The riding was cold but the roads were great and traffic free. I arrived at the refuge to catch a few Canadian Geese arguing about the ideal place to lay down for the afternoon. The deer grazed the outskirts of the wetlands and meandered back into the forest when the wind picked up. All kinds of migrating birds flew overhead and swooped down to eat or catch a drink.

I had stashed a thermos full of hot coffee, a wool blanket, my binoculars, and some chocolate chip cookies in the Viking Bags before I left. I pulled those out and watched the animals till the coffee ran out. Then I packed up for home. While I didn’t sleep outside that night, I did manage to find some solitude in the wildlife viewing at the refuge and lay down a couple hours of good riding, so it was a successful microadventure.

I hit a bit of light rain on the way home and pulled over to put the rain covers on the bags. I was happy to see the rain covers did their job when I got home. The blanket was very dry.

While these bags are not the kind I could recommend as rugged enough for a serious multi-day adventure ride, I am happy with them for what I got them for; A quick addition to the bike, that will handle a little more storage than my tail bag. They are very light weight so you do not notice them at all while riding.