Seat Pack Reviews

Product: Ortlieb seat-pack

Price: $180 at REI

Pros:

Durable, waterproof, great customer service/warranty. Adjustable. Easy installation.

Cons:

Heavy, can sag and hit the rear wheel. Does not come off the bike quickly.

Bottom line:

Great bag that will keep your gear dry and will last you many miles and memories on the trail or road.

Weight: 16.1oz/ 456g

Volume: 16.5L (holds 11 pounds)

Analysis:

You cannot go wrong with the Ortlieb seat pack. If you’re looking for a seat pack that is easy to install, keeps your clothes dry, and is rugged enough to last, this is a great pick.

The bag attaches to the seat by inserting straps around the seat rails and buckling to the pack, adjusting the fit is easily done by pulling on the ends of the straps. The bag is then attached to the seat post with two durable velcro straps. Note: you need about 4” of seat post showing to attach the bag to the post. On one trip, I did have the hardware come loose from the bag that attaches the straps to the seat rails. Luckily, I had a voile strap which I used to attach it back on, as I lost the bolt. If I had the bolt, I could have just re-inserted it. After my trip, I emailed Ortlieb and told them what happened and they sent me a bag of spare parts for the seat pack for free!

Once your pack is attached to your seat, its time to fill it up! I try to keep the heaviest items towards the seat, but in general, you don’t want the seat pack to be too heavy. I keep my sleep system in the seat bag. First I put my Sea to summit pillow, then wool Darntough sleep socks, wool icebreaker beanie, wool smartwool long underwear 250g top and bottom, Big agnes q-core deluxe insulated sleep pad and then my sleeping bag. I roll the end of the Ortlieb seat pack 2 times over and attach the buckles on each side before pulling the straps to compress the bag as much as possible. Keeping your bike against a tree or having your partner hold the handlebars is essential to keeping the bike from falling over or moving while you compress the bag. If you do not do this packing technique, you will get bag sag, which will rub against your back wheel. I often bring and use an additional nylon strap to keep the back end from sagging, which I route from the seat rails to the end of the seat bag.

Product: Revelate designs Terrapin 14L

Price: $189 at company website

Pros:

Modular system, easy to pack, stable, Adjustable. Easy installation.

Cons:

Heavy,

Bottom line:

If installing once on the bike and being able to pack inside your tent sounds appealing to you, this is the seat pack for you. It is stable, dry bag is durable and easily replaceable on a long multi-year trip.

Weight:

Terrapin: 15oz/425g

Dry bag: 5oz/142g

Volume: 14L