Reviews: Blackburn Outpost Seat Pack
When, like me, you live in a small town without a car, the occasional weekend bike trip to the nearest city can be the only thing keeping your life from turning into a sad country song. Sure, the Blackburn Outpost Seat Pack was likely made for long bikepacking trips and escapes into the backcountry, but I’ve found it’s perfect for overnight escapades to civilization, too. Just throw a change of clothes in with a few bike tools and snacks, and set a course for the bright lights and multiple restaurant options of the big city.
RELATED: How to Plan a Weekend Micro-Adventure
This summer, I put the bag through the ringer on both a five-day gravel adventure through New England and a two-day out-and-back to Philly, where it generated a lot of interest for being such an ingenious cargo solution. The Outpost adjusts by volume; alone, it can handle cargo for about a two- to four-day trip, or a much longer bike tour with the addition of other bikepacking bags. The best part about taking it on short trips is there’s no need to bother with a touring bike, panniers, and a rack. It’s easy to attach and remove from any bike, provided you have the clearance to mount the pack between your saddle and rear tire (a 5-foot-two friend of mine faced difficulty with this and had to resort to panniers).
Once I had the pack’s straps tightened securely enough against my saddle, I stopped noticing the added weight, and my bike tour became more like a road ride. As a bonus, while technically not designated “waterproof,” the pack miraculously kept my gear dry through eight hours of riding in a torrential rainstorm.
Overall, the Outpost Seat Pack is the perfect solution for hauling all your stuff on a bike not designed to haul a lot of stuff. Think of it as the messenger bag that you don’t actually have to carry on your back for 70 miles. And at $99, it’s cheaper than most messenger bags—and two weekends’ worth of bus tickets to the city.
You Might Also Like
