Arkel Haul-It after 5 months
Shortly after getting a new cargo bike, our kids were complaining about sharing "their space" with bags. In fact, several times we had to make U-turns to pick up school or diaper bags that had been jettisoned from the bike, before a car came to run it over.
Initially we solved this problem by using our regular Arkel Orca pannier bags that had served us so well to carry the kid's stuff. But daycare wasn't welcoming to pannier attachment systems with clamps to squeeze little fingers, and school bags were a tough squeeze to fit inside. So we went on Arkel's website to see what else they had, and we found the Haul-It. With no reviews, we decided to take a chance, and found it exceeded our expectations!
Let's get the obvious thing out of the way first — Haul-It is more functional than beautiful. However, it's nearly always hauling, and when it does so, it just blends into the background. We went for the black version.
The capability of the bag is remarkable, and it's easy to use. Pop your cargo down into the bottom, attach the strap (which threads easily though bag loops, for extra protection), click it in and tighten the strap. When you pull it tight, two side loops also tighten, to prevent your cargo from wobbling sideways. (Sometimes you need to pull these side-straps out to the side, when loading extra-wide cargo.) The strap closes easily, even with gloves. A top, zippered pocket holds a strap extension for larger cargo. We also loaded it with some velcro zip ties, which are handy for carrying difficult cargo, like a kids bike. (Hint: Arkel, just include these with the bag, they're super useful!)
So what can you haul? Well aside from backpacks, diaper bags and shopping bags (you can fit 2 of those reusable bags), we have also hauled (separately)
- A violin
- A large pumpkin (for halloween)
- A 24-can box of beer (as advertised)
- Buckets and spades for going to the beach
Things it could not haul included
- Toddler car seat (it's too deep)
- An unsheathed axe
- A Christmas tree (but the wreath will fit)
- Children
Basically, anything that fits in bag, box or other container less than 4ft tall, and with a footprint similar to the a box of beer, will haul
Stability is not quite as good as the Arkel Orca bags, but it's still better than my old Vaude panniers, thanks to Arkel's suspension mounting system. The height of the load has a significant effect on stability. With the Haul-It you can carry a top-heavy 4ft high load, but doing that will not help your bike's stability. The bag's attachment to the bike is very stable — although things can get a little bouncy if you don't keep the downstrap attachment on tightly.
Overall, the Haul-It is super useful. Great for carrying any kind of bag you want to take off your bicycle, and excelling for carrying the stuff that goes with kids.
