In this post we are going to discuss the top 8 best bikepacking bags, that you can use for your next cycling adventure. These products are great quality, durable and highly rated by many customers.
Ortlieb Bikepacking Seat-Pack – $179.95 (Buy)
Ortlieb is renowned for its construction quality and fantastic materials. And they just have all round great products. This Ortlieb Bikepacking seat pack uses standard velcro to enable secure mounting to your seat stem. Features the same octagonal reflectors, a couple parts of the pack are made from unpolished aluminum and some bright orange webbing accents.
Watch here how to install this bikepacking seat bag on your bike
A great feature to the bag is the external latticework shock-cord which is great for stashing a your wet clothes, trash, a jacket or anything else you may want to carry, without having to put it inside the bag.
Specifications
| Company | ORTLIEB |
| Waterproof | Yes |
| Capacity | 16.5 L | 1006.9 cu inch |
| Weight | 456 g | 16.1 oz |
| Height | 30 cm | 11 inch |
| Width | 64 cm | 25 inch |
| Depth | 22 cm | 8 inch |
| Material | PS21R |
View this bag in 360° VIEW
The pack comes in two different volume sizes 11 L and 16.5 L, I just opted for the larger bag as it does not hurt to that little extra space. The large 16.5L capacity is one of the selling features of the bag compared to other bikepacking seat bags as it is the largest capacity on the market.
Waterproofing is also another selling point that is why this bikepacking bag is one of my favourite. It is always nice to keep your spare clothes dry and other important gear.
Before purchasing make sure you have enough seat post clearance on your bike. You will have to make sure you have at least 15 cm of free space. It is advised to buy the smaller model if you need your seat lower then 15cm as the smaller models only need 6 cm of free space on the seat post.
Special feature
The air release valve allows you to easily and quickly compress your soft gear for a more compact fit. This compacting of the bag helps for better stability while riding. Not fun having the bag flopping around because gear is not packed tightly.
When packing the bag it may sway and flop about, for some stability while packing gear a good idea is to place some kind of board or cardboard cutout along the bottom inside the bag. Just for some ease while packing.
Extra Support (stabilizing strap)
It seems a little odd that you have to buy this support strap separately for an already well priced bag. But it seems a given for swaying issues with most saddle bags this long, especially if the bag is packed full and heavy. But Ortlieb offer a solution with this fixing strap.
Moosetreks Bike Handlebar Stem Bag – $24.99 (Buy)
This is probably my favourite type of bikepacking bag options. This bag in particular is a great little storage solution and you can attach two on your handle bars either side of the stem.
Easy access is a must when you are riding your bike but at the same time you need to get something quickly out of your bag. For me personally as I vlog and film my adventures for my youtube channel. I need quick access to my camera to film right away and this is perfect. Useful storage solution for snacks, water bottles (for standard/large bike bottles), tools, lightweight clothing layers, etc.
Fitting on the bike, it has a “SECURE 3-POINT ATTACHMENT – One velcro loop attaches stem bag to your handlebars, a 2nd velcro loop attaches to the stem, finally clip the strap at the bottom of the bag through the bike fork and tighten the strap.” – From amazon listing description
Specifications
| Company | MOOSETREKS |
| Waterproof | NO |
| Capacity | up to 940ML water bottle |
| Weight | 0.8 oz or 23 Grams |
| Material | Nylon |
Some great things about this Moosetreks Stem Bag is that it is insulated to keep your drinks cool. And also included at the bottom of the bag is a drainage hole.
Like a car centre console on a bike, that is the main purpose for this bag. A bag that just fits all the random stuff for your adventures. Like sunglasses, keys, earphones, the occasional soy cappuccino. Plus a wallet, lights, bike lock, a tube and can fit many different types of bits and bobs.
Cheap! for the price of this bag at $24.99 each it is very low on price but having that said it is not the most durable bag out there.
The bad – I try and be as honest as possible when doing these type of reviews on products, it is hard to find a truly great product that ticks all the boxes.
It must be said for this pack that some customers after half a year of full time day in, day out riding. It may start to fall apart. It is not the bag for the ages and most likely is not going to last you forever but for the price that is understandable.
You essentially get what you pay for here, without a doubt the more expensive types of these bags are more guaranteed to last the test of time and brutality on the road. BIKEPACKING.COM have a great post about a few really great stem bags.
Ortlieb Frame Pack $139.99 (Buy)
Waterproof, again why I love Ortlieb products is the waterproofing factor, I like to keep my stuff dry, what more can I say. Well-built and quality product.
