Although I only recently bought a new backpack for work, when I saw this in my favourite shop (Nature et Découvertes), I thought about it for a few days and then went back and bought it.

My requirements are quite simple these days. I’m a teacher but I travel light. If I need to transport a set of books, I just carry them in a plastic crate. If I’m given a piece of paper in a meeting, I “lose it” quite quickly. This time last year, when I found myself in the unaccustomed position of not having a classroom base, I found myself having to lug all kinds of shit around (you can’t trust that board markers or blank paper will be in your next classroom, for example), and it was depressing and heavy. Now I have a base again, I need my laptop and a few spare ink cartridges. I take a bottle of water, but I rarely bother with lunch these days.

So the small backpack I bought (in the same shop, oy) in February was fine, and I’d been steeling myself to cycle to work as soon as the weather was better. To push myself, I’ve also added front and rear lights, and even purchased a lock, just in case I couldn’t fit my bike in the cupboard at the back of my classroom.

But then, as I say, I saw this bag. Same as the old bag, really, except it has a built-in LED light that can be used to signal left and right, straight on, and, um, !, I suppose for danger.

It cost €150, which is a bit steep, but I was so tickled by its novelty that I bought it anyway.

It comes with a built-in USB cable for charging, and on-off button and has a supposed battery life of up to 40 hours. There’s a small plastic remote control for switching the lights on and off, but you’d better not lose this, because there’s no other way to do it.

The remote will clip over something, or slip inside a mesh pocket on the rucksack strap, or can be attached to your handlebars. You hold the centre button for a couple of seconds to turn the thing on and off, and then you can push the buttons to signal.

Here’s the thing. You’re on your bike, right, and you want to signal left. Is this thing on? You think so. But the light on the remote flashes whether it is or not. So you don’t know. So you stop, heave of your backpack, and check. Yep. Working. When not signalling, it kind of cycles through the LEDs in a pattern. So you carry on again, and you get to a dangerous roundabout on the A43 and you signal right, look over your shoulder, and use a clear hand signal, and you hope it’s on, right?

I think it was on. I like the idea of having a clear signal as well as my hand signals. Sometimes, you need both hands on your handlebars after signalling, and it’s nice to have the backup. But the fact that you can’t really see it’s working is an issue. I suspect drivers will find the thing a novelty.

Most people would say panniers are better for commuting, and they are. But my main bike is not one to put panniers on. So if you need a backpack, this is one. And it has lights.

Bit expensive though.