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Bikepacking seat bags allow you to gain a huge amount of carrying capacity, without committing to installing a rear rack. They are an absolute must for any bikepacking set up and something we highly recommend you consider before taking off into the great unknown.
Volume & sizing – what size seat bag do you need for a bikepacking trip?
As a general rule, bikepacking seat bags are designed to carry as much as possible on your seat post. This means they come in very high volume sizes, commonly in the double digits. And all the way up to the largest, the 17L Expedition Saddle Pack from Apidura.
This is great for carrying bulky but lightweight loads such as your sleeping bag, your clothes or sleeping mat. While a large capacity underseat bag is a great way to optimise your set up, if you are riding a smaller size frame it can be tricky.
With limited clearance between the rear tyre and the underside of the saddle pack, the smaller capacity seat bags are your best bet. The 8L Terrapin System from Revelate is particularly good for this. Not only because it is a smaller bag overall, but because of the mounting angle. The Terrapin mounts closer to the underside of your saddle and projects more horizontally. Meaning that it won’ need so much seat-post to hang on to. We absolutely recommend this one for smaller bikes and smaller riders.
What size saddle pack is the best?
If you are blessed with a large amount of seat post real estate, it can be a good idea to go for the biggest bag. The Apidura saddle bag is our most popular option for exactly this reason. It comes in a huge 17L capacity. Even if you are not going to use all this capacity, it can be handy to have on your bike just in case.
Bikepacking often involves throwing your gear into different spots on your bike over the course of your trip. One day you may need your jacket or you may be carrying food so have to juggle your gear around. It can be handy to have somewhere on your bike with extra capacity for these changes.
The Apidura saddle bag can be rolled down & compressed when you aren’t using the space. The 17L especially can be as large as 52cms long, and as small as 35cms. Almost doubling the capacity without you having to change your set up too much!
We especially like using saddle packs are your dynamic carrying space on a bikepacking trip. Because its a good storage space. Adjusting to carrying a seat pack on your bike does take a little bit of time, but soon you are used to it. You may need to step out of your bike a bit more awkwardly, but that’s just part of the experience. As with all things, you will find the perfect set up for your ride along the way, and it will get easier.
Bikepacking Seat Bags and Dropper Posts
Seat bags are the bikepackers best friend, even when you have a dropper post! While most seat bags use a non-abrasive Velcro strap to attach to your seat post, which is not damaging to your seat post, with dropper posts there are other considerations.
With dropper posts you need to protect the stanchion from damage. Keeping the stanchion clean of debris is important. As is keeping it smooth. This ensures proper performance of the dropper post when you need it. Luckily, Apidura understands that we want the best of both worlds. We want a saddle pack, and a dropper post! They have made an adapter for this purpose. It’s compatible with their Backcountry saddle packs – as these are for mountain bikes.
The adapter clips on to the seat post & you can then strap the saddle pack on top. This protects your dropper post stanchion from damage. And scratching! And means the dropper will still operate with the bag on.
