Anyone want to help with the minefield of Bikepacking bags?

had a look at the AlpKit stuff firsthand but heard various Lomo, Apidura or Blackburn stuff is also worth a look.

Got any recommendations?

My main harnesses/bags are Wildcat* with some Alpkit and some Revelate. I’ve also a couple of Apidura feed bags but don’t use them much.

The only bag that will be bike specific is a full frame bag, come companies do generic full frame bags but it’s a bit of a lottery as to whether they are a good fit for your bike. A partial frame bag holds almost as much and if you choose the right one you should be able to fit a water bottle in the frame as well.

Saddle bags will depend on whether you want to use them with a dropper or not. Don’t get one that’s too big as it will only encourage you to put lots of stuff in it which can lead to severe movement. 8-10L is more than enough.

Handlebar harness/bag – try and find one that doesn’t foul your cables. A harness lets you use different size dry bags depending on how much kit you’ve got. It also means that if you wear out a dry bag you don’t have to replace the harness as well.

Stem Cells – just about anyone will do – not a lot between them in my experience but the Apidura are quite a bit smaller if you are worried about knee strike.

There’s a few reviews on Bearbones including the Lomo – https://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.com/?view=magazine

*Wildcat did cease trading earlier this year but they’ve started up again and from their website it looks as if production will start in a month or so.

Eagerly awaiting what Wildcat are going to offer but no teasers yet on social media?

If you don’t want to break the bank the Podsacs bags from planet X are really good. Haven’t tested them in the rain but I agree with Whitestone, if you get a massive saddle bag you’ll fill it right up and have it swinging about behind you.

Ortlieb seatpost bag is great. But expensive. Fit a 2 man tent and roll mat in mine negligable movement. Alpkit drybag on bars with Voile straps. Custom Apidura frame bag. Had a Lomo seatpost bag which was ok but I’d got my measurements wrong so sold it. I don’t use feed bags as find it a good excuse to stop and chill whilst munching away. All depends how much money you want to spend I guess.

@fudge9202 – I don’t do social media so no idea if anything’s on there from Wildcat. All I know is what’s on their site and a post or two from Ian Barrington on the Bearbones forums.

OP – I’ve just posted a list of what I take on one or two night trips on the thread about gear ratios for bikepacking.

If you are just dipping your toes in the water then I’d be happy with either Lomo or the PlanetX stuff until you figure out what works for you and whether you intend to do lots of bikepacking. Then go for one of the main brands if you need to.

Watch out for blackburn(but for dry weather still recommended) ..its not entirely waterproof In most cases and give it an hour and a half in heavy rain and the insides getting wet..but topeak are a good thought..I have had good success with there backloader..but as mentioned be wary of dropper compatibility.. it’s an absolute minefield .

My Blackburn Outpost seatpack  (not the Elite version) has been nothing but 100% waterproof. Even after I removed the mudguards, and it pished down,  everything inside it was as dry as it was when it went in

My Blackburn Outpost seatpack (not the Elite version) has been nothing but 100% waterproof.

Ditto. Mine’s been fine – no mudguards, been in some pretty heavy rain.

Can be a bit unstable, I find it a bit fussy about being mounted well.

I’ve got bags and harnesses from Wildcat and Restrap.

I currently generally use a Wildcat bar harness and frame bag, and a Restrap seat harness and stem bags, although I also have a Wildcat seat harness that gets used when I don’t want/need to carry so much stuff.

I’d be happy to recommend either.

Oh, and I’d much rather have bar and seat harnesses that you can leave on the bike and remove the separate dry bags than bags where you have to remove the whole thing. Each to their own though.

How about the Roswheel bar bag.

Can be filled with water for fresh fish 😮

I took an Ortlieb seat pack on a rather long ride recently and was not impressed. It sags more than other bags I’ve used and a clasp failed after 1.5 weeks of riding. Personally I’d look elsewhere.

Label makes some really nice stuff I’ve used his handlebar Harness and it’s well thought out and great quota bit like revelate in style.

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My Lomo seatpack is good. It does need to be full to stop it swaying.

What’s the word on dropper compliant saddle bags available in Europe?

Love my Bikepack.pl Repack, but it’s a no go with a dropper, even with a Valais

Revelate Designs Vole

i have a wildcat bar harness in digi camo and seatpack black that i could sell on if interested?

Thanks Scotrouts. I bet that Vole is great, if a bit pricey. Any cheaper alternatives?

I use apidura bags. Quite expensive but very waterproof and great warranty/support.
Like you I looked at loads before getting them and been very happy. Survived some grim scottish nights…

In the spirit of stw I’d say Ortlieb are bombproof, longest trip with mine was 4 weeks, no issues.

