Review of the Scicon Camo Collection: The WorldTour Edition

We knew Scicon from seeing it on Tadej Pogačar. We wanted to find out what the brand was capable of when the bike ride was over and it was time to start carrying everything needed to ride, work, run… or simply head out. So, for several weeks, we lived with three items from the Camo collection: the Backpack Rain Pro 35L, the Luggage 80L 4WD suitcase, and the Electronics Travel Pouch. From commuting to work by bike to competition, from a few days’ trip to the airport, we deliberately took them out of the catalog and put them to the test in real life. And it didn’t take us long to realize one thing: at Scicon, travel is clearly not a time when high standards stop applying.

By Jeff Tatard – Photos: ©3bikes.fr

There are brands whose products you recognize immediately. For many cyclists, Scicon is first and foremost the sunglasses seen on Tadej Pogačar’s face. The Italian brand has been working with UAE Team Emirates since 2020, but its product line extends far beyond eyewear: bike covers, bags, travel accessories… In France, its eyewear line is distributed by Alternativ Sport, and that’s actually how our story with Scicon began. In other words, this isn’t exactly a brand that’s just discovering sports travel between sneaker collections.

At UAE, the gear is constantly on the move. Hotels. Buses. Planes. Races. Training camps. Transfers. Luggage designed for this world can’t just look good—it has to work. And that’s exactly what we wanted to test with this Gray Camo collection, which—let’s say it right away—is a visual success.

So we decided to take it out of the catalog and put it to the test in real life: competitions, bike commuting, business trips, three-day weekends, airports, gravel rides. The goal wasn’t to see if it looked good in a photo, but whether it actually made travel easier. And that’s often the best sign: after a few weeks, you stop wondering which bag to take.

Three products, but ultimately one system

We tested three items from the collection…

The first is the Backpack Rain Pro 35L, a 35-liter sports backpack that Scicon designs for both athletes and travelers. It weighs 1.3 kg and measures 50 × 35 × 20 cm. Its construction combines tear-resistant CrossGuard fabric with a LinerTex lining, featuring several labeled compartments, a laptop sleeve, a separate compartment for shoes or damp clothes, exterior pockets, and even a removable mesh net for a helmet. Scicon also markets it as cabin-sized.

The second model is much less understated: the Luggage 80L 4WD. It has a capacity of 80 liters, weighs 4.7 kg, measures 82 × 40 × 30 cm, and features four 360° swivel wheels. A true travel suitcase, designed for long trips and equipped with a large main compartment, dividers, a storage compartment for glasses, space for a helmet, and a system for linking multiple pieces of luggage.

Finally, the Electronics Travel Pouch is the kind of small item you hardly notice until you start using it: 1.5 liters, 100 g, 26 × 17 × 5 cm, a small interior pocket, a handle, a carabiner, and CrossGuard, LinerTex, and RinforzTex fabrics.

Taken separately, these are three pieces of luggage. Used together, they start to look like a system for avoiding clutter. And for someone who travels regularly, that makes a world of difference.

The Rain Pro 35L: the one we ended up taking everywhere

If we had to keep just one for everyday use, it would probably be this one. Because a 35-liter backpack falls right into that strange zone where it can still be considered reasonable while being capable of holding a rather unreasonable amount of stuff.

We first used it in its most obvious setting: for competitions. Racing gear. Shoes. Nutrition. Post-race clothes. Small accessories. Electronics. And everything that mysteriously becomes indispensable at 7:15 a.m. on Sunday, even though you would have sworn the day before that a pair of cycling shorts and a pair of shoes would be enough. The appeal of the Rain Pro isn’t just its volume. It’s the way those 35 liters are organized.

Scicon has included multiple access points and dedicated compartments. The main compartment can be accessed in two ways; several pockets are clearly labeled; and wet shoes or clothing can be kept separate from the rest. The bike computer has its own padded compartment. Documents, water bottles, and small items also have their own designated areas.

On paper, this might seem like an overabundance of features. In real life, it mainly prevents one thing: searching. And perhaps, in the end, a good bag is nothing more than an item that reduces the number of times you ask yourself, “Where did I put that?”

Then it became our work bag

That’s when the test got a lot more interesting. Because we started using the Rain Pro to bike to work. And a race bag doesn’t automatically make a good commuter bag. The laptop replaces the pair of wheels. Clean clothes need to arrive clean. Cables start piling up.

And, most importantly, you have to carry the bag long enough to quickly discover whether the shoulder straps and support were designed only for walking a hundred meters from the trunk of the car to the locker room.

The Rain Pro features padded shoulder straps and a height-adjustable chest strap. In our experience, the load stays securely against the back, and the bag doesn’t feel like it’s trying to take on a life of its own with every burst of speed.

