Salsa EXP Series Bikepacking Bags: First Look

By Logan

PUBLISHED Jul 28, 2016

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2016 is certainly shaping up to be a record year for new bikepacking bags. This week at Saddledrive, Salsa announced their bid for a piece of the pie — the EXP Series. Considering their history as innovators in bikepacking accessories, namely the Anything Cage HD and waterproof Anything Bag, it’s no surprise to see these products come to light. Mike “Kid” Riemer, Salsa’s Marketing Manager states, “Bikepacking is an integral part of the experience that Salsa promotes, encourages, and takes part in. Doing our own line of bags allows us to design them with the features we want, create new solutions, tailor fit for our bikes, and frankly, to help consumers enter the bikepacking world.” Note the term ‘experience’ thrown in there. When asked, Mike EXPlained that the name of the pack line came from their favorite three words: EXPedition, EXPlore, and EXPerience.

The Anything Cradle and EXP Series Dry Bag

The most inventive and interesting product within the EXP Series is the new Anything Cradle system. When it was teased back in May alongside the release of Redpoint, the Anything Cradle was the first bracket mount handlebar roll system we’d seen. Of course shortly thereafter, Specialized released their Burra Burra Harness, albeit a completely different system sharing only in the general premise of a hinged handlebar bracket.

The system consists of three components, the Cradle with forged bracket arms, the Dry Bag, and the Pouch. Its injection-molded parabolic rack mirrors the Anything Cage HD, in both aesthetics and build quality. It bolts to the bracket arms via 4 allen bolts, a nice modular touch should either component have an issue. The forged arms are surprisingly long and certainly free up plenty of space for electronics, hand positions, other accessory bags, cables, or the extruding hydraulic cable housings that are common amongst the current crop of SRAM brakes. The hinged arms secure to the handlebars at a close proximity to the stem which also makes room on the bars, compared to wider strap systems. Each is clamped by a single allen bolt.

Suiting its name, you can use any existing dry bag within the Anything Cradle, but Salsa offers their own EXP Dry Bag with a volume of about 18 liters. The Dry Bag is a fully waterproof welded design constructed out of 420D Nylon with TPU lamination and PU coating. It features a centrally located slot and small Velcro OneWrap strap to hold the bag in place while the straps are applied during installation, a nice touch. It also has slots for the straps to keep the bag from moving side to side when fully installed. The Cradle itself has a three slot strap weave design which allows the webbing to be threaded through the cradle in a way which eliminates the straps from slipping.

On first inspection, the Anything Cradle is a really interesting and seemingly solid take on a handlebar system. There are a few concerns, as noted below, but the crew who tested it on the Gila River Ramble claim that it’s a bomber system, even when fully loaded and used on rugged trails. We’ll be excited to do a more extensive test and report back.

• Volume (Dry Bag) 18L
• Pros Modular system; Sturdy; Frees up handlebar space; waterproof bag
• Concerns Cradle arms are very long/leverage; Perhaps too much leverage with heavy load
• Price $99 with Dry Bag/$75 without
• Availability Late Fall

EXP Series Front Pouch

The Front Pouch was designed to integrate directly with the Anything Cradle. It’s features an extremely weather fully welded design including a welded YKK #5 waterproof zipper. Salsa chose two types of material for the Pouch that you will find carried through the other bags in the line. The most visible is the rather unique matte gray 500D Nylon, which is thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) laminated and polyurethane (PU) coated for water resistance. Like the other EXP bags, it also employs a layer of heftier 1000D TPU laminated polyester at a few places subject to abrasion, such as the rear of the bag. Also at the rear of the bag, it has several slots in the outer material allowing the Anything straps to pass through and carry the weight. Additionally, Salsa added a shock cord with bar-stitched tabs at the front for added utility.

The Front Pouch has a nice look and size for an accessory bag. And the fact that it’s [almost] waterproof is another major benefit. Stay tuned for a deeper review of the Anything Cradle, Pouch and Dry Bag.

• Volume 1.7L
• Pros Fairly large; Attractive; Highly water resistant
• Concerns No possibility of zipper replacement should it fail
• Price $149.99 (complete Cradle system with Dry Bag)
• Availability Late Fall

EXP Series Toptube Bag

Our second favorite of the EXP Series is the Toptube Bag, if not for any other reason than the aesthetics and strapless out of the box integration with several of the new bikes, including the Cutthroat, Woodsmoke, and Mukluk. Although it does come with a universal strap to enable it to be mounted to any other bike, the Toptube Bag’s ideal application is probably with Salsa models that feature the bolt mounts. The reason being that because the bag has only one position for the strap, it could be limiting when used with certain frame packs. Also, the steerer tube strap is fixed toward the bottom of the front of the bag, which also may be an issue on some bikes. Unfortunately, the steel frame Fargo didn’t get these mounts, nor did the Timberjack.

• Volume 1.2L
• Pros Fairly large; Attractive; Highly water resistant
• Concerns Might be too big for some; Non moveable strap positions
• Price $49.99
• Availability Late Fall

EXP Series Cutthroat Framepack

Salsa rolled out their Framepack line with a version specific to the Cutthroat. Ultimately, there will be similar bags for the new Woodsmoke, Timberjack, Mukluk, and Fargo. Like the other bags previously mentioned, the Framepack features an extremely weather resistant design with fully welded waterproof zippers. It has a Velcro divider on the interior for separating a water-bladder or other items, and a D-ring at the hose exit to keep a water-bladder from compressing itself in the bottom of the bag.

The hallmark characteristic of the Framepack, and the one that will help them sell, is the ability to have a perfect fit design for a new bike, right out of the store. And it’s a nice looking bag, although not without flaws. One might be concerned with the zipper as we all know that frame bag zippers break. The newer Ranger frame bags feature a zipper twice this size. However for those who need a bag for just the occasional trip, this will more than likely be fine. Another oddity I would take issue with is the width of the bag. It’s very slim, and for folks who like to use a frame bag for sleeping gear, a cooking pot, or other such bulky items, the Framepack will fall short. However, for a water bladder or other such slender items, it should work well.

• Volume 3.5L(S)/4.5L(M)/5.2L(L)/6.1L(XL)
• Pros Matte gray is a nice minimal aesthetic; Highly water resistant
• Concerns Way too slim; Not good for overstuffing
• Price $119.99
• Availability Late Fall

EXP Series Seatpack

The EXP seat pack is pretty basic in design and very similar to a lot of other bags currently on the market. However, Salsa created the bag with a fully waterproof welded design using mostly 500D PU coated nylon with the more durable 1000D material strategically placed in high wear areas. Like most seat packs in this class, it attaches via two seat rail straps and a single seatpost strap.

A couple additional touches to note are the blinkie light slots at the bag’s rear (when rolled), and the shock cord system at the top. Overall the seat pack has a nice minimal design with a few likable features. However, without a stabilizer system, it seems as if it would have quite a bit of movement when loaded towards capacity.

• Volume (Dry Bag) 6-14L
• Pros Good size range; Fully waterproof
• Concerns No stabilizer system
• Price $119.99
• Availability December