Bolt-Ons, Rallies, & Rocketts

September 19, 2016

Ash and I have been on the road for the last several weeks, first at the KTM Rally in Deadwood, South Dakota, followed immediately by a 12-day trip to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada with 70,000 of our new best friends. Now we’re back at Mosko HQ in White Salmon, fully decompressed, catching up on emails and messages, and prepping to leave for the Horizons Unlimited Traveler’s Gathering in Mariposa, California tomorrow morning.

The Bolt-On

We’ve been working hard on the new bolt-on pannier. The bolt-on mounts to virtually any rack using the same mounting pucks as our Backcountry kit. Each side has a detachable fabric beavertail made from reinforced ballistic nylon that cinches a welded seam vinyl drybag to the mounting plate.

We’re experimenting with paper patterns first, to get the sizing dialed.

The Bolt-On will be Rotopax compatible.

We’ve been seeing some abrasion issues on the removable drybags, which is caused by the back of the bag rubbing against the mounting plate hardware. The pic below shows the abrasion after a single test trip with the new prototypes. We’re adding a sheet of flexible polyethylene in the backpack strap stash pocket, so if/when the hardware vibrates its way through the outer fabric, the PE sheet will stop it from continuing to the inner bag and thereby compromising the waterproofing.

This is a fairly simple system to sew, so we’re make another round of prototypes here in the US before we send revisions to our factory. Here are the full size paper patterns.

Andrew and Reynaldo reviewed the new patterns last week, and they’re currently being sewn.

Tent Pole Bag

We’re working on a new tent pole solution for the Reckless 80. When using the current R80 tent pole carrier, the flimsy bags that ship with most tent poles tend to develop abrasion holes over time. I lost a couple stakes this summer when they slid out of a small hole in my bag. This new bag will replace the velcro tent pole straps in the current R80. This bag will also connect to the 2017 version of the Backcountry 30Lduffle (which does not have a built-in tent pole pocket).

Some early sketches.

This is the version we liked.

Andrew made a quick mock-up with a stapler, just to get the sizing correct before we develop factory specs. We plan to include this bag for free with the Reckless 80 and Backcountry 30 bags starting in 2017.

New Locking System

We’re experimenting with a new locking system made by Steelcore. These are essentially lockable cam buckle straps made from steel encased webbing with aircraft aluminum latches. They fit perfectly in the daisy chains and beavertail drain holes on the Backcountry 35 panniers. They also work on the Backcountry 30/40L duffle. We’ll be offering these for sale on our website soon.

Cascade Designs

Kris from Summit Sales NW (the Northwest rep agency for Cascade Designs) came to visit us in White Salmon and show off some of the new MSR/Thermarest gear. The new Thermarest models have a speed inflation valve that dramatically reduces the amount of blowing required to fill your mattress.

Cool new backpacking camp chair design.

Rallies & Events

Ash and I had a blast at the KTM Rally in South Dakota. Thanks to everyone who showed up. The first day was a little rough, with horizontal rain, cold temps, and mechanical issues on my truck, but things brightened up for the rest of the weekend. The Black Hills are so awesome.

Dusty rode up from Colorado to visit for a couple nights. Note crutches on the back of the bike… he’s been laid up with a broken foot for the last few months. This was his first time on a bike since the break.

Of course we had to go visit Team America.

The following weekend, Andrew, Tiffany, and Nicole setup a booth at the ‘Rally in the Gorge’ here in Hood River. Awesome to connect with so many local riders.

At the rally, we test-fitted the new Nomad tank bag on a variety of different bikes. On smaller bikes, like this Husky, there’s not much room for a tank bag.

In the News

A nice writeup in Gorge Magazine this month.

Also a review of our Backcountry Panniers in BMW Owner’s News:

My favorite Mosko pic from the last few weeks: Rikki Rocket from the rock group Poison, making his Mosko bags look badass.

Tomorrow morning: goin’ back to Cali. Come visit Ashley & I in Mariposa, CA at the Horizons Unlimited Travelers Gathering from Sept 22-25.