The blueseventy Nero Swimmer's Gear Bag and Triathlete's Transition Gear Bag

I like the Nero Bag. It was easy to use and large enough to hold what I needed. The variety of compartments helped me organize my gear to make it a little easier to find things before I started each swim practice.

From a swimmer's point-of-view, the bag has plenty of space for all of my swim gear except my kickboard. The waterproof compartment kept my wet swim suit and towel from soaking the seat in my car.

As a triathlete, I could fit all of my gear - wetsuit, bike helmet, run shoes, etc. - into the bag. This made for an easy trip to transition, and an easy trip back to the car after the race.

Blueseventy, better known for swim suits and wet suits, makes accessories for swimmers, too. I put their Nero Bag (small size), a backpack gear bag, to test as a swim gear bag and as a triathlete's transition gear bag.

The Nero bag is black with some gray accents and the blueseventy logo on the back and top. It has a large main zipper compartment that fully opens, a smaller lower waterproof zipper compartment, a mesh outer sleeve with a buckle, and several external and internal small zipper compartments. It has well padded, adjustable shoulder straps, an adjustable (and removable) padded waist belt, and the back panel is padded. It also has an internal sleeve for a hydration system, an mp3 port from the main compartment, and a handy grab loop on the top of the bag.

The material - fabric, straps, zippers - are heavy duty, with rip-stop nylon, a thick vinyl liner in the waterproof compartment, and nylon coil zippers. I count 8 different compartments, from the large main section to a small zippered pouch on the waist belt.

I liked the large main compartment, it was easy to shove things in and zip it, then open it and find what I needed. The waterproof lower section, big enough for shoes, did a good job keeping my wet swim suit and towel from soaking my car seat. The bag was very comfortable to wear when walking or cycling, the straps (shoulder and waist) were easy to adjust and the padded straps/back panel kept the bag from digging in to my shoulders.

The only problem I had with the bag was the zipper on the main compartment. The zipper would occasionally catch on the fabric that goes over the zipper. It would un-snag quickly, but it was a minor nuisance if I was in a rush.