Best Essential Bikepacking Bags: Complete Buyer's Guide
By Alex Guerrero
Complete guide to bike bags for bikepacking and touring. Saddle bags, frame bags, handlebar bags, top tube bags and panniers — what each one does and how to choose.
Bikepacking bags are magical inventions. You can strap them to pretty much anywhere on your bike! And they keep your weight distribution even for easy handling. Here’s our guide to bikepacking bags - and what to put in them!
Saddle bags are the bikepacking rider's answer to panniers — strapped beneath the saddle and built for bulky kit you won't need until camp.
waterproof cycling saddle bagwaterproof cycling uk made saddle bag
Saddle bags: the modern alternative to panniers
For a standard Sunday café ride, small saddle bags are handy for your puncture repair kit and your multi tool. But bikepacking saddle bags are the big brothers of the small Sunday saddle bags. They’re the modern alternative to panniers, with a roll-top closure and attach to your bike with Velcro straps. They’re conical, aerodynamic and ward off the dreaded leg-bashing of hike-a-bike with panniers.
Packing a saddle bag: bulky kit for camp
Saddle bags are lightweight but can still be stuffed to the brim with up to 17L of kit in bags like our Big Papa. They’re great for carrying big, bulky items that you don’t need until you’re setting up your carefully chosen camp spot. Like your bivvy bag, sleeping bag or down jacket.
Handlebar Bags
Handlebar bags sit in the dead space between your bars, giving you a stable spot for bulky, lightweight kit.
water resistant handlebar bagwater resistant handlebar bag
Handlebar bags: bulky-item storage between your bars
A sausage-y storage system for bulky items, handlebar bags are the natural progression from just strapping stuff to your handlebars. They make nifty use of the dead space between your drop handlebars.
Or they can work as a harness and dry bag combo. The harness stays attached to your handlebars. And the dry bag simply slots in and out. But make sure to avoid overfilling your handlebar bag to prevent any steering issues!
Packing a handlebar bag: spare layers and camping kit
Large handlebar bags with roll ends like the Gnaro and the Kuoka are ideal for storing large, light, bulky items. On longer adventures, they’re the perfect spot for spare clothing or camping kit that you don’t need during the day. Top loading handlebar bags, like the Gravel Bag, Drop Bear and Toploader are super handy for stashing snacks or a spare layer when out for a day-raid.
Frame Bags
Frame bags fill the main triangle of your frame, keeping weight low and central for better handling.
water resistant frame bag
Frame bags: low, central storage for heavier kit
They are space-efficient little devils. Frame bags use the gap in the triangle of your bike frame to carry small, heavy pieces of kit. They are attached with Velcro and can be positioned at the front or bag of the frame. The bigger the bike, the bigger the frame bag potential!
Packing a frame bag: tools, spares and your bike lock
The benefit of frame bags is that they are positioned in the centre of your bike, keeping a lower centre of gravity. This means you can fill them with heavier kit without having any issues with steering or handling. Chuck in your tools, spare parts and your all-important bike lock. Custom frame bags like our Stingray are made to measure to your frame. And they’re big enough to hold a water bladder.
Cockpit Bags
Cockpit bags mount to your top tube or stem, keeping small essentials within easy reach while you ride.
water resistant cockpit bagwater resistant cockpit bag
Cockpit bags: quick-access storage on your top tube
Cockpit bags come in all shapes and sizes and fit on your top tube or stem for easy access to small accessory items while on the move.
Packing a cockpit bag: snacks, phone and small essentials
Cockpit bags are small, easy-access stashes for your phone, snacks, sunglasses, lightweight layers, and wires. Or if you’re in racing mode, you can cycle through a drive through and leave your half-eaten chips in an unzipped top tube bag for one-handed eating on the move.
Panniers
Panniers are spacious top-loading bags that sit over your wheels, built for heavily laden touring rather than fast-and-light bikepacking.
pannier set
Panniers: spacious top-loading bags for loaded touring
Panniers are spacious top loading bags which can work with or without clips. They sit either over your back or front wheels. And if you’re fully committed to the pannier aesthetic, you can also buy our Goucho mini top tube panniers for your accessory items.
Packing panniers: camping essentials and spare clothes
Anything! Well, not quite. But the advantage of panniers bags is how roomy they are. They're great for longer, heavily laden touring adventures and carry all your important kit: camping essentials, spare clothes and off-bike shoes. They mean you don't have to invest in expensive, lightweight camping gear just to fit in your bikepacking bags.
Bikepacking bags: water-resistant, not fully waterproof
Most bikepacking bags are water-resistant rather than fully waterproof. Roll-top closures on saddle bags and handlebar bags create a strong seal against rain, and welded seams help keep moisture out. For truly wet conditions, pairing your bags with a dry bag liner gives you a fully waterproof cycling bag setup. Frame bags and cockpit bags sit closer to your body and benefit from some natural shelter, but anything you need to keep bone dry — electronics, spare clothing, sleeping bags — should go inside a dry bag first.
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