Tech Week: 4 new bags for your bikepacking adventures
This article originally appeared on Velo News
EVOC's refined bikepacking bag lineup
EVOC got into bikepacking bags in 2020, and already in the past couple years the brand has schemed up ways to make the bags even better. First and foremost, the line is now completely waterproof thanks to welded seams and waterproof zippers, so those storm clouds need not seem so scary. And there are more sizes to fit a variety of uses and bike sizes.
EVOC has further optimized its Boa dial based mounting system, adding more stability into the system. And improved cable channels on the handlebar packs make mounting easier across a variety of types of handlebars. Roll up closure style bags have also gotten vents to make compression simpler.
The lineup includes a handlebar pack in 2.5L and 5L, seat packs in 2L, 4L, 6L, 8L, 12L, and 16L, frame packs in 1.5L and 3.5L, and a top tube pack.
$55-$200; evocsports.com
Deuter Cabezon series bikepacking bags
Deuter already makes a few on-bike bags, but the brand is expanding significantly in 2023 with the Cabezon series bikepacking bags. The four-bag series includes everything you need to carry the bulk of your gear for overnight trips: the Cabezon Handlebar Bag 14 ($130), Cabezon Saddle Bag 16 ($140), Cabezon Frame Bag 4 ($105), and the Cabezon Frame Bag 6 ($115).
Each bag is made to hold up to rough treatment thanks to tough materials, and downpours thanks to taped and welded seams and TPU-coated zippers. For simple packing and ease of access to gear, both the handlebar bag and saddle bag are attached to the bike via a harness, so the dry bag portion can be removed and rummaged through more easily. And the system is mounted without tools making adjustments easy on the go, while spacers make it customizable to a wide range of frames.
$105-$140; available April 2023; deuter.com
ORTLIEB Fuel-Pack
Whether you call it a bento box or a top tube bag, the small bag that sits just behind your stem for quick access to all the essentials is great to have on just about everything from regular road rides to gravel grinders to bikepacking trips. While many designs exist, the new Fuel-Pack from ORTLIEB offers an enticing magnetic closure design that should make accessing food and other essentials a breeze. Zipper closures can be hard to access with a single hand, so having two magnets securing the bag makes a lot of sense. And then the bag simply snaps securely shut under its own weight once you remove your hand -- no fumbling with that zipper to get things closed back down. This structured, waterproof 1-liter bag is made of sturdy nylon fabric, helping with durability and protection for everything inside it.
And there are plenty of smart features like an integrated cable outlet on the lid closure making this waterproof bag a dry safe space to charge a phone or to run a charging cable between a battery pack and a GPS. It can be both bolted onto the top tube for bikes with mounts there, or attached via perforated rubberized straps.
EUR65 (final US dollar pricing TBA); Available early 2023; 160g; ortlieb.com
ASSOS convertible handlebar bag jacket
Is it a jacket or a bar bag? Yes. The ASSOS MILLE GTC LOWENKRALLE JACKET C2 could be written off as a novelty, but you have to admit a windproof and water repellent jacket that also folds into a handlebar bag is a pretty cool idea. Other brands have created similar emergency shell layers that stuff into a pocket and can be attached to the bike, but this one takes things a step further by both looking like a handlebar bag and purportedly having some space left over inside to stash a few things.
It comes with the usual ASSOS price tag, $390 in this case, and only comes in black. And while the premium Swiss brand envisions this as a gravel jacket, it could just as easily be deployed for road rides or even commuting.
$390; assos.com
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