Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Revelate Designs Joey Downtube Bag Review
Originally released in 2019, the Revelate Designs Joey bag is a downtube storage bag that’s purpose-built for awkward items like fuel canisters, stoves, and large water bottles. Revelate just unveiled an updated version that comes in two sizes and is now 100% waterproof, thanks to a welded-seam construction. Find our review after testing both sizes on a bikepacking trip in New Mexico here…
The downtube might be the unsung hero of any bikepacking rig. While tire clearance and frame bag space vary between bikes, there’s almost always a slab of untouched real estate tucked on the underside of every downtube. Thankfully, bike brands have caught on, and downtube mounts are becoming a standard feature on most bikes we share here on the site today. The downtube is an excellent place for cargo cages and large water bottles, like Nalgenes and Klean Kanteens, which is typically how I use that space on my bike. After all, it’s the lowest available cargo space on any bicycle.
But what if your bike doesn’t have threaded bosses under the downtube? That’s where downtube storage bags come in. The Bedrock Honaker was one of the first and has been around for a while, but now brands such as Tailfin (bottom right), Restrap, Apidura, and Revelate Designs offer some variation. In most cases, the designs are pretty similar, relying on a cylindrical roll-top bag and some straps that secure to the downtube. Each brand has figured out its own way to keep the bag and its contents stable using velcro, mounting blocks, and cinching straps, but the overall purpose is consistent.
Revelate Designs released its take on the downtube bag in 2019 (top left). Aptly named Joey, it attached “down under” the downtube of practically any type of bicycle, whether it had mounts or not. The first Joey bag was made from stitched VX21 fabric with a rubberized foam panel along the bag’s spine. As Logan shared in his review, it didn’t slip or slide and was ideally sized for cook kits and larger bottles.
The New Joey
Today, Revelate Designs released an updated version of the Joey bag, and Emily and I had the chance to put it through its paces on a six-day bikepacking trip in southern New Mexico last month. Despite the overall concept remaining the same, the Joey has undergone a complete overhaul. They’ve moved away from a stitched construction to a welded seams for a 100% waterproof design. It still features a roll-top closure, side-release buckle, and the same padded foam spine that Logan appreciated in the original, but how it secures to the bike has also changed.
Instead of relying on separate downtube straps and compression straps, the new Revelate Designs Joey relies on two extra-long velcro silicone-backed straps that loop around the downtube and back down onto the side of the bag. Paired with a raised Hypalon channel on either side of the downtube, the secured bag is surprisingly stable and wiggle-free. To compress the bag further, Revelate added a Hypalon foot at the base of the bag attached to a rubberized strap that loops over the top. When cinched tight, the strap effectively compresses from the top, bottom, and along the front of the bag, pulling the contents toward the bike.
Other details include a strap guide on the front of the bag (so the compression strap doesn’t slide out of place) and rubberized attachment straps. And, for the first time, the Joey is offered in two sizes instead of just one. Joining the original 2L size is a slimmer 1L with a narrower profile that Revelate Designs says works better with gravel bikes.
The 2L Joey has a max width of 5″ and a max height of 5″ and is sized to accommodate 8oz fuel canisters. It’s approximately 10″ long with the closure rolled three times. The 1L Joey has a max width of 4″ and a max height of 4.5″ and is sized to fit 4oz fuel canisters. It’s approximately 7″ long with the closure rolled three times. Both bags have bright white interiors to make finding contents easier, and they weigh 137 grams (4.8 ounces) and 109 grams (3.8 ounces), respectively. Despite Revelate calling them 1L and 2L bags, they actually hold closer to 1.5L and 2.4L.
As someone who normally runs a cargo cage on their downtube, I wasn’t sold on the idea of velcro straps holding the Joey in place at first. I was pleased to discover that the Joey practically locked itself in place after the initial setup, save a few strap tightens during the first day. Beyond that, I had no issues with the bag rotating on the downtube, even when riding through chunky, fist-sized rocks and singletrack.
In the 2L Joey, I stored a MSR WindBurner stove and two 4oz fuel canisters (one nested inside the stove and one on top). The stack measures out to exactly 10″ tall, which fit perfectly inside the Joey with little room to spare. I normally pack my stove in my frame bag, but having it stashed under my downtube felt like it made more sense for an item I didn’t need to get to until I was at camp.
Emily used the 1L Joey to carry some additional water, tucking a standard 1L Nalgene inside to help us stay hydrated during our ride. She was also surprised at how stable the bag was, especially with a couple of pounds of water inside. Like my setup, it only required a few adjustments early on in the trip. Despite Emily’s Esker Japhy having downtube mounts, having the bottle hidden inside the waterproof Joey bag meant clean and free from cow dung. I also appreciated how slick the inside of the bag is, making it easier to slide tight-fitting items like my stove kit in and out of the Joey without much fuss.
As Logan mentioned in his review of the original Joey bag, the fixed straps could potentially limit what bikes work with it. Emily and I were running full frame bags, but the Joey snuck in near the bottom of the bag without interfering with any other straps. I generally don’t love the rubberized straps that compress the Joey from top to bottom, but because I didn’t need to get into the bag during the day, it wasn’t an issue.
Pros
- Lightweight, waterproof, and durable
- Increases carrying capacity on nearly any bike with or without downtube mounts
- Two sizes for different bikes and needs
- Surprisingly stable and wiggle-free after some tightening
- New compression system holds contents tightly
Cons
- Fixed strap position could be limiting on some bikes
- Can be tricky to install with a full frame bag (it’s not a bag you’ll be taking off at camp)
- Rubberized straps can be awkward to use
- Capacity: 1L or 2L
- Material: 420 denier TPU laminated nylon
- Weight: 137/109 grams
- Place of Manufacture: China
- Price: $65 USD
- Manufacturer’s Details: RevelateDesigns.com
Wrap Up
I’ve instinctively bolted on a cargo cage under the downtube of nearly every bike I’ve gone bikepacking with. Our line of work means we normally test bikes suitable for bikepacking, and having downtube mounts, while not required, is a welcome touch. With this in mind, I’ve never really considered a downtube bag, but after rambling around for a week with the new Revelate Designs Joey bag, I can see the appeal.
Not only is the revamped Joey bag much more stable than I thought it would be, but having two sizes to choose from means it will fit even more bikes, whether you’ve got downtube mounts or not. Having an enclosed bag instead of a cargo cage makes for a functional and secure spot to stash awkward items like stove kits, and it can also hold what normally straps into a cargo cage, such as larger bottles and sleeping pads. The addition of welded seams for a waterproof construction is the real cherry on top, but it also marks are departure from being made in the USA.
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
We're independent
and member-supported.
Join the Bikepacking Collective to make our work possible:
