TLDR: I don’t know what seat pack to buy or what bag setup to use because I can’t stick to a decision
I’m prepping to do a long (2 month+) trip from Madrid to Berlin this summer, so I’ve been putting together a long term setup on my new Kona Sutra. I planned a few shorter trips before to test my setup, and I just got back from my first one, Malaga to Sevilla in Southern Spain. It was incredible, so much fun, and really great overall.
The problem is that I really didn’t like my bag setup: I got AGU bags (17L handlebar, 5.5L frame, 1.5L top tube) and I supplemented it with a 35L drybag backpack strapped down onto a rear rack to give me flexibility between bike bags and backpacks. I felt like I had too much empty space in it to warrant keeping the setup and I just felt slow with the weight of the rack and the bag (together its 2100g).
So I ordered a 10L AGU seat bag (500g) and loaded my bike up, but I couldn’t fit all my gear. I tried to fit my computer in the handlebar pack (key point is that I work remotely, so its a non-negotiable for me to bring a computer), but my bike felt super front-heavy and I also just couldn’t fit everything in my bags. Honestly, I just don’t like the AGU handlebar bag in general, it feels poorly thought-out for a drop bar bike because its nearly impossible to access your items while its on the handlebar, not to mention how annoying it is when you’re on the drops if the bag is full (like only 10L full though because you can’t fit it in otherwise).
So now I’m going down the rabbit hole of “shit is my setup terrible?” and I ended up looking at Apidura bags (especially the 17L expedition seatpack) and I’m considering switching everything out for all Apidura instead. I guess I’d be waterproof at the end of the day, but man those are some expensive bags, and I don’t even know if I can return the AGU ones at this point. I at least guess I could return the 10L AGU seatpack and get a 17L Apidura bag and that wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I’m in decision paralysis.
Not sure if there are other brands I should be looking at for potential seat packs, but I’m a pretty fair weather by of biker and I’m not sure I would even be biking around in rain, so maybe that value proposition of the Apidura bags isn’t even relevant. I also keep my computer in a separate sea to summit dry bag for extra protection, so as I said, not sure the dry bags are really necessary.
Maybe the part that’s holding me up is that I’ll have 90% AGU bags in brown/blue and then one gray/yellow apidura bag and I couldn’t think of a worse color combo clash. Not that I’m very fashionable, but it would be nice if everything was setup the same. Might not be worth it for an extra $700 to get all Apidura bags though.
Any and all ideas/recommendations would be helpful
thecodebenders on
I’m going through a rethink of my packing setup at the moment. A lot of my switch is going to be from a seatbag/large handlebarg bag to pair of Old Man Mountain Elkhorns. I’d rather have the little bit of weight than the bag wiggling around, crowded cockpit, and I’ve got good lightweight dry bags I’ll protect with Tyvek cutouts from abrasion. I’ve got a small handlebar bag that is also a hippack for quick access and to take with me if I’m leaving the bike. Framebag I think I might just go full triangle and bladder for water. Most of what I’ve done and plan on is camping and a lot of the areas around here are blackbear territory so I have to deal with bear bags/canisters depending on whats allowed which eats up space.
Compared to that dry bag you were using (which looks like it was built for rafting), the SeaToSummit evac bags are probably going to get you decent weight savings back if you switch back to a rack and aren’t terribly expensive.
MWave123 on
Full frsme bag, water and an Anything cage on the forks. Move the weight around.
Chromatique on
Did your Sutra come with the front rack? I originally planned to use a handlebar cradle/dry bag and fork cages, but found I actually enjoyed the weight being down low on the fork with panniers. It may give you a decent split of storage space between the 10L handlebar bag and 35L drybag (my panniers are… 12-14L each, I think? Brooks Norfolk), plus the shape may make it easier to put a laptop into.
