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Rockgeist in North Carolina just released a small batch of Big Dumpling hip packs made from a welded, PU-coated X-Pac fabric. According to Rockgeist, it’s a first for bikepacking bags. Learn more about the process and how to get one here…
As far as Rockgeist founder Greg Hardy knows, their new welded X-Pac Big Dumpling may be the first bikepacking bag using X-Pac with welded instead of sewn seams. Like their other welded bags, this gives the bag a 100% waterproof construction, and it’s built from a technical, US-made fabric.
The core of the fabric is X-Pac VX-21, which features a 210-denier face fabric, thin polyester film, an X-ply reinforcement, and a 50-denier polyester taffeta backing. It’s popular among bag makers due to its balance of weight, durability, and waterproof construction. However, it’s usually sewn together. Rockgeist is working directly with X-Pac to add a type of polyurethane coating to the VX-21 fabric so it will work with their fabric welders.
At the moment, Rockgeist only has this fabric available in a “Frost Teal” color. As Greg explains: “This base fabric color was an extremely popular color for us 5-6 years ago when we offered it in a rip-stop version of VX-21. You can see the original Frost Teal on Virginia’s Why Cycles.”
For their first run, they only made a handful of Big Dumpling hip packs, which are already sold out. However, they are already working on a restock, and you can sign up to be notified by visiting the product page and selecting Big Dumpling, then Frost Teal in the drop-down menu. They plan to include this new fabric as an option for their other welded designs, including the Mr. Fusion seatpack, Microwave Panniers, and potentially other smaller bags. Expect an announcement on those this spring.
Head over to Rockgeist.com to learn more.
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