So are you looking for a bikepacking saddle bag for your cycling adventures? After I made the transition from a more traditional bicycle touring setup. I became more and more attracted to bikepacking and the more minimalistic style of riding. So after a short while one of the main bike bags that one must look into getting is a saddle bag or pack. You don’t have to get a saddle bag though. You could go for alternatives if you are still looking to do bikepacking, you have bikepacking micro panniers or those large saddle bags that mount across the back. But these are for another blog post. Today we are focusing on mainly Saddle Bags. There are a few things to look for when choosing a great bikepacking saddle bag. Lets take a look.
Volume
Obviously you want a bag that as a decent amount of volume. if you are coming from a touring bike background like I did you are probably looking for as much volume as you can get out of your bike bags. Especially as bikepacking really reduces the amount of gear you are capable of bringing along with you. The volume of the saddle pack can depend on the type of riding you have planned. If you are looking to do some epic, off the beaten path adventures. Requiring you to be in the wild away from supplies for a few days you might want one of the largest volume bags that you can get. Between all the saddle bag options out there. And the best ones, which are mentioned below the range of volume is anywhere between 11L up to 17L.
Weight
The weight of the bag itself, it also somewhat important. It really depends on how you ask here. Some a really picky and will spend so much more money to get a bag that is 100 grams lighter. Again this also can come back to the type of riding you plan to undertake. If you are wanting to do some racing or very lightweight bikepacking. Then a lighter saddle bag is ideal.
Not only the bags weight but also the weight of the gear that you pack in your saddle bag is also important. I will cover more about this in the next few sections.
Waterproofing & Durability
Some bags are not 100% waterproof and are ‘water resistant’. But it does depend on your preference again. If you don’t mind the gear getting slightly damp for a cheaper bag. Or go fully waterproof and you can expect to pay slightly more for this luxury. In my opinion I prefer a bag the is waterproof as that extra security is nice. It is also great to roll up to camp when it is raining really bad and you set up your tent and have some warm and dry clothing to change into.
Generally the more expensive the more durable as better and stronger materials are used. but that is not always the case. We will look into some of the best value seat packs later. Which are bags that are a reasonable price but are backed by fellow bikepackers as being able to stand up to the demands on the road. But some of the bags in this article are designed to stand up to basically anything, and could last forever.
Does It Sway Much?
My first bikepacking saddle bag when I got into bikepacking was the Roswheel Attack Series Saddle Pack. And it is a budget bikepacking bag that is a good option if you are just looking to get started in bikepacking. But it does sway from side to side when it is fully packed and I am shredding some rough trails. Which is not ideal!
Some other bags are said to sway as well. Some bike bag brands have come out with solutions. But it is something that happens to most bags. Even if it is just slightly.
How Do You Get Around That?
Like I mentioned some of the bike bag brands make addition kit for the saddle bags to help keep them super stable. For example with the Ortlieb Seat Pack they sell an additional Seat-Pack Support-Strap which mounts over the front of the saddle pack to fix it the saddle much more securely. Also as you will see with the first saddle bag in the list below. WOHO sell a saddle bag with a Anti Sway Stabiliser. Which mounts on the saddle rail and drop down the side of the saddle bag.
What you can do to prevent sway in your saddle bag is to learn the trick of packing it properly. You want to avoid packing heavier items in the bag last, if you can it is best to pack the lightest or light gear in the saddle bag to prevent sway as much as possible. By packing the heavier gear first you are planting the bag to the seat post and more of the weight being there will help stabilise the bag a little. Then pack light stuff, like, light jackets and sleeping bag for example.
Clearance
This is depended on how low you run your seat post. If you have your post right down fitting a saddle bag might be a problem. With most saddle packs they require around requires 8.5″ between the seat rails and the tire. Just keep this in mind before you go out and get a saddle bag.
Okay so what are some of the better saddle bag options out there? So I asked about 40 bikepacker what they use and recommend. And these are the bikepacking saddle packs they mentioned.