Of course, don’t confuse 35 liters with the absence of gravity. Load it up with a laptop, two pairs of shoes, clothes, and enough chargers to power a small Tour de France press room—it’ll get heavy. Scicon does a good job. It can’t defy Newton’s laws just yet. But the weight is distributed well enough that the whole thing stays balanced.

Three days? No need to even think about it

And then we found a third use for it. Going away for a few days. A three-day vacation or business trip with just this one bag becomes perfectly realistic—provided, of course, you don’t think you need a different pair of shoes for every meal.

A few pieces of clothing. A toiletries bag. A laptop if needed. An extra pair of shoes. The electronics pouch. And there’s still enough room to improvise. That’s perhaps where the 35L really comes into its own. It’s not big enough to be a suitcase you carry on your back, but it’s big enough to eliminate the need for a suitcase.

For a long weekend, a trip to a distant destination, or a short business trip, it’s an excellent choice. And when traveling with the 80L, a strap also lets you secure the bag to a rolling suitcase. The backpack then temporarily stops being a backpack, and getting around a terminal becomes much easier.

Camo: There’s no denying that aesthetics matter

Now we have to talk about what everyone notices even before opening the zippers. That Grey Camo finish. It’s not subtle. But it’s not over-the-top either.

Black, gray, white, a few bolder graphic patterns: enough personality to make the bag instantly recognizable, without turning the airport into a military operation.

And when it comes to luggage, being easily identifiable actually has a very practical advantage. On a baggage carousel filled with black suitcases, no one will have to search very long to find this one. For once, aesthetics actually improve logistics.

80 liters: this is where traveling light ends

The Luggage 80L 4WD obviously serves a different purpose. You don’t take it to the office. Well, technically, you could. But you’d probably have to warn your coworkers first.

80 liters is the realm of real travel: multiple days, lots of clothes, gear, cycling gear—a whole second life to take with you.

And yet, what surprised us wasn’t so much its capacity. At 80 liters, we certainly expected it to hold a lot. What won us over was how easily you can make use of that space.

The large main compartment is truly spacious. The dividers prevent this depth from turning into a bottomless pit, and the inner part of the opening features mesh pockets that help organize smaller items. The brand also includes a space for a helmet and a dedicated compartment for glasses. These are the kinds of details that seem secondary when the suitcase is empty. Once it’s full, they make all the difference between traveling with 80 liters… and rummaging through 80 liters.

A large suitcase that doesn’t act like a wardrobe

The four wheels are probably one of its best features. Scicon advertises four silent, 360°-swiveling wheels. That sounds commonplace. Almost all modern suitcases now have wheels. But not all 80-liter suitcases, when full, feel the same when you change direction. This one moves easily, turns on a dime, and can be pushed sideways without forcing you to constantly reposition it behind you.

On the large, even surfaces of an airport terminal, you quickly forget just how big the suitcase is. That’s exactly what you expect from good luggage. It’s like riding a bike. Quality isn’t always about feeling the equipment more; sometimes it’s about having to worry about it less.

And then there’s the build quality

That’s probably what stands out the most when you pick up the products. The weight of the parts. How the panels hold together. The straps. The stitching. The handles. The fabric density. The zipper sliders. The reinforcements where the luggage will actually take a beating. Nothing gives that unpleasant feeling of a product where you already know which part will wear out first.

The 80L uses tear-resistant CrossGuard fabric and a LinerTex lining. The Rain Pro also uses this combination. It would be absurd to conclude after just a few weeks that they’ll last ten years. We don’t know that yet. But we can at least observe how they’re built. And in that regard, the perceived quality is truly remarkable.

There’s something of professional-grade gear here: less unnecessary embellishment, many components sized as if they were going to be handled frequently.

This is the partner of UAE and Pogačar. And, for once, that phrase isn’t just there to sound good in the introduction. The high standards associated with the WorldTour are truly reflected in the construction.

4.7 kg: Quality Does Have Its Weight

It’s also worth mentioning a slight drawback. The Luggage 80L weighs 4.7 kg when empty. That’s a lot. It’s not enough to require a special workout routine to pull it behind you, but it’s enough that you’ll need to factor it into your plans when the airline imposes a weight limit. That’s the price you pay for a sturdy build, large dimensions, four wheels, and a fairly sophisticated organizational system. So you don’t buy this suitcase to set a lightweight record. You buy it because you want those 80 liters to arrive at your destination with you. That’s an important distinction.

