a bit of a journey.  When we started tris, we used whatever we could find, a Timbuk2 bag, an old duffel bag, miscellaneous combinations of bags, boxes, and bin liners…  Maybe not bin liners.  But you get the picture.

Background on Yankz!/TriathlonBAGS:

Yankz! began in Spring 1999 when Pierce Pape, an avid runner, realized there was a better way to lace your shoes in a race.  Even though Pierce started the company for runners the standard Yankz! product has become a must have for triathletes.  If you don’t have a set of Yankz! laces, you need to pick them up.  We’re going to do a quick review of the Yankz! lace system, but since we’ve been using them for a while now, we can tell you that they’re a great product and totally worth the $8 you’ll pay.

Yankz! acquired TriathlonBags.com and retained the founder, Dean, to work on other product development.  The T2 bag has been recently redesigned and the nice folks at Yankz! even lowered the price from $120 to $99.  This makes this bag one of the most full featured bags available at that price point.

Background on Bags:

We’ve tested a few other bags and the trend in bags is to provide a huge product that will carry absolutely anything a triathlete can throw at it.  The T2 TriathlonBAG is no exception.  Below, you’ll find a picture of our standard kit:

Some of our tri stuff

You’ll notice we said some.  This kit doesn’t include our wetsuit or some other miscellaneous bike maintainence gear that we normally carry separately.  Here’s a shot of the bag, with all the stuff above, and an Orca Men’s XL wetsuit:

T2 TriathlonBAG Fully Loaded

Here’s another view of the same bag:

T2 TriathlonBAG Fully Loaded, Front

Bag Details and Design:

This bag is pretty huge, packing about 2500 cubic inches of storage space.  The bag features a removable mesh swim bag for your wet clothes.  You’ll find reflective tape on the shoulder straps and a large circle of tape on the front.  Covered with mesh pockets and zip pockets, the T2 TriathlonBAG has serious storage space.

Our initial review of the T2 TriathlonBAG contains much more detail about the design and details of the bag.  You can start on page two of our review if you’re looking for the design section.

Comfort:

As mentioned in the initial review, the back of the T2 is well padded.  This provides come cushion from the irregular shape that your gear will probably take when you stuff it all into the bag.  Even fully loaded, the design of the bag and the padding provided a comfortable fit.  The padded straps distributed the weight of our gear while the padded back offered protection from any gear with sharp edges.

Final Thoughts:

As we mentioned in the initial review, the folks at Yankz! clearly thought out the design process for the new T2 TriathlonBAG.  There are no extra parts or useless add-ons that take up valuable space.  Small details, like the heavy duty zippers, the well designed cell phone pocket, and the overall design that allows the bag to sit upright and open in the transition area show great attention to detail.

We specifically enjoyed the cell phone pocket and the wet clothes bag.  Both were very useful, deceptively so, in fact.  We stuffed our wet clothes into the swim bag after our race and honestly didn’t get around to unpacking for a day or so.  The mesh on the bag allowed our gear to breathe and dry, preventing any horrible smells and mildew.  The cell phone pocket was a great touch, useful for your phone and your ID on race day.

The T2 TriathlonBAG has quite a large footprint when fully unpacked.  This has as much to do with how much gear we bring along to a race as anything, but when you start unpacking in the transition area, give yourself some room.

The bottom line is that this bag is a great option for your first, or next, triathlon bag.  The T2 TriathlonBAG delivers features we’ve only found on significantly more expensive bags and still comes in at less than $100.  We can’t stress how much more pleasant it is to pack your gear into a bag designed to hold all the junk triathletes carry.  Having a helmet pocket and a wet gear bag are nice touches.  That the bag stays upright when you’re packing and unpacking makes life a bit easier. Though we’re happy to give this bag away, we’re going to be sad to see it go.