Rogue Panda Ripsey V2 Review: Good, Better, Best

I don’t envy the longtime bikepacking bag makers we showcase regularly on the site. I can’t imagine it’s easy to continue differentiating themselves from the sea of newer makers while developing fresh product ideas and designs year after year. Early on, brands such as Porcelain Rocket and Revelate Designs produced new radical designs that paved the way for new brands to enter the scene, in some ways tailing on their success. It’s impressive to continue to see these makers revolutionize the bikepacking gear world, dreaming up new designs and fresh construction techniques and taking advantage of the latest technologies and fabrics to make better products.

If I had to single out a bag maker that has been consistently innovating and improving its design process, it would be Arizona’s Rogue Panda Designs. Rogue Panda’s products keep finding their way into our annual Gear of the Year Awards, including the Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness, Bismarck Bottle Buckets, and the new Alamo Top Tube Bag. I’ve tested all three of these products and can confidently say they are some of the best I’ve used. Founder Nick Smolinske has been making bags for over a decade now, and Rogue Panda is still a relatively small team of 8 working in a 2,500-square-foot shop, making their success even more impressive.

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During a recent conversation with Nick, I mentioned how their latest products feel like something that would come from a “big, fancy company.” I asked him if he thought Rogue Panda was, in fact, becoming a big fancy company. He said a few years ago, he saw a post on a Reddit thread from someone who said they bought a frame bag from their small local bag maker because they wanted to support them instead of “a big company like Rogue Panda.” I guess it’s official, then: Rogue Panda is a big, fancy company.

Fancy Bags from a Fancy Maker

In 2022, Rogue Panda Designs launched the Ripsey via a crowdfunding campaign. Despite the number of well-designed dropper post seat bags available, Rogue Panda saw an opportunity to design a bag that offered best-in-class tire clearance, a stable design for riding singletrack, and something perfectly suited for shorter riders and smaller bikes.

The Ripsey addressed these issues thanks to a unique two-part system that offered exceptional tire clearance without sacrificing stability. It’s based around an injection-molded harness, an aluminum saddle rail clamp, and a Wolf Tooth Valais, and it’s finished with some CNC-machined Austere Manufacturing cam lock buckles to keep everything tight and secure. The rigid injection-molded harness was a first, providing a solid platform for a removable drybag and handling the occasional tire rub much better than a fabric bag. You can read more about my thoughts on the original Ripsey here, but to summarize, it was impressively stable, offered generous clearance as claimed, and the removable dry bag was a step ahead of other dropper-compatible bags.

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Despite a functional and well-designed bag, Rogue Panda felt there was room for improvement and returned to the drawing board. That’s where the Rogue Panda Ripsey V2 comes in. At first glance, the Ripsey V2 looks nearly identical to the original. While it maintains the same minimal tire impedence, injection-molded harness, and removable dry bag, the attachment points have been redesigned and improved.

A Closer Look at the Ripsey V2

The Ripsey V2 still attaches to the bike in two places: on the seatpost or dropper post stanchion and at the saddle rails. The original version strapped to a Wolf Tooth Valais, a plastic clamp designed to clamp to dropper posts. At the saddle, a two-piece aluminum clamp sandwiched the saddle rails and provided a sturdy place for the side and top straps to secure the dry bag in place and pull the harness upward.

The Ripsey V2 uses a nearly identical mounting system, but the small parts have been redesigned to be more functional. At the seatpost, the Valais has been replaced by a machined seatpost clamp. Not only does the new clamp improve the overall stiffness of the harness, but the machined clamp also allows Rogue Panda to include the most common shims with each Ripsey. That means every 30.9mm and 31.6mm diameter dropper post is compatible out of the box thanks to the included shims (either 25mm or 26mm stanchion). The only dropper posts that will need additional shims are some of the 34.9mms (some have 28 or 29mm stanchions) and all of the 27.2mms (which have 22mm or 20.5mm stanchions).

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I tested the 25mm and 26mm shims on a PNW Loam Dropper and a Reverb AXS. The shims clip into the inside of the clamp with a satisfying little snap, and the clamp holds firmly in place with very little torque on the two bolts. Rogue Panda doesn’t specify a torque spec for the bolts, as it is pretty low, but they recommend cleaning the upper part of the dropper stanchion with isopropyl alcohol before mounting it to increase friction. If it doesn’t rotate or move when the dropper post is lowered onto it, it’s likely tight enough.

The patent-pending saddle clamp sandwiched between the saddle rails has also been upgraded. It has gone through three variations: the first was laser-cut, the second was the same but CNC-machined, and the final version is CNC-machined but has unique floating shims that cup the saddle rails instead of abrasion-resistant padding that didn’t end up being as durable as they wanted. The “half pipe” ABS shims/floating shims slide independently on the saddle rail clamps, making it easy to match whatever saddle you’ve got. It’s also much more secure than the previous version and is safe to use on carbon saddle rails.

