2015: New Items, Production, & Pricing

March 3, 2015

When we placed our first orders with the factory last summer, the orders were small and cautious.  Then we started collecting pre-orders in May and demand was higher than expected, so we went back to the factory and increased the opening orders by as much as 2X on some of the top selling items.  We needed that first round of inventory to last until this spring.  Now it’s spring, and sure enough we’re running out.

The Backcountry 40L duffle and large MOLLE Pouch are both sold out.  We’re very low on small MOLLE pouches – they will probably sell out in a few days – and we’re also low on Backcountry Panniers, although we can restock the panniers faster because the bottleneck is on hardware not the bags themselves.

Our current expected arrival date for spring production is Late May.  This may change depending on factory timing.  This will include all new items and also a restock on any existing items that are sold out.

The factory wants to manufacture everything at once, because they will dedicate an entire sewing line to Mosko for as long as it takes to finish the run.  We’re still a small customer – they do work for big companies like Nike and Adidas – so this is how they want to manage our production in order to achieve economies, which results in lower costs.  However it also means that if any buckle, fabric, or zipper is delayed, then the entire order gets delayed, because they won’t start up the production line until every single part & piece is in stock and ready to go.

Here’s a pic of the 2015 Mosko line that I took at the factory a couple weeks ago.   There are several new items to talk about.

Reckless

The Reckless 80L & 40L designs are read for production.

Both bags include a) a heat shield, b) hose clamp, c) aluminum cleats and hardware for bikes without luggage racks.  Here is what the heat shield and cleat look like.

And the cleat.

The Reckless is a new item and we will have limited quantities available for summer.  Estimated pricing (still subject to change):

• Reckless 80L: $369.99
• Reckless 40L: $319.99
• Extra Heat Shield (if needed): $19.99

Backcountry

This year we will have the same Backcountry 35L Pannier and 40L Duffle set, and also a new Backcountry 25L Pannier and 30L Duffle set.  These last two were requested many times on advrider, so we we’ve been trying to get them done in time.  I was able to confirm the revisions in HCMC,  and we expect to have them in stock for the 2015 riding season.

Here’s some pics of the new BC30 Duffle.

I don;t have any pics of the BC25 pannier but it looks exactly like the BC35 pannier, but the rear pocket fits one fuel bottle instead of two.

Pricing-wise, our factory cost on the entire Backcountry assortment went up significantly after they had a chance to review their efficiency on the first production run,  Bottom line, these are complicated bags to make.  The good news: we were able to offset most of the cost increase on the panniers by extruding the aluminum mounting pucks instead of milling them.  Same material, just a more efficient way to make them.

On the duffles, which are purely cut & sew, we weren’t able to achieve the same cost offset, although we did add some cool new features.  Both the Backcountry 40L and the Backcountry 30L now have clear map pockets and open mesh pockets on the inside of the beavertails.  Additionally, the BC40L also has a new tent pole (or camp chair/fuel bottle/beer can) pocket as well.  Here’s what the tent pole and inside map pocket look like.  The mesh pocket is on the underside of the top beavertail (not shown).

• Backcountry 35L Pannier Kit: $624.99
• Backcountry 25L Pannier Kit: $574.99
• Backcountry 40L Duffle: $199.99
• Backcountry 30L Duffle: $189.99

Scout

The Scout collection is the same for 2015, but we’re changing the pricing on the panniers.  We originally conceived of the Scout pannier as a minimalist alternative to the Backcountry, without the extra features like the beavertail, pocket, etc.  However when all was said and done the Scout came out to be nearly the same production cost as the Backcountry, which was kind of confusing.  However this year the Backcountry got a substantial factory price increase whereas the Scout did not, plus the cost of the aluminum mounting hardware went down significantly thanks to extruding, reducing our cost in the kit.  Now the relative cost between the Backcountry/Scout kits makes a lot more sense.

• Scout 25L Pannier Kit: $449.99
• Scout 30L Duffle: $69.99

Rack Adapters

We have 4 new BMW adapter kits that will be ready for Spring.  These prices are just estimates, they are subject to change.

1. BMW R1200GS Liquid Cooled – est $49.99
2. BMW R1200GS Oil Cooled – est $49.99
3. BMW F800GS Adventure – est $79.99 (this bike needs an adapter for both sides)
4. Jesse Luggage Odyssey II Rack Adapter – these are made by Jesse Luggage and they cost $225.  The bags connect to the bike using Jesse’s mounting system as opposed to the Mosko Wedge.  The panniers mount directly onto the Jesse Soft Plate.  As a result, we should be able to ship the bags without frames, wedges, or mounting hardware, which should mostly if not entirely offset the $225 cost of the Jesse adapter.  Some assembly required.  We’re still working out the details.  If interested, email us.

Cascade Designs: MSR/Thermarest

In addition to the above, we’ll be stocking and reselling the following items from MSR both on our website and in person at rallies and events.  We picked the items that are best-suited to moto-camping.  Because we’re a reseller as opposed to the manufacturer, we don’t have the same pricing leverage we do on the stuff we make ourselves.  We’ll come up with a good reason to buy from us as opposed to a normal brick & mortar retailer, we’re still working on that.  In the meantime, they’re great products and Cascade Designs is an awesome Northwest company.  We’re really glad to be partnering with them.  Personally, I am just stoked I get to buy this stuff for wholesale and use it myself ha!  Plus Amarett just got a dualsport bike (a KLX250s) and she needs a new camping kit to go with it.

• Hubba Series Tents with Gear Sheds
• Neoair Trekker Sleeping Pads
• Luxurylite Cots
• Whisperlite & Windboiler Stoves
• 1L Fuel Bottles and 4oz Fuel Cannisters
• Quick Solo & Quick 2 Cooking Kits
• 2L Dromedary Storage Bags with Hydration & Shower Kits

Other Stuff

• I’m doing an advrider report on Amarett and my’s trip to Vietnam.  It’s just getting started.  If you’re interested in following along, the link is here: VIETNAM TRIP REPORT
• A great review of the Backcountry kit appeared in BMW Owners News this week.  A link to the pdf is here: BMW OWNERS REVIEW
• There was a great review of the Backcountry 35/40 kit in the most recent ADV Moto magazine.  The pdf is here:  ADV MOTO REVIEW
• Also in the most recent ADV Moto Magazine there was an article from last year that I wrote about my crash down in La Moskitia, Honduras (where the name “Mosko” comes from).  The pdf is here: MOSKITIA CRASH
• We had a visit from Alaskan rider Dan Cooper who’s re-kitting his bike to continue his journey across Central Asia.  He wrote up this great blog post: DANS BLOG

Andrew has some tank bag sketches underway!

This has been a really warm winter in the NW.  It’s so unusual for us to have sunshine and dry trails in February/March.  I’ve been riding after work, and it has been EPIC!!