Comparison of Bikepacking Bags

Review of over 100 bikepacking bags and accessories

Detailed information on over 100 pieces of bikepacking luggage including handlebar bags, saddle bags, custom frame bags, stem bags, top tube bags, fork bags and extendable bottle cages.

Jump to: Overview | Handlebar Bags | Saddle Bags | Frame Bags | Accessories | Manufacturers | Spreadsheet

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Quick guide

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Best designs: Apidura

Apidura’s bikepacking bags are excellent. Well designed and really easy to use.

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Best budget: Alpkit

Alpkit’s equipment is always good value but their bikepacking luggage is really good quality.

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Best harnesses: Wildcat

Easily attach and quick-release your own dry bags with Wildcat’s clever harnesses.

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Best waterproof: Ortlieb

The industry standard for panniers, Ortlieb’s bikepacking bags are tough and waterproof.

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What is bikepacking?

Bikepacking is cycle touring off-road using small bags attached to the frame of your bike.

Traditionally, cycle touring has relied on panniers which are great for carrying lots of stuff but they make your bike unwieldy, require heavy racks and rattle all over the place if you take them off-road. Bikepacking relies on much smaller bags that attach directly to your bike. They’re lighter than panniers and have less impact on the control of your bike.

The rise in popularity of bikepacking has coincided with an explosion in luggage designed specifically for bikepacking. Hence I’ve written this article.

Bikepacking bags can just as well be used for road cycling and on road bikes. As well as their obvious uses for mountain biking, they’re also popular for lightweight touring and long distance racing.

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What’s in this article?

This article is a review of bikepacking bags. I’ve compiled a huge spreadsheet with data on over 100 bikepacking bags which I’ve presented below in a series of tables. You can sort the tables to find the biggest, lightest or cheapest bags, or filter only those that are waterproof or use harnesses. Details on each of the manufacturers are at the end.

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Table guide

The table headings are mostly self explanatory but here are notes on some that aren’t:

• Type (bag or harness) – some handlebar and saddle storage is just an empty ‘Harness’ into which you can put your own dry bag (or whatever you want). Most, however, are all inclusive ‘Bags’.
• L W H (length, width, height) – for simplicity and consistency, I’ve just put the longest measurement as Length and the shortest as Height.
• Waterproof – ‘Yes’ if it’s 100% waterproof. ‘Partial’ if it uses 100% waterproof material but does not have one or more of taped seams, roll top enclosure or waterproof zips. ‘No’ for anything else.
• Cost – Usually RRP. Usually available for less.
• Price checker – links to two different websites to check for the best price (usually one specialist cycling shop and Amazon)

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Additional info on the spreadsheet

All the tables below are generated from a huge spreadsheet that I’ve compiled with detailed information on all the bikepacking bags listed.

I can’t fit all of the information on this pagee without it getting messy though. Some of the extra stuff that’s on the original spreadsheet includes:

• Metric vs Imperial – the tables below display litres, centimetres and grams but all measurements are also available in ounces, inches and cubic inches on the spreadsheet.
• Dimensons – length, width and height are only listed below for frame bags but I’ve included them for all bags on the spreadsheet.
• Litres/100g – how much storage do you get for the weight? This is my own calculation. The higher the better. As a guide, 1’s low, 4’s high.
• Notes – I’ve added more details for many of the bags that there wasn’t for on this page.
• Multiple retailers – quick links for searching Amazon, Ebay and other shops to find the best price.

Click here to view the full bikepacking bag spreadsheet on Google Sheets

(Feel free to copy/paste into Excel or email me if you want a copy to manipulate the data yourself. Just share anything interesting you find!)

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1. Bikepacking Luggage Overview

The main types of bikepacking bags are:

• handlebar bags
• saddle bags
• frame bags

Other accessories include top tube bars, stem bags, fork bags and bottle cages.

Location	Average size	Max size	Average litres/100g	Max litres/100g	Average cost
Handlebar Bags	14 litres	22 litres	4.5	7.4 (Apidura)	£72
Saddle Bags	13 litres	23 litres	3.2	4.8 (Blackburn)	£96
Frame Bags	7 litres	14 litres	3.0	3.8	£78
Other Accessories	1 litre	4 litres	1.7	5.7 (FreeParable)	£34

Handlebars and saddles offer by far the largest capacity for storage. Handlebar bags tend to offer the best volume for their weight (notably Apidura).

The size of the frame bag available to you is largely determined by what bike you have. Some can be quite capacious. Their main advantage is keeping weight in the centre of your bike thus minimising the impact on your riding.