The little red padlock that perfectly rounds out the picture

On our suitcase, a small red detail immediately catches the eye: the lock. Scicon offers a four-digit TSA/Travel Sentry lock, currently priced at €10.45 on the brand’s European website, compared to the standard price of €19 at the time of this writing. It allows authorized officials to open and then relock the luggage without damaging the lock.

For the Luggage 80L, Scicon actually lists the TSA lock as included. Does this little red lock make a world of difference? No. But at around ten euros, would we rather have it? Of course. It provides security, is immediately visible, and even adds a little splash of color to a deliberately very dark design. Sometimes, the detail that’s easiest to photograph is also one of the simplest to understand.

True luxury: seeing your name on it

Then there’s that detail. JEFF TATARD. The French flag. Scicon gave us the gift of personalizing the suitcase. It doesn’t make it any bigger. It doesn’t make it any sturdier. It doesn’t roll any faster. And yet, it’s probably one of the details we connect with most immediately.

Scicon sells its TagMe system, which includes a customizable Velcro patch featuring the owner’s name and national flag. The PR100 patch is priced at €25 and can hold up to twenty characters; the brand estimates up to fifteen business days for a customized order.

It’s a gadget. Let’s own that word. But it’s exactly the right kind of gadget. The one that turns a mass-produced item into “our” suitcase. And when, for years, we’ve watched the personalized luggage of professional teams roll past hotels or buses, there’s something quite fun about seeing your own name on it.

All that’s missing now is the support crew and a spot in the Giro. For now, we mostly have the badge. It’s a start.

The little pouch that solves a silly problem

Sandwiched between two big, flashy products, the Electronics Travel Pouch could almost go unnoticed. That would be a mistake. Because it solves a problem that practically everyone faces. The phone cable. The watch cable. The fitness tracker cable. The power bank. The adapter. The earbuds. And that cable that nobody knows exactly what it’s for but that we’ve been carrying around since 2022 just in case.

The pouch offers 1.5 liters of capacity for just 100 g and features the same Camo pattern as the rest of the collection. A handle, a small interior pocket, and a carabiner round out the design. Scicon also touts tear-resistant, waterproof, and washable materials.

It’s nothing spectacular. And that’s exactly why we love it. Everything that needs charging fits inside. All the time. You can switch from your backpack to your suitcase by simply moving a single pouch. That’s it.

The right product is sometimes the one that creates a habit

We often tend to judge sports gear by its immediate performance. Lighter. Stiffer. Faster. Luggage tells a different story. It’s judged by habits. Do you instinctively reach for this bag when you head out? Do you immediately know where to put everything? Can you find your cable without thinking? Can you ride your bike to the office with the same bag that will then accompany you for three days? Does the large suitcase remain enjoyable once you’ve stopped seeing it as a beautiful new object? After several weeks, the Rain Pro 35L had already won this battle. We just grabbed it. Plain and simple. And the small pouch stayed inside. That’s almost the best possible endorsement.

Expensive products… unless promotions change the equation

At the list price, this is clearly a premium product.

The Rain Pro 35L is listed at €299 at the regular price, with a promotional price of €164.45 noted at the time of our test. The Luggage 80L 4WD is normally priced at €389, currently listed at €194.50. The Electronics Travel Pouch has dropped from €40 to €20 as of this writing. Prices are, of course, subject to change.

At full price, the investment is worth considering. At about half the price, the deal becomes much more appealing. That’s because the build quality, the level of organization, and the overall cohesiveness never give the impression that you’ve bought a camo-patterned bag with a few zippers thrown in. The design is appealing. The quality justifies the price. And its practicality ultimately justifies the rest.

What Scicon Has Really Nailed

Pros

• Truly top-of-the-line build quality
• Exceptionally versatile Rain Pro 35L
• Very smart interior organization
• Excellent stability when cycling
• 35 liters of usable space for competition, work, or a three-day trip
• The 80L is very easy to maneuver despite its size
• Four 360° swivel wheels
• Multiple truly useful compartments
• Simple but quickly indispensable Electronics Travel Pouch
• Very stylish camo design
• TagMe customization with name and flag
• Convenient TSA lock, available separately
• Visual and functional consistency across the entire line

Cons

• Clearly premium list prices
• 4.7 kg empty weight for the 80L model: must be included in your checked baggage allowance
• The camo pattern won’t suit those seeking complete anonymity
• A fully loaded Rain Pro 35L is inevitably heavy when riding a bike
• The numerous compartments take a few rides to get used to

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

*Prices displayed on the Scicon website at the time of writing; subject to change.

Scicon TSA padlock: €10.45 as of the time of the test; list price €19.

TagMe PR100 Custom Patch: €25, name + national flag, up to 20 characters.

=> All our Test Articles

=> In France, find Scicon Sports luggage and sunglasses at Alternativ Sport