Mountain Bike Hip Pack Buyers Guide – Kit Essentials

Really? Bum bags? I suppose this must be driven by the widespread use of dropper posts, making the use of seat packs less viable, bit there has to be a better solution for small amounts of kit than a bouncy, sweaty bag cinched up round your waist. Bib shorts were invented for a reason you know…

Quick hide the incriminating picture of the lock-knife 🙂

I find under saddle tool bags to be noisy, rattly, and as you say mostly incompatible with droppers.

I think the tool roll type thing works well and should be fine with a dropper.
(I have a topeak Burrito,as much as I begrudge it’s price I really like it.)

No Dakines? Surely an oversight.
I found the 5L perfect when I didn’t have a bike with a bottle cage as long you didn’t fill the bladder right up.
Now I do have a bottle cage, the Stealth is perfect for wallet, phone, keys & tube & a tinny on occasion.
Never liked saddle bags aesthetically.

Any reason why you’ve not included any of several Osprey options? I’m a big fan of the Seral 7, comfortable and stable and with enough room for most day rides plus a half-decent reservoir set-up. They also do a smaller version plus a couple of bottle-compatible alternatives.

It’d be nice if the Seral allowed you to carry a bottle as an alternative – as per the Bontrager, which looks good but ruinously expensive – but otherwise it just works and has enough internal compartments/pockets to keep small things organised, plus a couple of zipped belt pockets that are great for carrying snacks, sun screen, dead mice etc.

My Lowe Alpine one is 25 years old. Much prefer it to sweaty backpacks. Gets filthy mind

What do you carry or don’t to make that work for a full day?

Mostly very lightweight spare clothing eg: 100g waterproof shell, spare tube sits under the saddle, One-up pump with tool, assorted puncture-repair stuff, food, minimal spares. I don’t, in summer at least, carry a survival bag or an insulated jacket, but I do usually have a beanie. I also, sometimes, use a top-tube bag for snacks. Very light, small packing clothing makes a big difference in cutting load volume, but isn’t cheap or particularly robust.

Ah ok…so I’m not too far away but don’t carry anything on the bike, so it is more down to being a bit more selective with actual kit. I don’t carry a pump but do carry 2 or 3 CO2 cartridges and patches instead of a tube. I need to have another look at my kit and see what can be ditched (no clothing carried as I’m clearly using too bulky stuff as none will fit).

Can’t see a pic of a lock knife in here?

Nah yer right – Think that ones fine just a reference to a recent thread that was interesting.

Gerber suspension multitool legal to carry/