Most accessories are very small (1 litre) but Free Parable’s Gorilla Cages are larger (4 litres) and offer excellent capacity for their weight.

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2. Handlebar bags

Bags that hang off your handlebars. They offer the best volume for weight and are some of the largest bags. The type of handlebars on your bike may restrict what’s available with drop bars in particular not usually able to take the big bags. Heavy bags will make steering feel heavy.

• Volume: 9-22 litres (550-1,350 cubic inches)
• Weight: 176-601 grams (6-21 ounces)
• Cost: £15-104

Some handlebar bags also come with small pouches that attach to the front of them.

Brand	Model	Type	Volume	Weight	Waterproof	Cost	Price checker
Alpamayo	Front Harness	Harness	20l	375g	Yes	£60	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Airlock Dual 20l	Bag	20l	206g	Yes	£18	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Airlock Dual 13l	Bag	13l	176g	Yes	£15	Check price / #2
Apidura	Handlebar Pack (Regular)	Bag	20l	270g	Partial	£88	Check price / #2
Apidura	Handlebar Pack Dry (14L)	Bag	14l	275g	Yes	£104	Check price / #2
Apidura	Handlebar Pack Dry (9L)	Bag	9l	250g	Yes	£96	Check price / #2
Apidura	Handlebar Pack (Compact)	Bag	9l	200g	Partial	£77	Check price / #2
Blackburn	Outpost Handlebar Roll & Dry Bag	Harness	12l	521g	Yes	£72	Check price / #2
Mack Workshop	Bar Bag	Bag			Partial	£30	Check price
Mack Workshop	Bar Roll	Bag			Partial	£60	Check price
Miss Grape	Tendril	Bag	17l		Yes		Check price / #2
Ortlieb	Handlebar Pack	Bag	15l	417g	Yes	£96	Check price / #2
Porcelain Rocket	MCA Handlebar System	Harness	15l			£100	Check price
Restrap	#CarryEverything Bar Bag	Harness	13l			£85	Check price
Revelate	Sweetroll (Large)	Bag	18l	394g	Yes		Check price / #2
Revelate	Harness + Saltyroll	Harness	15l	601g	Yes		Check price / #2
Revelate	Sweetroll (Medium)	Bag	14l	366g	Yes		Check price / #2
Revelate	Sweetroll (Small)	Bag	10l	292g	Yes		Check price / #2
Wildcat	Fat Lion	Harness	22l	369g	Yes	£100	Check price
Wildcat	Lion	Harness	13l	208g	Yes	£83	Check price

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3. Saddle bags

Large bags that clip underneath your saddle. Joint with handlebar bags for capacity and just behind them in ‘volume for weight’, saddle bags usually have less impact on your riding ability so would probably be the first place to look for bulk storage.

• Volume: 3-23 litres (180-1,400 cubic inches)
• Weight: 125-880 grams (4.4-31 ounces)
• Cost: £21-190

Brand	Model	Type	Volume	Weight	W	Cost	Price checker
Alpamayo	Seat Pack	Harness	14l	495g		£85	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Airlok Tapered	Bag	13l	148g	18cm	£21	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Koala	Bag	13l	270g	21cm	£70	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Kowari	Bag	3l	125g	16cm	£50	Check price / #2
Altura	Vortex Seatpack	Bag	12l	260g	20cm	£60	Check price / #2
Apidura	Saddle Pack Regular	Bag	17l	400g	19cm	£100	Check price / #2
Apidura	Saddle Pack Dry (14L)	Bag	14l	350g	18cm	£126	Check price / #2
Apidura	Saddle Pack Mid-Size	Bag	14l	360g	18cm	£98	Check price / #2
Apidura	Saddle Pack Compact	Bag	11l	350g	17cm	£93	Check price / #2
Apidura	Saddle Pack Dry (9L)	Bag	9l	325g	17cm	£118	Check price / #2
Arkel	Seatpacker 15	Bag	15l	720g		£190	Check price / #2
Arkel	Seatpacker 9	Bag	9l	640g		£181	Check price / #2
Arkel	Rollpacker 15	Bag					Check price / #2
Arkel	Rollpacker 25	Bag					Check price / #2
Blackburn	Outpost Seat Pack & Dry Bag	Harness	11l	230g	15cm	£63	Check price / #2
Carradice	Super C	Bag	23l	880g	28cm	£80	Check price / #2
Carradice	Originals	Bag	11l	610g	18cm	£70	Check price / #2
Miss Grape	Cluster Saddle Bag (20L)	Bag	20l		18cm	£125	Check price / #2
Miss Grape	Cluster Saddle Bag (13L)	Bag	13l		18cm	£115	Check price / #2
Ortlieb	Seat Pack	Bag	17l	430g	30cm	£99	Check price / #2
Porcelain Rocket	Vera Saddle Bag	Bag	13l			£115	Check price
Porcelain Rocket	Tess Saddle Bag	Bag	9l			£105	Check price
Porcelain Rocket	Charlene Saddle Bag	Bag	5l			£95	Check price
Restrap	#CarryEverything Saddle Bag	Harness	13l			£100	Check price
Revelate	Viscacha	Bag	14l	391g			Check price / #2
Revelate	Pika	Bag	12l	357g			Check price / #2
Revelate	Terrapin System	Harness	14l	539g			Check price / #2
Wildcat	Tiger Drover	Harness	8l	248g		£92	Check price
Wildcat	Tiger Wayfarer	Harness	5l	221g		£86	Check price

