Rocket Science Sports Elite Triathlon Bag-Initial Review

Comfort:

As we mentioned, the back of the pack is padded with something called Air Flight.  You can see a better view of the raised portions of the padded back here:

Back View of Rocket Science Sports Elite Bag

We like the raised ridges.  We liked them on our CamelBak Lobo and we’re convinced they help the circulation.  During our review of the Real Joe bag, we were impressed with the well padded and very adjustable straps.  The Elite bag is even nicer.  The straps are thicker and more comfortable and also feature the chest and waist adjustments.

When discussing the Real Joe bag, we also mentioned that you needed to pack deliberately to avoid lumpiness and protrusions into your back.  With the Elite bag, you won’t experience the same discomfort if you’re not diligent about packing properly.  The padding is much thicker and the bag is heavier which masks some of the problems that arise if you don’t pack logically.

Final Thoughts:

This is a much more expensive looking bag compared to the Real Joe bag.  The quality of workmanship is identical, both bags are well made and don’t show any defects.  The Elite bag, however, is clearly constructed from higher quality (read higher cost) material.  The upside of this is the bag should be significantly more durable.  The downside is that the bag is significantly heavier than the Real Joe bag.

We are a little disappointed that we couldn’t fit everything into the bag on the first try, but we’re going to try a few other methods to get everything packed.  We’re not ready to blame this on RSS or the size of the Elite bag, just an observation that the bag is a bit more complicated to pack than the Real Jane bag.

We are very impressed with the details on this bag.  We like the transition mat and the rain gear.  Clearly we’re a fan of the Air Flight back and love the adjustable and well-padded straps.

Stay tuned for further reviews of the Elite Triathlon Gear Bag from Rocket Science Sports.  We’re going to test this bag in training and at a few events in the next months and we’ll report back with a full review soon.