Bikepacking - and the new luggage systems
FOLLOWING on from my Surly Initiative blog I’ve been looking around at some of the bike luggage that is available these days.
It’s fascinating to see the emergence of a cottage industry that is in so many ways identical to that which shook up the hiking/backpacking market a few years ago.
There’s little doubt that the mainly US-based cottage industry that mushroomed several years ago had a quite a dramatic effect on the outdoors industry as a whole and at long last the ‘corporate’ outdoor manufacturers began to notice that there was a strong demand for lightweight gear, indeed ultralightweight gear.
Having said that, few of the corporates fully went down the ultralight route and a few years on it is still the cottage industry manufacturers (with one or two notable exceptions) who are leading the way in terms of lightweight innovation. And exactly the same thing is happening with cycling luggage, inspired by some of the more adventurous mountain biking events and robust races like the Iditarod.
In terms of cycling luggage I’ve been pretty satisfied with my Ortlieb panniers for normal road touring but now that I’ve committed myself to much more off-road cycling I want to look at some of the lightweight systems that are a bit lighter in weight and will not affect the handling of the bike too much.
I’ve found three companies here in the UK (although one of the companies is actually based in Alaska) who are making frame bags and the like and I’ve been using some of the gear with great success.
Revelate Designs
This innovative company was founded in Anchorage, Alaska in 2007 by adventure cyclist Eric Parsons. After using all the normal methods of carrying loads on a bike he began thinking about using lightweight systems for bike touring whether it be mountain, road, or on fat tires.
Using an industrial sewing machine in a basement apartment, Eric began sewing frame bags for fat-tire snow bike races, chiefly the Iditarod Trail Invitational. Demand grew quickly and after a few months the engineering job was left behind and he devoted himself to designing and sewing bags for others who shared his adventure biking drive and needed functional, lightweight gear.
Revelate bags are sold in the UK by Back Country Biking of Aviemore.
I’ve been using a couple of Revelate bags – the Viscacha, a seat bag, and the Harness, a semi-rigid mount designed to carry drybags, stuff sacks or other cylinderical shaped objects (even packrafts...) on your handle bars.
The Visacha straps on securely to your seat post and offers enough space for a tent or a sleeping or, in summer conditions, both. You could probably squeeze in waterproofs or spare clothing too.
The roll down opening allows the bag to easily expand or compress in volume. A removable internal compression strap helps packing and closure. High density foam stiffens up the front and a flexible plastic bottom sheet gives support along the bags length.
A dual position saddle strap allows for proper fore-aft positioning depending on where your saddle rails are clamped to the seat post.
Revelate’s Harness is a semi-rigid mount designed to carry drybags, stuff sacks or other cylinderical shaped objects (packrafts perhaps?) on your handlebars.
Molded rubber spacer blocks provide offset from handlebars alleviating lever & cable interference and fiberglass cross bars provide lateral stiffness to the outward straps, top and bottom.
The Harness is constructed from a dense closed cell foam three layer construction.
I’ve found it works very well with the drop handlebars on my Surly Trucker, although I have to be careful not to pack a load that is too wide. The ‘package’ has to fit between the drops.
There are optional straps for a front pocket attachment, and I’ve been using one of Revelate’s own pockets. It’s always useful to have some kind of bag within easy reach on the handlebars.
Wildcat Gear
This Welsh company also makes custom frame bags and other storage equipment for bikepacking, cycle touring, epic or multi-day excursions by bike.
Utililising the space within the main frame as well as other key positions around the bike, Wildcat reckon that rackless pack systems provide a greater degree of versatility than traditional panniers. Weight can to be distributed more strategically on the bike to preserve predictable handling characteristics, maximising the ride quality and your enjoyment, especially off road.
The company’s frame bags are designed to fit into the main triangle of the bike frame. This allows you to store heavier items in a very central position on the bike maintaining a low centre of gravity. Each bag is custom made to fit the geometry of the frame, and is based on a full size drawing of the main triangle provided by the customer.
The Mountain Lion is a padded harness that holds your dry bag under the bars, utising a secure retention system that provides maximum stability and resists working loose over rough terrain. This well made harness delivers a solid storage solution with minimal interference to your riding and so maintaining predictable handling and complimentsa seat storage harness called the Tiger.
This is a padded harness that protects and secures your dry bag behind the saddle using a strap system that eliminates swaying when loaded and resists working loose when cycling on rough ground. The Tiger delivers another solid storage solution and is available in two sizes. One takes 3-5 litre sized drybags, the othger caters for 5-8 litre sizes.
Alpkit
This company has built a solid reputation as a first class manufacturer of quality gear that manages to keep prices low by cutting out the middle man – the retailer. Their gear is available online only.
In the past few years Alpkit has enthusiastically embraced the bikepacking philosophy that is now so big in the US and they produce a whole range of terrific products at very reasonable prices, including made-to-measure frame bags, seat bags and handlebar harnesses.
I had them make up a frame bag for my mountain bike and I was delighted with what they produced. I simply cut out a carboard template of the frame, sent it off to them and within a couple of weeks the bag came back, all ready to attach to the bike.
Alpkit also supply very strong dry bags at very reasonable prices and I can recommend their Airlok Xtra dry bags – superb value starting at £6.50 for a 3 litre size up to £18 for a mammoth 65L bag.
They also made excellent seat and handlebar harnesses and a whole range of useful bags that attach to the bike frame.
Addendum
Some good folk have been in touch to tell me about the excellent looking products made by Apidura in London. Check out their website for excellent descriptions of bikepacking and some great stories from the folk who use the gear.