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4. Frame bags

Narrow bags that attach inside the triangular frame of your bike. They are not as big or as saddle and handlebar bag can be and you’re restricted on the size of object you can put inside. However, they keep the weight in the centre of your bike which has has less affect on your bike’s handling so they’re the best place to carry small, heavy items.

The size and shape of your bike will determine what frame bag it can take. Many companies offer custom sized frame bags.

• Volume: 3-14 litres (180-850 cubic inches)
• Weight: 125-402 grams (4.4-14 ounces)
• Cost: £40-142

Brand	Model	L	W	H	Cost	Price checker
Alpamayo	Custom Frame Bag				£115	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Possum Large	51cm	13cm	6cm	£65	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Possum Medium	46cm	11cm	6cm	£60	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Possum Small	42cm	10cm	6cm	£55	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Stingray				£65	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Fat Bike Stingray				£100	Check price / #2
Altura	Vortex Waterproof Frame Pack	43cm	20cm	5cm	£50	Check price / #2
Apidura	Full Frame Pack (Large)	53cm	35cm	7cm	£142	Check price / #2
Apidura	Full Frame Pack (Medium)	50cm	32cm	7cm	£137	Check price / #2
Apidura	Full Frame Pack (Small)	45cm	39cm	7cm	£130	Check price / #2
Apidura	Mountain Frame Pack (Large)	51cm	15cm	6cm	£82	Check price / #2
Apidura	Mountain Frame Pack (Medium)	46cm	15cm	6cm	£77	Check price / #2
Apidura	Road Frame Pack (Large)	54cm	15cm	6cm	£77	Check price / #2
Apidura	Road Frame Pack (Medium)	48cm	13cm	6cm	£71	Check price / #2
Apidura	Road Frame Pack (Small)	43cm	12cm	6cm	£66	Check price / #2
Blackburn	Outpost Framebag (Large)	51cm		23cm		Check price / #2
Blackburn	Outpost Framebag (Medium)	46cm		23cm		Check price / #2
Mack Workshop	Universal Frame Bag (Small)	35cm	10cm	6cm	£40	Check price
Mack Workshop	Universal Frame bag (XL)	50cm	10cm	6cm	£63	Check price
Ortlieb	Frame Pack					Check price / #2
Porcelain Rocket	Partial Frame Pack (Small)	40cm	12cm	5cm	£75	Check price
Porcelain Rocket	Partial Frame Pack (Medium)	50cm	14cm	5cm	£75	Check price
Porcelain Rocket	Partial Frame Pack (Large)	50cm	16cm	5cm	£75	Check price
Restrap	#CarryEverything Frame Bag (small)				£40	Check price
Restrap	#CarryEverything Frame Bag (medium)				£50	Check price
Restrap	#CarryEverything Frame Bag (large)	50cm	15cm	6cm	£60	Check price
Revelate	Tangle Frame Bag (Small)	44cm		10cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Tangle Frame Bag (Medium)	50cm		11cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Tangle Frame Bag (Large)	53cm		17cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ripio Frame Bag (Small)	42cm		32cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ripio Frame Bag (Medium)	47cm		36cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ripio Frame Bag (Large)	50cm		41cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ripio Frame Bag (XL)	53cm		48cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ranger Frame Bag (Small)	41cm		19cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ranger Frame Bag (Medium)	45cm		24cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ranger Frame Bag (Large)	50cm		29cm		Check price / #2
Revelate	Ranger Frame Bag (XL)	53cm		34cm		Check price / #2
Wildcat	Ocelot	53cm	15cm	7cm	£70	Check price
Wildcat	Leopard		7cm		£120	Check price

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5. Bikepacking Accessories

Stem bags

Small fabric pockets which hang off your stem on the inside of your handlebars. You can usually fit a water bottle or other small items to which you might want easy access while riding. Useful as a replacement for the bottle cage you had to remove to fit your frame bag. Can knock the knees of taller riders. Typically 1-litre. £25-40.

