Me and a few mates are doing a two day ride in May, with an overnight stop in a pub. don't want anything on my back, for 250 miles over 2 days, so looking at seat packs. I have a carradice, but it's too bulky, and not very versatile.
looking at a smaill alpkit Koala, as a simple and compact way of transporting:
shorts and tee shirt for evening,
spare kit for day 2,
tools,
snacks etc
wash kit
cables / powerbank
the small is 7 litres, which I think may be too big - is it easy to pack smaller than that, looks to have a roll top closure.
anything else I should consider?
The Koala has a roll top so you don't need to fill it. I've used the tapered Airlok on its own - supposedly 13 litres it's probably not that - it's not a huge deal bigger than an 8 litre Wildcat tapered bag.
I wouldn't put snacks in there, you want them to hand so you can, well, snack. A Stem Cell is ideal. Airlok and Stem Cell come in cheaper than the Koala.
The Lomo seatpack looks great for the money, £34, is totally waterproof, wont break the bank, and gets a brilliant review on bearbones
that Lomo looks good, but it looks too big, and not convinced it would pack down that well, I'd only need half that capacity....
Also worth checking the clearance between saddle and rear wheel as some of the seatpacks have a habit of slipping down in use - I find an extra strap around the pack and saddle rails can help.
Airlok looks good. I'd assume with a few straps it's pretty easy to secure to seatpost and saddle?
From memory it (the Airlok) comes with straps. Sourcing Velcro One-wrap isn't too difficult if it doesn't - I think Alpkit themselves sell it. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I've used it on its own without problem.</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span>
Orlieb large saddle pack might well do it. It's like a tardis! I've used an Airlok tapered on it's own - it needed extra strappage to stop wagging but otherwise fine. Was fully loaded though.
Orlieb large saddle pack might well do it. It's like a tardis! I've used an Airlok tapered on it's own - it needed extra strappage to stop wagging but otherwise fine. Was fully loaded though.
The 5litre one form bikepack in Poland would be my choice
I've a koala, some say it wobbles more than other similar bags, I've no idea how true that is but it does wag a bit but I've never noticed it while riding (surely if it didn't move it would make the bike feel heavy?). Either way I'm happy with it.
Although it does work better with one big soft item (sleeping bag) than lots of small stuff. Lots of small stuff and it tends to flop about more.
If you just want one mid sized bag on a road bike, get a bar harness. Or just strap a drybag to the bars. The front brake cable holds it off the frame, and you can tuck your fingers between the bars and the bag on a cold day!
I've used Apidura (not waterpoof, wore out quickly), Revelate (waterpoof, not very visible), and now Miss Grape (waterpoof, visible and not too stiff and inflexible).
I've used an Alpkit Koala (which is wobbly) and own one of the original Wildcat holsters, both are bigger than the smaller Podsac I just ordered for my dad, it's only £20 and sounds like it should do the job! It seems to be very well made but is definitely a bit small for long distances unless you're really disciplined with your packing!