New Bikepacking Gear to Help You Get Off the Beaten Path

This article originally appeared on Outside

Bikepacking equipment has evolved rapidly over the last five years--the latest racks and bags make it possible to ride rough trails without worrying about leaving a Hansel and Gretel-esque trail of gear behind you. What follows are some of the newest bikepacking accessories to hit the market, all designed to make it easier to take the road or trail less traveled.

Aeroe

All the way from New Zealand, Aeroe really doesn't mess around when it comes to bikepacking, and not just the gravel road variety. The quick-load, cradle-style carriers hold down their waterproof bags with four possible locations on the bike to potentially transport up to 48 liters of gear.

Are you serious about riding singletrack but have a full-suspension frame? Then check out the Spider Rear Rack ($129). The intelligent design uses attaches to the rear triangle of the bike with simple silicone straps that tighten down over a large surface area for fast installation and removal.

In total, the stainless steel rack can carry up to three of the watertight bags; center, left, and right, using the glass reinforced nylon cradles. On its own, the rack is only 641 grams and has a carrying capacity of 16 kilograms. Then there's also the 471 gram handlebar mounting Spider Cradle ($79), which can hold five kilograms using the same style straps and similar mounts as the rear rack. There's also a hard-backed, quick-mount pod system for the most stable ride.

As for the bags, they come in two unique colors to easily distinguish their sizes: orange for the eight liter ($59) and black for the 12 liter ($69), respectively. The fully welded, waterproof TPU material uses a roll-top closure with a traditional plastic buckle, plus extra loops on the face to tie down more accessories.

Best of all, Aeroe offers free worldwide shipping when their products are purchased through their website and estimate arrival between seven and ten business days. To show that Aeroe stands by their products, the Spider Rear Rack is covered by a two-year warranty and has a 30-day, money-back guarantee.

Tailfin

Based in the U.K., Tailfin builds racks and waterproof cargo bags that have endless mounting possibilities. Backed by a five-year warranty, Tailfin’s premium-level bike packing offers lightweight options for those gram-counters, including some eye-catching carbon components. Modularity and adaptability is the general theme with their equipment that can be bolted on almost anywhere to your bike.

Storage begins with the 1.7 liter Cargo Pack ($40), but there are three- and five-liter options too. The side of the packs have cutouts to weave the gear strap into and really cinch down your gear. There's also the hook strap that pulls the excess volume snug to the top of the pack, further adding to the security. One of the neatest features built into the five liter Cargo Pack is an air vent that can be opened and closed with the turn of a dial to compress the volume that isn't being used.

Each of these packs strap into Tailfin’s anodized alloy Cargo Cages (from $70) using coveted water bottle spacing. Available in two sizes, this system uses slots that the gear straps thread into with the larger one coming equipped with a base to vertically support the load. They are narrow enough to avoid contact with even the narrowest Q-factor setups without compromising load stability.

If you're looking to maximize on-bike storage, the Cargo Cage bolts to carbon ($65) or steel ($40) clamps that wrap around the fork lowers between 37 and 45 millimeters in diameter. You'll spend $30 more, but save 23 grams per clamp by choosing the fancy carbon clamp. Tailfin states that the loads shouldn't exceed three kilograms per side for trail riding, or five kilograms for on road use.

The newest addition to the lineup is Tailfin's V-Mount Pack (from $75) that attaches without any fixed hardware, so if your frame doesn't have downtube bottle bosses, you're in luck. This option is a touch more expensive because of the mounting bracket is built into the bag. Underneath are two concave rubber pads to grip the frame without the worry of scratching it up and are cinched down with mini TPU straps. The smaller pack is also narrow enough to place on the top tube and keep out of the line of fire from the front tire's spray. Tailfin grants free worldwide shipping on orders over $340.

EVOC

EVOC are the masters of the bike travel bag, but they also produce bomber cargo bags for on the bike, a few of which use the lightning fast and sleek BOA dial attachment. All of the bar, frame, and seat packs are available in neutral two colors; Carbon Grey or Loam.

Starting at the front, the Handlebar Pack BOA L ($150) is the larger of the two models with a capacity of five liters, doubling the capacity of the smaller version. A few details that make this bag a standout are the two BOA loops with rubberized pull tabs, the dial itself that can easily be tightened on the fly, plus the roll-top closure at either end to keep your goods totally dry.

Moving to the middle of the bike, the Multi Frame Pack M ($50) holds one liters of goods and has enough positions for the Velcro straps to find their way to all corners of the frame, depending on the suspension design. A nice touch that EVOC includes are frame protection stickers to save your paint and on the inside, a mesh pocket will ward off any rattling items. To finish it off, YKK takes care of the water resistant zipper to fully flip the bag wide open.

On short travel bikes, the space under the seat can be used for stuffing lighter items, such as a sleeping bag and extra clothing and EVOC designed an elegant solution for ratcheting down their Seat Pack BOA bags (from $110). Available in three sizes (size large shown here), it uses the roll-top closure to reduce unused volume and make the pack watertight. Like the handlebar bag, the BOA loop has a rubber looped tab to wrap around the seat post and uses two additional velcro straps to grab onto the seat rails to hold your gear tightly.

Apidura

If any of those products aren't enduro-specific for you, then the waterproof one liter Backcountry Frame Pack ($65) from Apidura could be a sleeker choice for day to day use--heck, even slap one on a downhill bike to stash some sunglasses or tools in for some park laps. If the Backcountry Frame Pack, isn't enough storage, then there is also a two-liter alternative ($108).

Designed to work with steep or more square top and down tube joints, the one-liter pack is reversible in orientation and uses three straps to cinch down on your frame. Inside, there's another one to lock down larger items that might rattle on descents. You'll find a zipper on either side, as well as a port at the front, should you wish to run any cabled lights.

This article originally appeared on our sister site, Pinkbike, as part of their Tech Week 2023 coverage.

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