Three Cheers for the Mighty Mule Bags
/Of all the upgrades David has been making to Blanche, the new mule bags that he installed are right up there with the most useful and beneficial of all. He installed four mule bags, two hanging bags providing three cubby spaces for each of us above our respective sides of the bed and I absolutely love them.
We first learned of ‘mule bags’ from a couple whom we met last summer in Maine who were upfitting their Sprinter. They had just added a set of mule bags and offered to show them to us. We’d never heard of ‘mule bags’ before and were immediately impressed. We decided we’d definitely consider adding them to Blanche when we were doing another upfit this Spring. David had spent a considerable amount of time adding wooden cabinets to Blue and as of yet, we hadn’t added any overhead cabinets to Blanche.
These lightweight ‘soft cabinets’ offered a significant alternative to the heavy wooden ones. We searched around on the internet and found that Northwest Overland in Troutdale, Oregon made mule bags specifically for the Ram Promaster, as well as the Ford Transit and Mercedes Sprinter, and their prices were not only reasonable but included sales tax and shipping. We ordered one bag online to evaluate it and when we received it, ordered three more immediately.
Mule bags are soft-sided hanging cabinets and each can hold up to ~20 pounds, but weigh only ~8 lbs. They’re described by Northwest Overland as combining “the durability of hard-sided cases along with the collapsibility of soft-sided luggage.” L-track mounting kits can be purchased separately, but we decided to fix mount them which was inexpensive and straightforward. Installing four of them took David less than two hours. They can still be easily removed if we ever needed or wanted to move them. They come in 24” and 36” sizes and we bought two of each. Ordering online was quick and easy. They were delivered by FEDX in flat-pack boxes in just a few days.
The mule bags are a great addition to Blanche’s storage capacity. The fronts zip open from both sides. The flaps roll up and a Velcro strip keeps them out of the way when we want access. At the moment, they’re holding warm coats, rain gear, heavy sweatshirts, and flannels as well as extra bed linens, and towels. A small section has been designated as the ‘snack center’ for easily accessible munchies en route and at night when we’re settling in. There’s still plenty of room so far, but I have little doubt they’ll be filled to capacity in no time. Where there’s space, we can always find something to fill it.
The fabric and zippers appear to be robust. The bags are well-constructed with notable attention to detail like durable net pockets on the ends and undersides and elasticized loops on the undersides as well. I ordered some lockable S-hooks and I’m hanging our hats on the end loops of one of them to keep our hats accessible but out of the way. Mini-flashlights next to the bed fit snugly in one set of loops making them easy to reach for middle-of-night forays.
This is just one of the many improvements to Blanche that David has been working on. I’m sure he’ll tell you about them in a future blog, but the mule bags in particular are definitely high on my list. Our upcoming trip to Alaska is going to be fan-dam-tastic!