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Rocky Mountain Underground — RMU for short — is a ski company. Well, that was true, until it decided to open a tavern in its home base of Breckenridge, Colorado, and to start building things like a versatile backcountry backpack, a tailgate cover for mountain bikes and a dog collar that converts into a water bowl. Now, the one-time garage-based ski maker bills itself more generally as an outdoor brand. One of its most recent products called the BRFCS — fill in the vowels for pronunciation — is an all-purpose adventure travel bag that sets a tone for where the company might be headed.
The BRFCS is a carry-on compatible bag with a 35-liter base capacity that expands to 50 liters. RMU outfitted its interior with compartmentalized storage for clothing, (there’s enough room for ski boots), and smaller mesh pouch pockets for necessities and essentials; there’s also a false bottom. The BRFCS also features a padded laptop sleeve and a removable compression strap. It can be carried like its namesake, with backpack straps and a stow-away hipbelt or as a shoulder bag.
The Good: RMU’s dog collar/water bowl provides the yardstick example of how it approaches its outdoor products: put function everywhere. The BRFCS does that — in one compartment is a false bottom; the hipbelt and backpack straps stow away (the latter can be removed entirely, too); the front exterior pocket is ideal for essentials like a passport and wallet but also stashes a helmet sling; even the aluminum buckle on the interior compression strap has a curved edge for opening bottles.
As a bag, it’s more spacious than it looks. It has two sides with zippered compartments, like many classic travel suitcases, for storing clothing — and separating the dirty from the clean on the way home. These are more vast than they look, and easily sufficient for multi-day trips. Multiple carrying methods make schlepping the thing a breeze, and both the briefcase-style handles and backpack straps are comfortable in use. Exterior compression straps help make everything secure once inside, whether slightly empty or fully-stuffed.
Who It’s For: The BRFCS is an adventure travel bag, and adventurous travelers are precisely who it’s for. Sure, the casual weekender and the business traveler will also find it an adequate companion, but features like the helmet sling and backpack straps may go under-appreciated. If you’re the type of person who prefers a carry-on only approach, or someone who will tack on a hike or a day on the slopes to any quick trip, this is your bag.
