Bikepacking Gear

Long before the advent of modern bikepacking seatpacks, there were saddlebags. This style of luggage continues to hold favour amongst many dirt road and gravel tourers, largely because of its top-loading practicality. In this edition of The Low Down, we take a look at what kind of saddlebags are on the market, discuss their pros and cons, and suggest accessories to help run them securely. Given that they’re also loaded from the top, we’ve included a number of front rolltop bags, too.

Rockgeist recently introduced a new subset of custom frame bags, the Fiber Flight Series, that come in three fabrics and offer an interesting aesthetic at less weight. TJ Kearns tried one for several months for this review…

Made from waxed canvas and wool felt, Makeshifter’s Snackhole is guaranteed to add a little colour and flair to your rig. We take one bikepacking in Baja California and report back on how it weathered the ride and fared in the sea air…

Virginia “The Destroyer” puts a pair of Specialized 2FO ClipLite shoes to the test for almost three years and reports back on how they held up.

OneUp’s Shark 50T expansion kit takes the popular Shimano 11-42 cassette and adds more gear range and smoother shifting. For those interested in (but without the budget for) SRAM’s Eagle drivetrain, the Shark 50T Sprocket and Cage Kit might just fit the bill. Here are Miles’ impressions after a few months of bikepacking, day rides, and dreams of someday tracking down the elusive Sharkeagle…

Neil had a custom FramePak made by Colorado-based JPaks for his new Salsa Mukluk. Here’s his long-term review after two seasons of daily use, as well as runs along the Iditarod Invitational and other winter ultras….

Bikepacking in sandals? And non-clipless ones, at that? Cass Gilbert rides 800 Baja Californian miles in a pair of Bedrock Cairn Adventure Sandals to see what all the Instagram fuss is about… and reports back on how they felt for long distance bikepacking and whether he stubbed his toes…

Interested in a large platform pedal? How about a massive platform pedal. Pedaling Innovations’ Catalyst promises a more comfortable ride and better performance with their 143mm design. Skyler Des Roches tested a pair over thousands of miles to see if those claims hold water.

Designed to tether with your smartphone and sync with your Ride With GPS or Strava account, the Wahoo ELEMNT aims to simplify the process of navigating with a dedicated GPS. After a year of regular use, here’s our full report on how it’s fared, what we really like about it, and what we think could be improved (because Wahoo is constantly rolling out firmware updates)…

Interested in converting a 700C cyclocross or touring bike into a 650B gravel bikepacking rig? Or maybe you’re just intrigued by 650B / road plus? With the promise of dirt-friendly tires and a more supple ride, there’s plenty to like. We took an Advocate Lorax and made the switch. Find out what we learned about 650B, everything you need to know about such a conversion, and details about the specific components we selected.

Cass and his family crew take a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 on tour through Baja California, Mexico, where it provides the perfect capsule for star gazing and beach camping. Read on for the full review, strip lighting and all…

Revelate Designs just released the Vole, an all new dropper post seat bag complete with an interesting strap design and a skid plate. Over the last few months we had the chance to beat the crap out of a prototype, and recently got a look at the production bag. Here’s the full review, video included…