I don’t know why so many people are against rear racks + panniers. It’s a comfortable & practical setup that can fit a lot of cargo
Rare-Classic-1712 on
I’ve had good luck with my bags from roadrunner (Los Angeles CA USA company). The jammer series is great. My partner has the small jammer and while small is solid. I’ve got the middle earth and jumbo jammer bags 19 and 26L each – plus designed to be able to strap bulky stuff on top such as sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad… and the straps for the job included. The small sized jammer also includes those straps. Looking at your bike the jumbo jammer is going to be too big and rub on your tires but the medium but still big “middle earth jammer” should work. I don’t know what shipping is going to be. For not having a rack and relying on soft attachment points with straps the bags have impressive stability but are inferior to my tailfin aeropack. As far as being waterproof I’ve heard mixed reviews. They might not be absolutely 100% waterproof but in my experience of being out in the rain, sometimes multiple days in a row – it was good enough that I couldn’t notice water or dampness in the bag. If my roadrunner bags aren’t absolutely 100% waterproof it’s close enough that I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s a number of other companies which offer bags that might be easier for you to get due to distribution such as “swift industries” or “bags by bird”. The bags that my partner and I have from roadrunner are well made and hold up. My partner and I have been using them for about 2.5 years (and some are newer) have held up and have no signs of dieing or needing mending with a needle and thread. R.R. bags might be comparatively expensive due to being made in Los Angeles vs a Chinese sweatshop with child labor and they’re quality and hold up. They’ve got a few YouTube videos on them from both the company as well as people reviewing them as well as other stuff on various places around the Internet.
clipd_dead_stop_fall on
I have an Apidura Expedition 14L saddle pack, 4.5L frame bag, and 9L handlebar bag. I really like them. I don’t camp, but I use them for long rides and multi-day trips. So far so good. At this point I’ve resisted a rack, but I may swap the saddle pack for a rack next year depending on how our four day trip goes this summer.
If you’re needing a laptop, you probably need a rack and panniers, or depending on your bike and laptop size, a full frame bag.
7 Comments
TLDR: I don’t know what seat pack to buy or what bag setup to use because I can’t stick to a decision
I’m prepping to do a long (2 month+) trip from Madrid to Berlin this summer, so I’ve been putting together a long term setup on my new Kona Sutra. I planned a few shorter trips before to test my setup, and I just got back from my first one, Malaga to Sevilla in Southern Spain. It was incredible, so much fun, and really great overall.
The problem is that I really didn’t like my bag setup: I got AGU bags (17L handlebar, 5.5L frame, 1.5L top tube) and I supplemented it with a 35L drybag backpack strapped down onto a rear rack to give me flexibility between bike bags and backpacks. I felt like I had too much empty space in it to warrant keeping the setup and I just felt slow with the weight of the rack and the bag (together its 2100g).
So I ordered a 10L AGU seat bag (500g) and loaded my bike up, but I couldn’t fit all my gear. I tried to fit my computer in the handlebar pack (key point is that I work remotely, so its a non-negotiable for me to bring a computer), but my bike felt super front-heavy and I also just couldn’t fit everything in my bags. Honestly, I just don’t like the AGU handlebar bag in general, it feels poorly thought-out for a drop bar bike because its nearly impossible to access your items while its on the handlebar, not to mention how annoying it is when you’re on the drops if the bag is full (like only 10L full though because you can’t fit it in otherwise).
So now I’m going down the rabbit hole of “shit is my setup terrible?” and I ended up looking at Apidura bags (especially the 17L expedition seatpack) and I’m considering switching everything out for all Apidura instead. I guess I’d be waterproof at the end of the day, but man those are some expensive bags, and I don’t even know if I can return the AGU ones at this point. I at least guess I could return the 10L AGU seatpack and get a 17L Apidura bag and that wouldn’t be the end of the world, but I’m in decision paralysis.
Not sure if there are other brands I should be looking at for potential seat packs, but I’m a pretty fair weather by of biker and I’m not sure I would even be biking around in rain, so maybe that value proposition of the Apidura bags isn’t even relevant. I also keep my computer in a separate sea to summit dry bag for extra protection, so as I said, not sure the dry bags are really necessary.
