Fox Racing Shuttle 180 Cota Gear Bag

Dirt bike gear bags come in all shapes and sizes. Ok, maybe they're all basically the same rectangular shape but they can vary from medium sized duffle bags that can handle the basics like your motocross pants and dirt bike jerseys to extremely large travel bags that can carry every piece of riding gear and safety equipment you may need.  

Believe it or not, gear bags can be pretty expensive, we're talking nearly $300 for the really big roller bags that have all kinds of fancy pockets and storage compartments, compression straps, retractable handles, and robustly built chassis' for extreme durability. Thankfully there are plenty of less expensive options that offer a ton of storage and some great features.

One of our favorite budget-friendly gear bags is the Shuttle 180 Cota Gear Bag from Fox Racing. As you probably know, Fox is renowned worldwide as one of the leaders in the dirt bike industry and while this gear bag may have a lower price than some other bags you still get Fox quality and some very handy features.

The Fox Racing Shuttle 180 Cota Gear Bag is a great choice because you get a ton of storage and heavy duty wheels and a sturdy handle to allow you to pull the bag around rather than carrying it with you everywhere you go. Knowing that this bag will be drug across dirt, rocks, and tossed into the bed of pickup trucks as well as treated to all sorts of other kinds of abuse, Fox created the exterior out of 600D polyester. They added a pair of hard plastic rails that run across the bottom to protect the bag and enable it to slide across hard surfaces without dragging or tearing the fabric.

Instead of the retractable handle that you may find on some more expensive roller gear bags, the Shuttle bag has a heavy duty pull handle sewn onto one end of the bag. The handle is padded and quite wide making it very comfortable and easy to manipulate even with extremely large hands. On the opposite of the handle and tucked into the bottom of the bag is a pair of polyurethane rollerblade type wheels. The wheels are extremely tough and can cut through dirt or roll across gravel surfaces with ease. Their narrow profiles also make it easy to maneuver through busy places like airport terminals.   

The bag measures in a 35" across, 16" wide and 18" tall. These dimensions allow you to pack everything you need for a ride plus extra clothes or riding gear if you're going to be out camping for a few days.  Heavy duty zippers with large sewn on pull tabs make opening and closing the bag a breeze. The Cota Gear Bag has three separate compartments which is great for keeping your gear clean and organized.

In the center of the bag is the main compartment which takes up the most storage space. In this section you could stack a couple pairs of dirt bike pants, goggles, jerseys, gloves, socks, knee braces, and even a chest protector and still have room for more stuff. On the end where the handle is located (the top when the bag is stood up) is a large compartment with a flap that folds all the way down. This big opening and the fact that it's the top of the bag is perfect for storing your dirt bike helmet. There's plenty of room so you won't be fighting for space and your helmet won't be banging against the floor when you stand the bag up.                  

At the opposite end of this Fox Racing gear bag is another good sized compartment that's ideal for storing your dirt bike boots. We've found it's best to put the boots in with the soles sitting on the bottom and the toes pointed inward towards the center of the bag. Both the helmet and boot compartments have large eyelets which allow for air flow so that your sweaty gear can breathe and won't stink up the bag.

Speaking of stinky gear, there is a large mesh pocket on the inside of the main flap. This zippered pocket would be great for keeping your dirt and sweaty jersey, socks, and other nasty gear separate from your clean gear. There's also an exterior zippered pocket that's quite deep and perfect for keeping things like your keys, phone, and sunglasses organized and easy to get to.

As you can see, the exterior is all black except for the large white Fox logo, the inside of the bag however, has a bright blue liner. Why is this important? As opposed to a black or other dark color, the bright blue makes it much easier to see inside the bag and find the things you are looking for. Lastly, while the bag does hold its shape fairly well the entire top is and sides are collapsible. That means when the bag is empty you can smash it down, make it extremely flat, and store it under your bed.