- WOHO XTouring Saddle Bag
- Arkel Seatpacker
- Rapha Waterproof Rear Pack
- Porcelain Rocket Mr. Fusion
- Oveja Negra Gear Jammer
- Blackburn Outpost Elite Seat Pack
- Ortlieb Large Seat Pack
- Topeak Backloader Bag
- AGU Venture Seat Pack
- Apidura Expedition Saddle Pack
- Alpkit Koala Bikepacking Seat Bag
WOHO XTouring Saddle Bag
I really like the design and style of the WOHO bags. The XTouring medium sized saddle bag comes with the Anti Sway Stabiliser or you can buy just the bag. With the stabiliser it has mounting options for two water bottle mounts which is a bonus. This is really great value. As water storage while bikepacking can be a little troublesome to work out. It would be just icing on the vegan cake, if they came in a larger capacity though. You get around 8 to 12 Litres of volume in this bag and it weighs in at 260 grams or 0.6 pounds. Fairly affordable at round $100 (Bag and Stabiliser)
Arkel Seatpacker
Arkel have also thought about bag sway and include a quick release aluminum hanger that mounts from the seat post sliding up the top inside of the seat pack. The seat pack is completely waterproof. The weight for the bag is 440 grams / 0.95 lbs and the weight of rack is 280 grams / 0.6 lbs. It does require a minimum clearance of 8″ from seat rails to top of tire. With a total of 15 Litres. Made in Canada and priced at $249.99 CAD
Rapha Waterproof Rear Pack
Rapha offer a waterproof rear pack with a robust harness for stability in and out of the saddle. The saddle pack is made up of two parts, dry bag and a rigid harness. The dry bag is waterproof and has a downward-facing valve that lets air out and enables you to roll the bag down small. It also gets slightly narrower to allow it to fit into the harness. The Max Volume of of the dry bag is 15L. Weight (harness) is 466grams and Weight (dry bag) is 147 grams. Around $113
Porcelain Rocket Mr. Fusion
This is a saddle pack ‘system’. it uses a svelte support rack & a dedicated seatpost clamp. The saddle bag designs the utilise a mounting harness and a dry bag insert work so well. Whenever you need to access to gear in the seat pack you can just take the dry bag out of the harness and take it with you. You can pack your things off the bike, and never worry about wiggle, wobble, or sag. Depending on the type of adventure you are going on you can use either a 12L max capacity drybag, or a 15L max capacity drybag in the same holster. The entire system weighs in at 560 grams (including drybag, rack, seatpost clamp, and all hardware.) Please keep in mind that the 15 L options requires 9.5″ between seat rails and tire. Priced at $240 CAD
Oveja Negra Gear Jammer
If you are trying to work out what the name means for this bag. it is trucker lingo for a speeding big rig. Built with lightweight, waterproof materials and bomb-proof construction, to create a light yet durable pack with all the features needed to securely store gear from your seat post. This bag is said not to wag and is one of the most stable on the market. It has stiffened side panels and a plastic frame sheet that keep the pack stable and positioned away from your legs. Weight of this bag for Medium is 12.2 oz and Large is 12.6 oz. The capacity for Medium is 4-10 liters and Large is 6-12 liters. Price from $125
Blackburn Outpost Elite Seat Pack
Blackburn make some nice bags and they are generally pretty good value. Their Elite series bags are very big hype as they are waterproof and high quality. Again another harness and dry bag seat pack. This bag is designed to work with dropper posts and standard posts. A really well designed seat pack system that has some nice features, like the velcro attachment on the dry bag and the air release valve. This bag weighs 572 grams and offers 10.5 L capacity. Priced at $180
Ortlieb Large Seat Pack
Ortlieb create some great quality stuff. I have a set of their Classic panniers and they are years and years old. Been through a heap on some demanding cycling adventures and have held up with ease. this seat pack offers one of the largest capacities available with up to 16.5 L and it is a very similar price to that Blackburn Elite bag. You do get 6 extra litres of storage. But you might want to look at buying the sway support strap as an extra that is not included. Price starts at $175 at REI.com (not including support strap)
Topeak Backloader Bag
If you are looking for a rather good value option compared to some of these more expensive saddle bags. This Topeak Backloader Bag could be the answer. Available in up to a 15 L capacity it hits the sweet spot for volume. It is however made up of highly water resistant materials, so yes, it is not waterproof. The 15l option weighs 565 grams. The price is only $83.99 on Amazon. Defiantly recommended if you are after something that is a good quality but does not break the bank.
AGU Venture Seat Pack
AGU bags are kind of cool looking. I like the outdoors style and colors they use. These were recommended for people in Europe. Cool to see that this saddle pack is made from recycled materials and it is waterproof through Dryliner Technology. Also not sure how accurate this is, but on their site they state that this bag offers a whopping 20L of volume. Priced at €69.99
Apidura Expedition Saddle Pack
Apidura are also another bike bag brand that make some really quality stuff. Their Expedition range is the best for bikepacking adventures and expeditions where you want the best for your gear, with waterproofing technologies. This saddle bag is designed around a three-point attachment system with Hypalon-reinforced velcro straps allows the Pack to hug the seat post, increasing stability and cutting down on lateral movement. Weighing in at 425 grams and costing £110.00 for the 17 L bag.
Alpkit Koala Bikepacking Seat Bag
Alpkit is another bike bag brand to look into if you are after some more affordable options. they offer a seat bag called the Koala which comes in a 7L or 13L. With a very simple design it does not offer as much storage capacity as some other bags on the market but the price is very reasonable. But don’t let its visuals deceive you because some say it’s design makes it incredibly spacious for its size and weight. Due to its construction it is not fully waterproof. The bags weighs in at 255 grams for the 13L option. Costing $84.99
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