Are you looking for some cargo cages for your bikepacking setup? Allowing you to potentially ditch the panniers and run a lighter more bikepacking-friendly setup.
Cargo Cages can be used for more than just holding dry bags in place on your forks or rear. They can hold larger water bottles expanding your water-carrying capabilities.
I prefer to run 1.5 L Nalgene Bottles on either side of my forks. Previously I was running standard water bottle cage mounts on the forks, but it proved unstable, struggling to hold them securely. Some of the rides I have been on include rough, off-road trails. After some gnarly sections, they get loose, and I have lost a water bottle before.
Cargo Cages just make sense for the bikepacking fanatic. You can strap water bottles to them, or dry bags, just about anything! There is no need to worry about gear getting lost on the trails. Giving you peace of mind that your Nalgene bottle will still be there after you send it down some epic single tracks.
Offering an alternative storage solution to replace the need for front panniers. Keeping with the slim and minimalist style that bikepacking is famous for.
Depending on the cargo cage and dry bag setup you opt for. You can carry up to 2.5 L or even more on each cage if you needed.
And waterproofing gear is no issue with a Cargo Cage and Dry Bag combination. You can store just about anything from sleeping gear, like a sleeping bag, lightweight shelter/tent, or clothes.
From my experience, if you use generic dry bags like this from Sea To Summit, I use and recommend them. Storing lighter weight malleable material items works best, like clothes and your sleeping bag.
There are so many options with this setup for increasing your on-bike storage capacity. This extra storage can come in handy for extended trips when you need extra food. It’s a great idea to carry a couple of spare dry bags for storing those souvenirs for the family back home.
Even some cargo cages like this one allow you to mount bottle cages to the side allowing room to still run dry bags. Depending on your fork eyelet configuration this can turn your bike into a beast for bikepacking.
Bikepacking Fork Cages / Cargo Cages
Most fork cages require a minimum of 2 bosses to attach to the fork. If you have 1 or no eyelets on your bike’s fork, there are still ways around mounting them. Check out this article about the different ways in which you can attach water bottle cages to your bike and some of the attachment methods also work with cargo cages.
Blackburn Outpost Cargo Cage
These Blackburn cargo cages are designed to free up valuable space in your bags. Purpose-built to carry bulky items. The cage comes with three mounting holes for attaching to your fork or anywhere else where your bike has eyelets. Only need two contact points for mounting.
Comes with rubberized straps, in total weighing 164 grams (or 5.7 ounces). Made from a 6mm alloy tube construction that allows up to 4 kg carrying capacity on each cargo cage. Has some great reviews online. People who have used them have some positive things to say about them.
And these are my personal choice when it comes to cargo cages. I have used them on some lengthy bike tours and they have never failed me.
If you are looking for value for money, they are a great option. Allowing you to attach an additional water bottle on the side. Easy to fit on the fork and easy to tighten when you have all your gear installed. Highly recommended!
Salsa Anything Cages
When it comes to cargo cages, Salsa is the pioneer. As they like to call them “Anything Cages”. With a couple of options, however, the HD Cage is a flexible carrying system for attaching lightweight gear or large water bottles to your bicycle. Attaching to your bike’s bottle cage mounts to expand your load capacity. It comes in at around 150 grams (or 5.3 ounces).
Allow up to a 3 Kg (6.6 pounds) loading capacity for gear. Best installed on a Salsa bike with Salsa’s Three-Pack bolt pattern. The Salsa Anything Cages are designed with a Salsa Anything Dry Bag that is sold separately.
Topeak VersaCage
Again the Topeak VersaCage is a very similar option to the previous cargo cages. However, the differences are that this cage also offers a four-hole mount design. This means a height adjustment of your load for better balance. VersaMount clamps also provide easy installation and flexible mounting options. Which allows you to mount on your fork if your bike lacks the eyelets required for most other cargo cages.
The weight of this system including the cage and buckle straps is 172 grams or 6.06 oz.) Depending on if you use the clamps or not they weigh 48 g / 1.69 oz extra.
Specialized Burra Burra Stuffcage & Dry Bag
A more minimal option is the Specialized Burra Burra Stuffcage with the Stuff Pack as a combination. A more minimal option is the Specialized Burra Burra Stuffcage with the Stuff Pack as a combination. You don’t get as much storage capacity with this cage as the others above. As the stuff packs that come with the cage are only 1 L each. Great quality fork cage for bikepacking and dry bag. But if you are looking for a more affordable option you might want to skip this one. The stuffcage is reasonably priced at $26.99. But the dry bag is quite expensive.
Widefoot Cargo Mount
The Widefoot is an aluminum cargo rack for bottle cage bosses. One of the selling points differentiates itself from other cargo cages. Is their 3×3 configuration of mounting slots allowing you to fine-tune your installation at multiple positions on frames and forks that have three-bolt bosses. The cage weighs 71 grams and comes in a durable powder coated finish that is available in four colors. At a bit more on the pricey side at $48.00 each. But they are made in USA so you are supporting local businesses. You also get the option to buy them with Voile Straps at the checkout.
DOM Gorilla Cage
The Gorilla cage is a more unique cargo cage in design. The base plate that mounts to the bike is not as wide as the other options. Instead it uses a velcro ‘spider webbing’ design to surround and fasten your gear inside the cage. Making it best for storing dry bags. I could see water bottles being troublesome if they had a narrow base and could fall through.
The cage uses a 2 or 3 mounting cleat that attaches to the bike.
It has a maximum load of only 2.5 Kg / 5.5 pounds, which is about 500 grams less than the better options. And it has a net weight of 70 grams / 0.15 pounds. It is not the best cargo cage out there and some people have mentioned it not being the best choice for bikepacking. The top three are your better bet.
Bikepacking Fork Mounted Dry Bags
You should be fine with using any of these dry bags with the above cargo cages of your choosing. I am just writing these lists to help you compare and figure out which of each combination would suit you best. You can use several different dry bags, like the Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag 5L, and below are just some of the options.
Apidura Expedition Fork Pack
Designed to work with just about any bike fork cage. The Expedition Fork Pack is an ultralight (85 Designed to work with just about any bike fork cage. The Expedition Fork Pack is an ultralight (85 grams) waterproof storage space. It is 4.5 L, making it ideal for storing compressible items such as sleeping gear and extra clothing, as well as bulkier items such as cooking gear or extra food and drinks. Coming in at around $47.50
Road Runner Buoy Bag
More storage space is always handy when bikepacking. The more capacity the more food and gear you can take. For some, it is a struggle to find that perfect balance of storage capacity, to sustain a longer bikepacking trip. Especially when trekking into remote environments. These fork bags are perfect with 7.75L of storage each. That is the major reason why these are so attractive in my opinion. They cost $50 and come in a variety of colors. Also made in USA.
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