The Ortlieb did bend like a banana to be fair till I got the packing right.

What’s the word on dropper compliant saddle bags available in Europe?

Love my Bikepack.pl Repack, but it’s a no go with a dropper, even with a Valais

The new Wildcat Tiger rear harness will be dropper compatible (with Valais or similar) but is still about 10 weeks away.

Eagerly awaiting what Wildcat are going to offer but no teasers yet on social media?

Relaunched products are at least 10 weeks away. These are mostly tweaked products that sold very well previously. Newer additions to the range will be into 2020 now.

@seventy is the Ocelot going to be available?

Anyone tried or know anything about lotus bags? I just ordered and got delivered the explorer handlebar roll. It claims to be waterproof but I have serious doubts looking at the material… anyone able to confirm before I load up my sleeping bag into a seive?

@seventy is the Ocelot going to be available?

Yes it will. There will also be new version of the Ocelot designed more for the lighter weight (more roady) side of things. It’ll be narrower to work better with the lower q-factor on road bikes. Zipped access on one side only and slightly shallower too.

If in doubt about the waterproofness of a main bag, pre-wrap your vital stuff in a smaller lightweight dry bag. They’re cheap and should be durable enough for surviving inside an outer bag to protect from the worst.

@trailwagger – beaten to it by @highlandman but yes, either just stuff sleeping bag into a dry bag then put that in the main bag or find a dry bag of the appropriate size and stuff everything into that. I’ll sometimes do something similar to the latter if I need one bag to hold “dry” and “damp” kit at the same time: put the dry bag in first; fill with the items that need to be kept dry; partially seal the dry bag (if you fully seal it it’s really hard to expel any air from it); put the damp stuff on top.

You could check the waterproofness by filling the bag with water and hanging it over the bath and seeing if there’s any leaks!

StraightCut Design for proper last a lifetime custom goodness.

Anyone knows about dropper compatibility of the Alpkit Koala with a Valais but without the Exo-rail?
Thanks

I am in the market for a seat pack. In the first instance it will be for overnight b&b road touring, but I’d like it to be versatile enough for future mtb bike packing.

I’m considering the Apidura Expedition 14L (due to good reviews and strong recommendation from pal), or the Alpkit exo-rail Koala 13L. The 1L, 100g and £30 difference is not significant to me. What is v. important to me is minimum compromise of ride quality. At the moment I’m veering towards the Alpkit due to its anti-sway rail system.

Any words of wisdom or anything else I should be considering?

Cheers all.

Sway is mostly induced by poor packing, though some designs are prone to it than others.

I much prefer a dual harness/bag approach such as the Revelate.

@crimsondynamo – most people have problems with seatpacks due to two reasons:

1: Putting too much in there, particularly heavy items.
2. Packing them badly.

How they mount to the saddle rails also makes a difference, Wildcat and Revelate are probably the best systems.

I’ve never had need in the UK (whatever the season) to have more than about 10L in the seat pack, 8L is probably a more realistic maximum I’ve had.

Some photos

Solaris set up for three days in the Dales. This is camping rather than tarp and bivy, we split the tent between us – you can just see it behind the red handlebar bag.

Lightweight summer setup. There’s full camping kit – tarp, sleeping mat, bivy bag, as well as stove, fuel and food. This was on last summer’s JennRide.

Fat bike setup for the Arctic! Mostly mandatory gear for the race we were doing. Clothing and sleeping bag for potential -30C is bulky.

Very, very cool set-ups Whitestone!

Unfortunately Revelate and Wildcat can’t be bought in the UK currently. Out of stock across the board/not yet back in production.

The timing of my first trip next month may force my hand before availability improves. I’ll see how long I can leave it.

Buggy bags / bike bags do custom frame bags at a good price

I did loads of research a couple of years ago and ended up with apidura bags. They are great!

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Bike packing weekend 🙂

A post shared by Steven Murray (@steve_muzzy) on Jan 27, 2020 at 12:11am PST

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Camp broken down, home time #apidura #wildcamping #bikepacking #productionpriveeshan

A post shared by Steven Murray (@steve_muzzy) on Jan 27, 2019 at 3:34am PST

Unfortunately Revelate and Wildcat can’t be bought in the UK currently. Out of stock across the board/not yet back in production.

Terrapins  currently in stock at http://www.backcountry.scot

Bikebags stuff is well priced. The frame bag I have that was custom made I like. Its perhaps not as well finished as some of the bigger names but I have used mine a lot and noting has gone wrong and it fits really well.

https://www.bike-bag.co.uk/