Maybe the part that’s holding me up is that I’ll have 90% AGU bags in brown/blue and then one gray/yellow apidura bag and I couldn’t think of a worse color combo clash. Not that I’m very fashionable, but it would be nice if everything was setup the same. Might not be worth it for an extra $700 to get all Apidura bags though.
Any and all ideas/recommendations would be helpful
I’m going through a rethink of my packing setup at the moment. A lot of my switch is going to be from a seatbag/large handlebarg bag to pair of Old Man Mountain Elkhorns. I’d rather have the little bit of weight than the bag wiggling around, crowded cockpit, and I’ve got good lightweight dry bags I’ll protect with Tyvek cutouts from abrasion. I’ve got a small handlebar bag that is also a hippack for quick access and to take with me if I’m leaving the bike. Framebag I think I might just go full triangle and bladder for water. Most of what I’ve done and plan on is camping and a lot of the areas around here are blackbear territory so I have to deal with bear bags/canisters depending on whats allowed which eats up space.
Compared to that dry bag you were using (which looks like it was built for rafting), the SeaToSummit evac bags are probably going to get you decent weight savings back if you switch back to a rack and aren’t terribly expensive.
Full frsme bag, water and an Anything cage on the forks. Move the weight around.
Did your Sutra come with the front rack? I originally planned to use a handlebar cradle/dry bag and fork cages, but found I actually enjoyed the weight being down low on the fork with panniers. It may give you a decent split of storage space between the 10L handlebar bag and 35L drybag (my panniers are… 12-14L each, I think? Brooks Norfolk), plus the shape may make it easier to put a laptop into.
https://preview.redd.it/isobk7gyemzc1.jpeg?width=2085&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02d587738f191c2ae4a628d8611afcc9a8fc1e8c
I don’t know why so many people are against rear racks + panniers. It’s a comfortable & practical setup that can fit a lot of cargo
I’ve had good luck with my bags from roadrunner (Los Angeles CA USA company). The jammer series is great. My partner has the small jammer and while small is solid. I’ve got the middle earth and jumbo jammer bags 19 and 26L each – plus designed to be able to strap bulky stuff on top such as sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad… and the straps for the job included. The small sized jammer also includes those straps. Looking at your bike the jumbo jammer is going to be too big and rub on your tires but the medium but still big “middle earth jammer” should work. I don’t know what shipping is going to be. For not having a rack and relying on soft attachment points with straps the bags have impressive stability but are inferior to my tailfin aeropack. As far as being waterproof I’ve heard mixed reviews. They might not be absolutely 100% waterproof but in my experience of being out in the rain, sometimes multiple days in a row – it was good enough that I couldn’t notice water or dampness in the bag. If my roadrunner bags aren’t absolutely 100% waterproof it’s close enough that I wouldn’t worry about it. There’s a number of other companies which offer bags that might be easier for you to get due to distribution such as “swift industries” or “bags by bird”. The bags that my partner and I have from roadrunner are well made and hold up. My partner and I have been using them for about 2.5 years (and some are newer) have held up and have no signs of dieing or needing mending with a needle and thread. R.R. bags might be comparatively expensive due to being made in Los Angeles vs a Chinese sweatshop with child labor and they’re quality and hold up. They’ve got a few YouTube videos on them from both the company as well as people reviewing them as well as other stuff on various places around the Internet.
I have an Apidura Expedition 14L saddle pack, 4.5L frame bag, and 9L handlebar bag. I really like them. I don’t camp, but I use them for long rides and multi-day trips. So far so good. At this point I’ve resisted a rack, but I may swap the saddle pack for a rack next year depending on how our four day trip goes this summer.
If you’re needing a laptop, you probably need a rack and panniers, or depending on your bike and laptop size, a full frame bag.