Top tube bags

Tiny pouches that attach to the top of your top tube and open with a zip. Good for cameras, mobiles and snacks. Rarely more than 1-litre. £28-55.

Fork bags

Harnesses that attach to the outside of your forks and into which you can fit a small dry bag. Good for lightweight, bulky items but they can affect steering and will get in the way on some technical riding.

Bottle cages

Extendable bottle cages into which you can fit larger bottles, small all-in-one stoves or a neatly wrapped bivvy bag.

Brand	Model	Location	Weight	Cost	Price checker
Alpamayo	Stem Bag	Stem bag	100g	£25	Check price / #2
Alpamayo	Top Tube Bag	Top tube	100g	£29	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Stem Cell XL	Stem bag	88g	£28	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Stem Cell Dry	Stem bag	75g	£25	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Stem Cell	Stem bag	63g	£28	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Fuel Pod Large	Top tube	110g	£32	Check price / #2
Alpkit	Fuel Pod Medium	Top tube	67g	£28	Check price / #2
Apidura	Food Pouch (Regular)	Stem bag	55g	£35	Check price / #2
Apidura	Top Tube Pack (Extended)	Top tube	100g	£30	Check price / #2
Apidura	Top Tube Pack (Regular)	Top tube	65g	£35	Check price / #2
Free Parable	Monkii Cage	Bottle cage	36g	£15	Check price
Free Parable	Gorilla Cage	Forks	70g	£25	Check price
Mack Workshop	Top Tube Pack	Top tube		£28	Check price
Miss Grape	Bud Mini Bar Bag	Stem bag		£42	Check price / #2
Miss Grape	Node Top Tube Bag	Top tube		£50	Check price / #2
Revelate	Mountain Feedbag	Stem bag	102g		Check price / #2
Revelate	Gas Tank	Top tube	99g		Check price / #2
Revelate	Jerrycan	Top tube	74g		Check price / #2
Wildcat	Cheetah	Top tube		£45	Check price

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6. Bikepacking Bag Manufacturers

There are dozens of companies making bike packing bags. I’ve tried to include any manufacturer whose products are stocked in the UK.

Alpamayo

Alpamayo are a small company founded by two engineers who spent two years cycling through the Americas. They operate from a small workshop in the Peruvian Andes but all their stuff’s sold in the UK, direct from their website.

Alpkit

Used by the author

Alpkit make the cheapest bikepacking kit available. They stock a wide range of bags in a variety of different sizes and their frame bags are customisable. In particular, their simple Airlock handlebar bags are dirt cheap (£15-18) but work perfectly well.

I tested the Alpkit bags over a weekend’s bikepacking in Northumberland. Like most Alpkit stuff, I expected their kit to be cheap and reasonable quality. But, in fact, I’d say Alpkit’s bikepacking luggage is top quality. I was really impressed both with the designs – which are original and well thought-through – and the build quality.

Altura

Altura are a well known bike clothing and accessories brand who offer a waterproof frame bag and reasonably priced saddle bag.

Apidura

Used by the author

Apidura are one of the best known bikepacking manufacturers in the UK. Mark Beaumont used their bags to break the Cairo to Cape Town speed record and they boast several other high profile athletes as ambassadors, including Transcon winner and all round legend Emily Chappell.

I’ve been testing out their full range of kit and been really impressed. Intuitive to attach, well built and well designed with nice little touches like zip tags you can operate with one hand and interiors that are bright yellow so you can find stuff easily.

Arkel

Arkel’s saddle bags come with a tiny metal frame which means you don’t get the wobbly “tail wag” you find with other bags. It also gives you a quick release for the bag (one of the downsides of most bikepacking bags is that they’re really faffy to get on and off your bike). They’re heavier as a of the frame result and expensive too but a convenient, classy option.

The guys at Ghyllside Cycles – possibly the only UK stockist – reckon they’re the best.

Blackburn

Simple harness-style saddlebag and handlebar bag into which you can fit your own dry bags. Reasonably priced.