This is completely subjective but; if you like to leave some room in the inner frame triangle space for water bottles this frame bag is great. I do however like the idea of making the most of all space possible and a frame bag that takes up the entire frame size would be ideal. There is a great brand BIKE BAG DUDE who builds custom handmade bags to suit your bikes dimensions. But again these are not waterproof and that is why I like the Orlieb frame pack.
Specifications
| Company | ORTLIEB |
| Waterproof | Yes |
| Capacity | Large (6L) Medium (4L) |
| Weight | 232 g | 8.2 oz |
| Height | 29 cm | 11 inch |
| Width | 50 cm | 19 inch |
| Depth | 6 cm | 2 inch |
| Material | PS21R |
Lower centre of gravity allows you to store more heavier bikepacking equipment like your camping stove or tools.
Ortlieb Bikepacking Handlebar Pack Small: 9 Liter Gray/Black $120.95 (Buy)
This handlebar bag comes in two different sizes 9L and 16L. One thing to consider for this type of bag is the choice of bike and handlebar style is limited due to the mounting system design.
One reason why I chose the smaller sized bag over the larger is weight. I prefer to have lest weight at the front of the bike due to risk of unbalancing the bike and making it more difficult to manoeuvre.
More suited to flat bars, then the traditional drop bars. The bag does include spaces which is a great little feature, which provides some separation between the handlebar and bag.
On of the downsides to a handlebar pack like this, is the difficulty to access the inside of the bag while riding. Most general handlebar bars have a zip you can open. But Ortlieb do offer the option to buy a Accessory pack add on for extra. But then still this pack is small.
Specifications
| Company | ORTLIEB |
| Waterproof | Yes |
| Capacity | 9 L | 549.2 cu inch |
| Weight | 375 g | 13.2 oz |
| Height | 16 cm | 6 inch |
| Width | 45 cm | 17 inch |
| Depth | 16 cm | 6 inch |
| Material | PS21R |
Ortlieb Travel Ultimate 6 (7L) $137.19 (Buy)
For a alternative to this style of bikepacking handlebar bag something like the Ortlieb Travel Ultimate 6. Is ideal for bicycle touring and easy access which is handy for when you are like me and need to grab things out of your bag while on the go. Also comes with a shoulder strap.
| 1.57 lbs 800g | 8.3×9.4×5.1″ 21x24x13.5cm Vol: 7L | PD620/PS490 Waterproof Polyester |
Blackburn Outpost Elite Frame Bag $114.95+ (Buy)
Blackburn are stepping up their game with the elite series of bicycle bags. They are a company which produces bags on mass compared to the other side of the market where you can buy frame bags to fit your bikes frame measurements. But this method is expensive I have been looking at Bike Bag Dude here in Australia and he makes some amazing bike bags made to fit your bike. For a custom made bag you are looking at anywhere from $250 AU to $350 for a full frame bag. On the other hand Blackburn have been developing back for a couple years now and they have came out with this frame bag that is high end quality and waterproof. With the product testing to ensure what they are selling is going to with stand the hard yakka bicycle touring gear can go through.
Mass produced frame bags are easy to make but the don’t alway fit everyones frame. Blackburn’s new Elite frame bag comes in four different sizes; small, medium/short, medium/tall, and large. With these sizes having a range in length and height it should provide enough range to accomodate everyone.
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack $180 (Buy)
These Apidura bikepacking saddle bags come in a range of three different sizes, 11L, 14L and 17L. From Left to right in the images bellow is the 11L to the 17L.
The 14L and 17L come with two very strong velcro straps. Bag has a hard shell which is not completely firm with some flexibility holding the bags shape. Making it easier to pack the bag and eliminating issues with the bag flopping around near the rear wheel. Including two clips on the top face of the bag allowing for lights to be mounted and a bungie style strap for a external storage.
Topeak Fuel Tank with Charging Cable Hole Large $33.93 (Buy)
Nice little bag for some extra storage sits behind your handlebar stem. Includes a hole in the side for charging cable. Attaches to the bike by velcro and fits most phones like the iPhone 6S. Has a velcro wall on the inside that can be detached to make the complete storage inside bigger.
Blackburn Elite Seat Pack $169.95 (Buy)
This seat pack has a different type of design then the normal strap around the the seat post and seat post rails rails. Instead is uses two different aluminium wing plates and bolts that attach to the seat post rails.
It includes lighter and waterproofing material, the bag also has a bleed valve to exit any trapped air.
The wing mount included helps prevent the bag from swaying while riding. Also like some other seat bags a external shock cord storage solution is provided for wet clothing and thongs.
- Weight: 572g
- Capacity: 10.5L
What Bike Packing bags do you like? Do you have any to recommend?
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