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Outer Shell Top Tube Bag Review: Intentional Storage
After countless requests for a top tube bag, Outer Shell took their time designing something that’s stable, easy to use, and adaptable to be either bolted or strapped to your bike. We had to chance to test one out for a few weeks ahead of today’s release. Find Miles’ thoughts on the new Outer Shell Top Tube Bag and all the essential details about it here…
Accessory bags make carrying a few snacks, a phone, and other small essentials on any ride easy, and top tube bags are among the most handy. They offer easy one-handed storage, don’t interfere with steering or handling, and most bags are compatible with most bikes. We’re in a golden age of top tube bags, and these days, it’s largely a matter of choosing a brand you identify with.
Brands like Tailfin, Apidura, and Revelate Designs offer several different models that vary in size and how they attach, and there are a few brands such as JPaks and Rogue Panda that offer extra-long and wide models with an impressive amount of carrying capacity for hauling as many Snickers as you wish. Nearly every other bag maker has a take on the top tube bag. When we heard that Outer Shell in San Francisco, California, had been dialing in a top tube bag design, we were curious to see where it fits in.
It turns out that Outer Shell’s customers had been requesting a top tube bag for some time, but if there’s anything we know about their products, it’s that they aren’t rushed to production, and there is intention behind the design. Lucas, Cass, Josh, and I have all spent a good amount of time with their bags, and we all agree that Outer Shell is known for a certain level of attention to detail and thoughtfulness. In short, even before seeing it, I had high expectations for their first go at the widely popular and infinitely useful top tube bag.
The Outer Shell Top Tube Bag (yep, no wildly creative names here) is a bolt-on or strap-on bag that comes in one 0.9L size and is 8.3″ (21cm) long by 2.5″ (6cm) wide, tapering down to 1.6″ (4cm) at the end. It’s 4″ (10cm) tall at the far end, which curves down to just over 2″ (5cm) at the closer end. It’s not a big top tube bag, but I’d call it mid-sized compared to the average options on the market. It feels small enough that I wouldn’t mind leaving it on my bike for trail rides, bikepacking trips, and everything in between, but it’s not large enough to get in the way or limit standover room. It has a slight slant at the headtube end of the bag, which leaves more room for the stem to move around—a small but important detail.
The Outer Shell Top Tube Bag’s exterior fabric is available in your choice of 1000-denier Cordura or ECOPAK X-Pac and comes in a variety of colors. The prototype pictured here is made from their custom-made cow print Cordura, which is dye-sublimated onto the fabric using a design created by San Fransisco-based designer, art director, and illustrator Olivia Ward. It has an interior plastic frame throughout the entire bag, which provides structure and stability, and a lightweight vinyl-type fabric lines the inside. There’s a small interior sleeve on one side for stashing cash or a credit card and is otherwise kept quite minimal.
The main compartment is accessed via a weather-resistant zipper with a roomy zipper garage at the far end. One thing that makes Outer Shell’s take on the top tube bag different from others I’ve used is how the top end of the zipper isn’t sewn together, which allows the opening to spread wide. I initially thought this would affect the bag’s stability, but because it has a plastic liner and isn’t overly big, it makes packing and unpacking the bag much easier than a standard zipper setup.
A Hypalon daisy chain runs along the base of the bag and up onto the far end. Outer Shell includes two rubberized velcro straps for the bottom attachment and a non-stretchy cord with a cord-lock buckle that attaches around your headset spacers or stem. Thanks to their rubberized side, the top tube straps do a great of job holding the bag in place; there’s no slippage or movement. Paired with the head tube strap, which connects to the bag over two of the Hypalon points, it’s one of the most solid strap-on top tube bags I’ve used.
Lifting the foam bottom inside exposes the plastic bottom liner, which is pre-cut with several slotted mounting holes for bikes with top tube bosses. The cutouts in the bag itself are designed for the most common top tube mount spacing, but you can utilize the other slots in the plastic base by cutting new holes in the base of the bag. Outer Shell includes two bolts with large washers for each bag (standard bolts pictured), and after a few rides, it’s equally stable whether you’re bolting or strapping on the bag. There’s also a hidden cable port just above the headtube attachment point for running charging cables or small dynamo chargers, like the new tiny kLite Micro USB Charger. Here’s an installation video that Outer Shell put together for an overview of how it all works:
Pros
- Handmade in California
- Reasonably priced (but not cheap)
- Stable and wiggle-free
- Bolt-on and strap-on compatible
- Fun fabric options
Cons
- Might not be big enough for some folks
- Not waterproof, but most top tube bags aren’t
- Capacity: 0.9L
- Material (as tested): Cordura
- Weight: 127 grams
- Place of Manufacture: California, USA
- Price: $75 USD
- Manufacturer’s Details: OuterShell.com
Wrap Up
I have high standards when it comes to top tube bags. There are a number of super stable options that don’t wiggle or flop around, so I expect that to be the minimum for any new offerings by reputable bag makers. Outer Shell has always delivered well-made and thoughtfully designed bags, and I’m not surprised that their top tube bag meets these requirements. Beyond that, it’s great to see they also included a few unique details. The hybrid bolt-on/strap-on design is simple yet effective; it’s impressively stable on the bike and will hit a sweet spot for size and capacity that’s equally suited for commuting and multi-day bikepacking. I’d love to see an XL version at some point, but this is likely a more realistic starting model.
Further Reading
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