Only had 3 trips on them so far robust bags like the front bag as it has straps on so you can use it for hike a bike taking the load off the front when wrestling the bike over boulders/bogs and long pushes up. The rear pack might not be to everyone tastes because of the two straps connecting to the rear stays but it secures it well and keeps sway down to a minimum. Frame bag has nice touches like a map/phone pocket inside has straps to secure things like tent poles pumps/poles
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29Zjz13]45680349_10156961422301474_5509875370645520384_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2a7Chm3]44458125_10156916770591474_207552469218099200_o[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
Interesting. I’ll be needing a new frame bag next year, that’ll be a contender. Aiguille’s stuff tends towards the durable, no-gimmicks, no-frills approach – a good thing…I bought a custom pack from him five years ago after yet another rucsac from another company failed. Adrian lent me his personal rucsac while making up mine, which is still going strong.
@postierich I’d love to see a bar bag with a clear map window on it. Evolution of the randonee bag really. Been following on insta and the kit looks nice. I like the sway reducing straps too.
It’s great that there are all these different options, but how can all these bikepacking luggage companies make any money, there seems so many of them now. Wonder just how big the market is.
It’s great that there are all these different options, but how can all these bikepacking luggage companies make any money, there seems so many of them now. Wonder just how big the market is.
They seem to fall into three categories:
Revelate, alpkit, and now Aiguille making high end stuff in small batches that will probably last forever . Viable because it’s priced as a custom bag and ‘hand made’.
Topeak, Blackburn etc selling to the middle ground. Good stuff, made by the thousands in a factory somewhere in Asia.
Ibera etc selling £20 frame bags that will last forever if you only do a few nights a year.
So just set your budget and pick the price point your happy with and features your happy to live without (on the basis that if you’re paying >£100 for a bag they’ll put any feature you like on it).
I’ve been experimenting with making my own. It’s very cheap (75% of the cost was velcro!), but there’s a surprising amount of details to try and get right (I want the bag to taper to match the split top tubes to maximise volume). I also want to add little externally accessed pockets to the other side for things like pump, pegs, poles, battery.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/PUznEN]2018-10-14_06-33-22[/url] by thisisnotaspoon, on Flickr
[url=https://flic.kr/p/29gNW4m]2018-10-14_03-15-38[/url] by thisisnotaspoon, on Flickr
Does anyone fit a two person tent happily in a full size frame bag. Yep I know there’s lots of variation but never needed to carry a tent on trips before so just a very general question. If I can’t use Tesco vouchers at Evans anymore no more Ortlieb gear.
Revelate and Wildcat are the only two you mentioned who only do bikepacking bags/harnesses, all the others do lots of other stuff as well. There’s a lot of US cottage manufacturers as well, it’s only really Revelate who’ve made it over here.
@marin – we’ve a Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 man tent. The poles are the tricky bit since the whole lot (apart from one short cross pole) is shock corded together with a central spider at the crossover point. This means that they are quite bulky when folded up. The poles come out at 50cm when folded so you’d need a pretty big frame bag to be able to fit them in. I have them across the front of the bike in behind the bag in the handlebar harness. The inner and outer are probably less volume when folded up than something like the Alpkit Rig7. The tent with its extra groundsheet weighs just 1570g. We split it between us, outer and poles, inner, groundsheet and pegs, when we take it bikepacking.
I probably missed out loads, just examples. I meant they were all either cottage industries as you said or small companies making them in house individually at the same sort of price point. Whereas a bag from topeak or Specialized just comes off a production line which means they’re cheaper, but you can’t ask for a custom size or features.
A friend bought the Ortlieb front bag and used it on a trip we did in the Highlands. Both of us were very unimpressed. By all means get their rear bag or their frame bag, but get something else for the front.
Thanks for the answers on tents. Re-Ortlieb. Used there searpost bag on 3 week trip and it was excellent. Couple goes to get packing it right but after that no problems. Was an Evans Tesco purchase though.
Normal zips for toughness so as you would expect the waterproof quality is minimal they did mention something about giving it as an option if people really wanted it. I was not that bothered as most of the gear that goes in there is ok with dampness!
@nedrapier – very few bikepacking frame bags are truly waterproof. If you look at the makers’ websites they all recommend using dedicated dry bags for kit that has to be dry. There’s a couple of Stateside manufacturers who do “roll top” frame bags but I don’t recall seeing them for sale here in the UK.
Even with dry bags you need to make sure that hard items like multi-tools are bouncing around and puncturing them so there’s a bit of thought involved in packing.
I tend to have one bag (handlebar or saddle) as the bag for my “dry” kit and the other end for the wet stuff. The frame bag, if I use one, is for all the stuff that you might need during the ride, like tools, and for “overflow” items like a lightweight jacket or spare gloves, that sort of stuff.
Cheers Rich, it looked that way. the 90 degree angle was a bit of a concern if they’d been fully waterproof – waterproof zips don’t do too well round tight curves.
whitestone – I get all that, just curious, as above. I had my phone in the “map” side of a more-waterproof-than-most wildcat ocelot in torrential rain for hours, opened the zip to find my phone an inch and a half deep in water. Rain got in, but not out! Still good to know if something’s showerproof or not for shorter rides, though.
the 90 degree angle was a bit of a concern if they’d been fully waterproof – waterproof zips don’t do too well round tight curves.
Looking at the photo it looks like there’s two zip pulls – one at the head tube and one by the bottom bracket. I suspect there are two zips with the meeting point behind the triangle of rubber(?) at the top tube – seat tube junction. My Wildcat Snow Leopard is like that.
Poor phone! Probably poor you after replacing it 🙁
Phone was still on and working! Turned it off and whipped the battery and cards out sharpish, nah off rice on top of the hifi for 2 days, and it was right as rain. Right as it was before it rained anyway!
@sootyandjim – given it’s a full suss you are probably best going for a custom bag from the likes of Alpkit, Restrap or StraightCut. Wildcat have ceased trading.
@marin – a bit of thread resurrection but Big Agnes now do their Copper Spurs in bikepacking variants with shorter pole sections so they pack easier on the bike.
Ta for that. I got a cheap Zephyros 2. It’s ok. Fits in Ortlieb seatpost bag with self inflAting mat. Aguille frame bag made for my P7 is great. Top customer service. Can’t ride due to trapped nerve at moment. Selling my DH bike to fund few more bits. May try Alpkit Jones style bars for bit of arm, shoulder easing. Have a fun weekend.
Good to hear people are buying, proper test for my gear in a couple of weeks on the HT550 [url=https://flic.kr/p/24VuRXM]56770471_10157334527501474_92836967938523136_n[/url] by Richard Munro, on Flickr
You might get away with an Alpkit Possum above the shock depending on the frame size. But having looked into it with my Flare, there aren’t many good off-the-shelf options. A long bag strapped under the downtube might be the way to go.
Excellent choice 😊 I’ve a set on the 29er and the fat bike.
@sootyandjim – if you are near one of Alpkit’s stores then you could pop in and check to see if anything standard fits. Of course you don’t have to use a frame bag, any bag that fits the space and straps to the tubing will do. I’ll use a top tube bag on occasion …
Here’s my wife’s XS frame Soul ..
Both using an Alpkit top tube bag. On her Stooge she’ll use the same bag strapped upside down to the top tube, basically whatever fits the space best.
Posted 4 years ago
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