Built to last

Britain has a long and distinguished history of producing technical outdoor gear for the harshest environments.

Iconic brands like Berghaus, Rab, Rohan and Karrimor have been at the forefront of technical innovation in outdoor adventuring for decades.

Adventurers and explorers have traditionally led the way because they’ve had to innovate to stay competitive. To stand any chance of being the first, or even to make it there in one piece, having the best kit has always been essential.

It’s a tradition we at Albion are inspired by and want to continue.

For our first collection we also wanted to build ties with, and to support, British manufacturing. So we set out to create a waterproof pouch for the bike that was made in Britain using British materials, and that could withstand the harshest conditions our little, albeit often brutal, island has to offer.

The brief was simple. Spending long days out on the bike all year round meant the things you carried with you – phone, money, bank cards, brevet cards – got wet eventually. Wet from sweat, wet from rain, or wet from both. How could we keep them protected and dry?

For our answer, we turned to another of the great British outdoor innovators. Halley Stevensons.

Pioneers in the development of modern waxed cotton, Halley Stevensons have been making cloth on the same site at their Baltic Works factory in Dundee since 1864. Today, their clients include some of biggest names in British outdoorwear and fashion. (Nigel Cabourn’s iconic Cameraman jacket is a particular favourite of ours).

Waxed cotton is one of the original performance fabrics. Developed in the early 15th century to create waterproof sails for the Scottish shipping fleet, it’s light, efficient, waterproof, and built to last. These properties led sailors and fishermen working the Baltic routes to adopt the sail cloth for capes, to protect themselves against the brutal conditions at sea.

Ever since, waxed cotton’s unique ability to guard against the elements and last a lifetime has seen it weave itself into military and outdoor clothing folklore, with the work of Halley Stevensons at the forefront of this.

For the Albion waterproof pouch we chose Halley Stevensons P200 Super Dry fabric.

Lightweight, waterproof without the need for re-proofing, and milled in Britain, it was the perfect solution.

This year we’ll be releasing more products using this special fabric, but for now the Albion waterproof rider’s pouch is available to buy here.