Carradice

Carradice were making giant saddle bags long before ‘bikepacking’ was a word. They’re a bit different from the rest with the bag running perpendicular to the saddle, sticking out either side rather than rising up behind the rider.

They’re some of the heaviest bags on the market but the Super C is also the largest with capacity for a whopping great 23 litres under your saddle.

Free Parable

Free Parable make the Monkii and Gorilla Cages. The Monkii Cage replaces your regular bottle cage with one that uses velcro straps to attach larger objects. I used mine to carry a stove underneath the frame of my bike.

The Gorilla Cages attach to the outside of your forks and allow you to carry large, light objects in dry bags. I used them to carry camping mats and bivvy bags when I crossed the Cairngorms.

They’re stocked in the UK by Cycle Miles who sent me some samples to test out.

Mack Workshop

Mack Workshop appears to be a very small operation which is run as a hobby on evenings and weekends. The bags are all handmadeand very reasonably priced.

Miss Grape

Miss Grape are an Italian manufacturer whose kit you can find on Amazon in the UK. They certainly makes some big bags: the 17-litre Tendril handlebar bag and a 20-litre Cluster saddlebag are the largest combination from any one company.

Ortlieb

Tested by the author

Ortlieb dominate the pannier industry with their excellent range of luggage. We used their panniers to cycle around the world. They only recently entered the bikepacking bag market with a single handlebar bag and saddle bag. A frame bag’s expected in the near future.

I tested their bags over a wet week of bikepacking in the Cairngorms and rate them highly. They’re some of the heavier bags but then they’re large (and the ratio’s pretty good at 3.6-3.8 litres/100g) and really durable. The saddle bag has a valve which lets you squeeze the air out and reduce the bulk (like their compression bags). As you’d expect from ‘Ortlieb Waterproof’, there’s no question of them leaking (ours went through rivers with down sleeping bags inside).

Porcelain Rocket

Well known and well respected American brand of bikepacking luggage offering both harnesses and traditional bags.

Restrap

Restrap are a small family company based in Leeds (where I work). They make beautiful, hand stitched bikepacking luggage. They’re sufficiently stylish that you’d probably feel bad attaching them to anything but a Brooks saddle.

Their #CarryEverything luggage uses harnesses into which you can fit your own dry bag (or the ones they sell). I’ve heard nothing but good things about their kit but they never replied to my email so I’ve not had a chance to check them out properly.

Revelate

Revelate are one of the biggest bikepacking names in the US. They’re the preferred brand of mountain biking legend Lee Craigie which is endorsement enough for me.

Wildcat

Tested by the author

Wildcat are a small company based in Brecon, Wales, whose handmade kit was awarded ‘Best in Show’ at the 2015 Bespoked Festival.

Their range includes front and back harnesses for storing your own dry bags (which you can buy from them in the appropriate sizes), top tube bags and a unique storage pocket for anyone that uses a Jones H-Bar. These guys were the first to offer custom frame bags in the UK, a service which they still offer now.

Laura and I tested out their Lion handlebar bag, Wayfayrer saddlebag and Ocelot framebag. One of the advantages of their harness system is the quick release – you can leave the harness attached to your bike and just whip out your dry bag when you’re done for the day. We found all the straps quite fiddly but that was probably our fault for setting off without having read the instructions.

Their handlebar bags offer an excellent volume to weight ratio (over 6 litres per 100g) and, with the right dry bag, their Fat Lion bag can hold a massive 23-litres.

Other bikepacking bag manufacturers

There are many more manufacturers out there including: Akatanga, Andrew the Maker, Banjo Brothers, Bag4Bike, Becker Gear, Bedrock Bags, Bike Bag Dude, Boulder Bikepacking, Broad Fork Bags, Carousel, Carsick Designs,Conquer, Crater Packs, Defiant Pack, Elephants & Robots, Endless Trails, Fairweather, Fun Bags, Ghost, Giant, Green Guru, JPaks, No Logo, Nuclear Sunrise, Oveja Negra, Panthom Pack Systems, Rockgeist, Rogue Panda, Specialized, Spok Werks, Stealth, Switchback, Tanner Goods, Topeak, Vagabond and Wanderlust

For a full list, check out the excellent Complete List of BikePacking Manufacturers at CyclingAbout.com.

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If you appreciated this article, you might like some of the others in my ‘Comparison’ series: Bivvy Bags, Camping Stoves, Multi-Fuel Stoves, Base Layer Materials and Camping Mats.