From single-day rides between hotels to monthlong singletrack assaults, these five bags will help launch you into bikepacking.
Bikepacking is a rewarding way to tackle big miles on a short budget of time. And the sport has come a long way in the last 15 years.
Once doable only through the help of monstrous, gear-eating panniers, today’s bike bags spread the load over a half-dozen bags that strap inside the empty spaces of the bike frame.
From tarmac to trail, we’ve spent the year pedaling bags around the world. These five bike bags rose to the top.
But first, a little primer on bags.
Bikepacking Bags Explained
Instead of a big bag swinging off the side of a rack, the current era of bikepacking bags is lashed to the bike’s frame, taking advantage of otherwise unused space. The shift in load distributes the weight, increases usability, and stabilizes the bike.
Modular by design, bags can flex to the needs of every ride. Going short? Lash a single bag. Add more bags to meet distance and load requirements.
The following are common bike bag components that you’ll find available when sleuthing for a kit.
Frame Bags
The monster load-hauler of bike bags, the frame bag sits inside the bike frame’s triangle, where you want to pack heavy items.
Full-frame bags fit inside the entire triangle and often have a divider, splitting the space into a top and bottom half. This allows some organization and keeps you from having to dig for supplies while on the trail.
Half-frame bags ride just under the top tube and can fit a 2L bladder or a weekend’s cache of food. Depending on the frame size, they can allow enough space to still access two water bottles bolted to the frame.
Because the bag needs to sit inside the frame of the bike, the fit is king. Some bike bags are made to fit specific bikes. Others need to be carefully measured ahead of time for a proper fit.
Pro tip: Consider a frame bag with a bright-colored liner, shedding light on the storage space.
Seat Bags
Handlebar Bags
Accessories
Fastening
The Best Bikepacking Bags of 2021
Best Gravel Bags: Apidura Expedition
Best Singletrack Bags: Revelate Designs
Best for Mountain Bike Camping: Blackburn
Though Blackburn has only recently joined the bag market within bikepacking culture, the company has years of experience under its tires — and its bike bag kits show it.
Blackburn offers two lines of bags, the Outpost and Outpost Elite. Though it’s one of the more fussy systems to install, the unique innovations found in the Elite lineup make it a notable consideration.
The bags are welded from waterproof material and paired with a watertight zipper, keeping the contents of the bags dry. And because the bags are so big, there’s really no limit to what you can pedal into the woods.
The brand offers the full-frame bag in three sizes to help dial in near-custom fit, and it lashes to the bike with a set of Velcro straps. A divider helps organize the contents and minimize any lateral bulge. A pair of slim, external pockets can hold food, wrappers, or a map.
Turning to the seat and handlebars, things get a little funky. Both the seat bag and handlebar “harness” system are mounted to the bike with metal hardware clamps that bolt around the seatpost and handlebars. Each has a pairing, removable bag that you can take into the tent or hotel after the ride while leaving the harness on the bike.
Both the seat and handlebar bags have a release valve to let air out. We found the handlebar bracket will fit only round bars and will not pair with oblong, aero diameter bars.
Overall, Blackburn brings a well-thought-out kit that is functional, durable, has clean lines, and goes light on the wallet to boot.
Our favorite bag from Blackburn: Outpost Elite Handlebar Bag ($175)
Best for Going Fast on the Road: Roswheel Road Series
Roswheel offers three bag collections: Touring, Road, and Offroad. All of the bags have welded seams and roll tight for waterproofness. Rubberized TPU-coated zippers keep water from soaking through the bags and into the load.
We tested the Roswheel Road Series in Slovenia this fall and fell for the fast-and-light road rides.
What differentiates the Road Series from the rest of the crop are the proprietary lightweight rubber bands that strap the bags to the bike. Velcro straps are tried and true, but the hook-and-loop system can pull at Lycra, damaging an expensive kit. Roswheel ships all Road Series bags with an assortment of “fast-fix” rubber bands that allow bags to bungee around nearly every size frame.
The downside, of course, is if you lose a band, you’ll need another. So you’ll want to bring an extra set in case you lose or blow a band.
The Road series is available in a saddlebag, a seat bag, a frame bag, a top-tube bag, a handlebar bag, and an accessory bag that straps over the handlebar bag. And the frame bags are available in small, medium, and large to fit nearly every frame size. The Road series comes in black but has reflective strips for night visibility.
The bags are clean and simple but don’t have a bright liner like other bags, so it can be hard to find a dark pair of tire irons buried in the bottom. A clever ventilation strip allows air to push through roll-top bags so your load is always tight and clean.
Our favorite bag from Roswheel: Top Tube Bag ($29)
Best for Heavy Loads: Porcelain Rocket
We would be remiss not to share one of the first bags on the market, Porcelain Rocket. The man piloting the Rocket, Scott Felter, is an American expat living in Canada and is the only cottage industry bag manufacturer to make our list — but for good reason. Eschewing new fads and zippers, PR embraces fail-proof roll-tops and clean, functional designs.
The bags are expensive, and yes, you may need to wait until next season to snag one. But the bags are exquisitely made by hand in Felter’s Calgary shop.
Our favorite bag: One rises to the top that’s worth mentioning — the Microwave Panniers ($203). They’re small, portable, modular, and can carry a 12-pack of beer. The holster remains in the bike, and the removable dry bag can serve as a grocery bag or an easy way to ferry gear from the bike to camp.
