Home > FAQS
FAQs
ORDERING
How long will my order take?
This depends on what you get! Things from the "Current Stock" section are already made, and will usually will ship the next business day. "Made to Order" bags are normally on a 4 week production schedule, but can be rushed to two or even one week for an extra charge. All other items indicate the production time - which is how long we will need to finish the item and set up shipping - near the bottom of the item description.
How do I go about getting a bag with graphics on it? How much is it?
So, sorta big news, but in late 2020 we made the decision to drop most "extra" customizing from our offerings. we've been thinking about it for years actually, but the reduction in work hours that occurred during the pandemic made everything much clearer: we have an awful lot of "regular" orders, which are easy to price and schedule since we know exactly how to make them and how long they will take. Things that require special patterning and/or extra design considerations are hard to quote accurately, and often take much longer than originally anticipated. They also require us to come off of the regular production schedule. For the most part, any time we've done extra custom stuff, whether it's a unique product or just a crazy graphic, we've taken a loss on it. It's also a lot of stress for us. So, although we love seeing the stuff out there and enjoy our reputation for being arguably the best at it, we've unfortunately come to the realization that to keep R.E.Load sustainable for the future, we really need to cut out the alterations and graphics and make our production process as smooth and predictable as possible. We really don't get that many custom graphic orders anymore anyway (which actually is also part of what makes them difficult to work into the schedule; we no longer need a dedicated graphics stitcher), so this seemed like as good a time as any to drop them.
we're still going to be making graphic bags for fundraisers, messenger races, and other events - it's much easier and more fun for us to just design and stitch a graphic on our own rather than have to go with a supplied graphic - so they're not disappearing forever.....
I'm interested in having you guys make something completely different than what is currently on your site. Can you make it?
This is a commonly asked question, and unfortunately, a lot of the time, the answer is no. We encourage you to ask - it never hurts to ask! - but custom projects are often beyond the scope of what we can do. The reason is simple: making new products usually requires various stages of design, prototyping, and final production. In some cases, this can represent several days of work. Taking one of our veteran stitchers off of normal production to work on a one-off bag just doesn't make sense for us, unless we are going to be compensated for the time lost. Most likely you aren't planning to pay a mint for your specially-designed-from-scratch bag, and there's just no way we can make it for you for anywhere near the cost of our regular bags.
FIT & SIZING
How are the dimensions for your bags taken?
The simple answer is that the dimensions for all of our bags are taken along the BASE of the bag, corner to corner. For Messenger models, height is taken from the bottom corner to the top lip of the body. We treat the bag as a "full box" of sorts. The actual width of an empty bag - when measured across the flap - is going to be bigger than the indicated dimensions, due to the fact that the sides of the bag will compress when the bag is flattened out. For Midpacks, Flight Packs, Megapacks, Rucksacks, and C-Series models, height is taken from the bottom to the shoulder strap attachment point. This is why we also include the "max capacity" volume measurements along with general measurements. Please feel free to inquire about any other specific measurements you may need!
How do I know which shoulder to get my bag made for?
Most people are, by default, "left shoulder" bag wearers. This means that for a single strap bag, the strap will rest on your left shoulder and come across your chest, slanting down to your right hip. If you wear your bag the opposite way, you are "right shoulder". If you're not sure, you should throw a shoulder bag on real quick without thinking about it, and take note of which way you naturally put the bag on. Usually it will feel REALLY strange to try and wear a bag the opposite of your natural preference.
FEATURES & CONSTRUCTION
Are your bags weatherproof?
Yes! R.E.Load bags are weatherproof with the exception of the Rucksacks and the C-Series which are highly water-resistant.
What's the difference between "weatherproof" and "highly water resistant"?
"Weatherproof" is really what most people mean when they ask if a bag is "waterproof". We just can't say "waterproof", because you can't submerge our bags in a body water and expect the contents to stay dry. That's what dry bags exist for. However - assuming you have properly closed the bag - you CAN expect to use our "weatherproof" bags all day long, in rain, sleet, and snow, and find your contents dry. This is what messenger bags and packs exist for, it's why we started making bags in the first place, and it's the bar we continue to hold our standards up to for daily work bags. If, when it starts pouring, you are going to continue to stay outside for a long period of time, you need a weatherproof bag. If, when it starts pouring, you are generally going to be looking for shelter, then you will be fine with a "highly water-resistant" bag. For the Rucksack and C-Series bags, we use the very same weatherproof materials as our other bags, but we do not tape the seams in the same way as our weatherproof bags. They're still much, much better against the elements than most of the "regular" bags that most people use, and will keep your stuff dry long enough for you to get out of the rain.
How can I decide between the different types of straps available for single strap bags?
This is a tough question, as it's pretty much based on personal preference. However, the first thing you should ask yourself is: "Am I going to be wearing this bag cinched up tightly around my body, or am I going to be letting it hang a bit loosely?". If its the latter, you're probably best off eliminating the Pro Strap, as it is made with static shoulder padding that is really only effective when the bag is sitting high and tight. If the bag is down near your waist, the pad won't be in the right place anyway. So, we would recommend our Classic strap if you are riding a bike and need to adjust it a lot, or our Casual strap if you don't see yourself adjusting the strap much at all. Either one of these can be augmented with our accessory shoulder pad if you feel like you need a more plush experience. Some people still prefer the versatility of our Classic strap. However, it is admittedly less intuitive that the Pro Strap, and generally requires a break-in period that will last around a week or two (depending on how much action the strap sees daily). To help with the decision, we strongly recommend checking out the how-to videos posted up on our YouTube page:
www.youtube.com/user/reloadbaggage.
How do I use the strap?
At this point, we have three different types of strap systems for our single strap bags. We've made video how-to's for all of these, which you can find on our YouTube page:
www.youtube.com/user/reloadbaggage.
Can I get a bag made with metal Cobra buckles for EVERY buckle?
The short answer is: Yes, you can. However, although we do love the 2" Cobra buckles, we're not convinced that the 1" versions are the best thing for the rest of the bag. Please email us if you'd like our explanation why. If you're still dead set on going all-in on Cobra's, we will happily make your bag with your preferred hardware.
Which Cobra buckle do you recommend for Messengers?
This may be surprising, but we actually recommend the polymer Cobra GT over the Aluminum Cobra buckle. The reasons are simple: The action (ease of tightening and loosening the webbing) is much, much easier and smoother on the polymer version. This is due to a larger height of the webbing slots in the buckle. Additionally, the quick release function requires less work to use. Finally - although it's rare - we have had some complaints about corrosion on the metal version, and the GT buckle is half the price. So, unless you are dead set on metal, we strongly feel you are better off with the polymer Cobra GT.
To top ^