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Aside from being more durable and secure, the new floating shims make installation much easier. Instead of trying to hold the saddle clamps in place and guess the correct position, the shims rotate and slide to match the unique shape of each saddle, and the clamps are easily centered and tightened into position. Rogue Panda recommends a torque spec of 4 Nm for the saddle clamp bolts.

Other, more subtle, improvements include increased stiffness toward the front of the harness to counteract softening Rogue Panda had seen occur in very high heat and humid conditions. The way the webbing straps attach to the harness has also been changed from grommets to slots with sewn-in webbing. This change, paired with the highly durable and flexible construction of the harness (nylon with rubber added), means the likelihood of breaking a strap or the harness is low. Rogue Panda tested this by sticking the rear strap into the spokes of a BMX bike and mashing on the cranks, and in most cases, the harness stopped the bike before any damage was done to the Ripsey.

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The only downside to these changes is that the Ripsey V2 is heavier than the original by about 85 grams (3 ounces). It’s a slight increase in weight but pushes it over the 400-gram mark, which is heavier than the Bedrock Black Dragon, Wayward Riders Louise, and the JPaks DropperPak. However, it continues to offer class-leading tire clearance, only requiring 3″ of clearance with the bag at half capacity and 4″ when fully packed, which is really what sets the Ripsey apart from other dropper post-compatible bags. It’s also one of the most sophisticated and thoughtfully designed bags I’ve used, matched only by the Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR, which requires at least 5.5″ of tire clearance and weighs over 600 grams.

Of course, there are lightweight rear racks, such as the 410-gram Mica Rat Tail, that are a touch lighter, even more stable, and lower the cargo closer towards the rear tire, but the Rat Tail isn’t compatible with full-suspension mountain bikes. Most other racks can’t compete with the Ripsey’s lightweight design.

Rippin’ with the Ripsey

Everything I liked about the original Ripsey rings true with Ripsey V2. The minimal required tire clearance makes it one of the best dropper post-compatible seat bags for any full-suspension mountain bike or for those riding smaller frames. Emily rides a size medium Ibis Ripley AF with a 150mm travel dropper post, and she’s never been able to run a proper seat bag without limiting dropper post travel, locking out her rear shock, or both. The Ripsey is the only dropper post bag Emily has used that allows full dropper post travel while bikepacking.

Although many solid lightweight rear racks allow for fuss-free dropper post function and increased carrying capacity, the options that work with full-suspension mountain bikes are about 200 grams heavier than the Ripsey and require cargo axles and/or fit kits. If I’ve chosen to bikepack on a full-suspension mountain bike, I’m likely packing a light kit, and that’s precisely where the Ripsey V2 shines. It also stands out against other dropper-compatible bags with its unique mounting system, wiggle-free attachment, removable dry bag, and the smallest tire-to-saddle clearance we’ve seen.

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While not entirely new to the Ripsey V2, another benefit of the sliding seatpost clamp is the ability to adjust the angle of the harness in relation to the saddle. Most people will mount the clamp about an inch from the top of the dropper stanchion, but lowering the clamp and angling the harness more will provide more tire clearance for those who need it. At 6’1″ with an extra-large frame and long dropper post, I could theoretically slide the clamp all the way up without any issues. Folks riding a long-travel full-suspension mountain bike with a long dropper post may need to lower the clamp three inches or more to ensure the harness won’t hit the rear tire. Of course, Rogue Panda sells an optional skid plate that bolts onto the underside of the harness to protect it from excessive scuffs if you need it.

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The Ripsey V2 includes a tapered dry bag that fits nicely inside the harness. Because of its taper, it requires some patience while packing if you’re trying to fill the narrow end, but you also have the option to leave it unpacked to slide the seatpost clamp up or to work around the battery pack for those using an electronic dropper post, as I did in the photo above. The bag Rogue Panda sent was made from an Ultra 200X material. However, Rogue Panda’s bag customizer lets you pick from a massive list of fabric types and colors, including prints from Kate George and Collette Marie or a custom-printed design. No matter what fabric you choose, the seams are taped for a waterproof construction.

There are a few options to consider when purchasing the Ripsey V2. First, you can add the optional skid plate for an additional $15. Then, it’s a matter of choosing the correct seatpost shims to work with your specific dropper post or rigid seatpost. The standard set (no additional cost) covers every 30.9mm and 31.6mm dropper, plus 27.2mm rigid posts, but they offer additional shims for rigid 30.9mm posts, 27.2mm dropper posts, AXS droppers, and some 34.9mm droppers. Additional shims cost $5 each.

• Capacity: 8L
• Material: Injection Molded Plastic / Aluminum
• Weight (as tested): 431 grams (including Ultra 200x dry bag)
• Place of Manufacture: Arizona, USA
• Price: $220 USD
• Manufacturer’s Details: RoguePanda.com

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Further Reading

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