The Radavist

I’ll swear by a shredpack anyday. Why cover your entire back with a backpack when you can get away with a hip pack? Over the past few months, I’ve been obsessing over these functional packs, checking out what various makers are whipping up in their workshops. One such maker is High Above. Based in Bellingham, Washington, they make two sizes in their hip bags: Das Radpack (small) and the Cascadia (large). Both bags can be coupled with a Bottle Rocket holster for either a beer can or water bottle.

Check out the various color options at High Above and expect a shred pack showdown on the site in the coming weeks!

It doesn’t matter if you’re on the road for a week, or just riding around town, keeping your randonneur bag organized is important. Maybe that’s why I like the looks of the Hinterland Ozette rando bag from Swift. With those new cargo straps, everything stays in its right place.

Vince and Garrett at Strawfoot love doing work for their local heroes at Giro. This round, they made a limited edition musette using Giro’s breathable water resistant cotton fabric. Like other Strawfoot musettes, it features a sternum strap to keep the bag steady while riding and a top flap with a snap closure. It also packs down to easily fit inside a jersey pocket for easy stashing. Made in Santa Cruz from people who love to ride bikes, for people who love to ride bikes and in stock now at Strawfoot.

Founded in 1998, ReLoad Bags has an interesting story, told here by Roland Burns. As one of the first bag companies I remember seeing making custom messenger bags on the east coast, I love seeing them still doing what they love as a brand.

Swift Industries continues to pursue their love of experiencing the outdoors by bicycle with the Hinterland Collection, a collection of in-house made bicycle portage. The centerpiece of the line is the Hinterland Ozette Rando Bag which experienced a big upgrade through utilizing XPac™ textiles in the classic French box-bag design. This material upgrade makes the Ozette Hinterland edition the lightest on the market. Also new to Swift is the Hinterland Jr. Ranger Panniers and a range of shirts and camping accessories.

See the full line below and at Swift Industries.

Here I was thinking the Mr Fusion was as good as it gets. Like all great minds, Scott at Porcelain Rocket wasn’t satisfied with V1, wanting to make he and Rick Hunter’s collaboration project even better.

Mr. Fusion V2 is the evolution of the Porcelain Rocket bag system. It uses the same support rack design, is 100% waterproof, and with the snap of one buckle, it’s insanely easy to load or unload. The included RF-welded Porcelain Rocket drybag has a 5–13L capacity, just roll it as your crap seems fit.

Now’s your chance to pre-order one of those super rare Ramblin Rolls from Yanco and Tracko. The pre-order is open until the slots fill up, with a turnaround of 6-8 weeks. Head over to the Tracko webshop to place an order.

I love nesting pouches and zippered wallets, especially for riding. It’s nice to have one place to throw in your Co2, patch kit, multitool, debit card, cash, “safety” stuffs and even your phone. While there are hundreds of options out there, I’m currently using the Strawfoot Ride Wallet and Zip Wallet.

The Ride Wallet fits my Sony RX100mk3, or an iPhone 6, or even a Yashica T4 while the Zip Wallet fits cash, cards and my riding keys. Both are made by hand in Santa Cruz from weather-resistant cordura, a waterproof zipper, ripcord handles and have a secondary pocket on in inside. In stock now at Strawfoot.

Our friends at Strawfoot have been busy making some special kit bags for Grinduro.

I’ve been on the road from Los Angeles to Santa Cruz and I couldn’t roll through town without seeing what Strawfoot has been up to (and to get tacos.) Turns out, they’ve been working hard prepping for Grinduro…

See you there?

Everything is better with Multicam! Including these new Inside Line Equipment Seat Bags. Now available in black, white and standard (tandard as I like to call it). Made in the Bay Area and only $30. In stock now at ILE.

Yanco is a bag maker in Los Angeles probably known best for his collaboration project with Tracko, the Ramblin Roll. Over recent years however, he’s branched out into making specialty bags for the cycling community in LA.

Currently, he’s making everything from packraft bags, to handlebar pouches and little projects like this Cetma rack “wrap” he uses to make deliveries or on errands. It’s not a full-on bag and that’s the beauty of it. There’s little weight added and it stabilizes load. Also new to his product line is the bottle holster. While these can be found from numerous vendors, I liked his draw chord detail.

If you’re digging these bags, be sure to give him a follow on Instagram @jonesville and holler at him if you’d like one.

The Hauser has been my go-to bikepacking, MTB riding and even commuter day pack since its inception. A highly versatile bag that’s both made in the USA and super comfortable just got more stylish (depending on how you feel about camo). The latest bag is made from black Multicam printed cordura. Multicam is a subtle print that looks even better splatted with mud… For those who always ask how I carry a camera on the bike, I use the 10L for DSLRs like the 5Dmkiii or rangefinders and the 14L for the Canon 1DX and two lenses.

See more at Mission Workshop.

YNOT have been working on new bags with new hardware and have an IndieGoGo Campaign to help get things moving. Head on over to check it out.

If Froome and Porte decided to take on a bit of soul riding, they might don these new collaboration Charlene seat packs. Whether you’re actually trying to KOM hard climbs, or just want to take on the Mountains of Madness within, these MultiKOM packs will inspire both heckling from friends as well as personal badassery. Made in Canada by Porcelain Rocket, printed on licensed MultiCam fabric and the perfect size for everything from commuting to road riding to light bikepacking trips.

Oh and Happy Bastille day!

Limited Edition of 21 only for 21 stages of the Tour. Each bag is $150 USD and costs $5 for shipping to the USA and $10 International.

See more information and pick one up below SORRY, SOLD OUT.

To commemorate the forthcoming Solstice weekend and the Swift Campout worldwide event, Swift Industries has released two special edition bags. Made in Seattle, the Swift Campout Paloma handlebar bag and Swift Campout Zeitgeist saddle bag are now in stock at Swift.

You don’t have to buy anything to take part in the Swift Campout weekend! Head over and see how you can sign up.

Seagull Bags took a short hiatus to figure things out and move the brand in a few new directions, resulting in two new bag models. One of which is a do-all backpack, stepping away from Seagull’s previous silhouettes of messenger style backpacks. The Nightshift V2 was designed with exploration in mind. Or just standard day-to-day use. Cargo straps make it easy to bring a few extra items along and interior pockets keep things organized. Also new to the lineup is the Trail Buddy hip pack (or shred pack as I like to call them). Carry your tools, snacks, camera, one-hitter or even a burrito in it and hit the trail without worrying about a hydro pack.

All of Seagull’s bags are made in Columbus, Ohio.

ILE’s popular Default backpack is now available in durable, black XPAC sailcloth with a clean Coyote brown trim. All of ILE’s bags are made in the Bay Area using the highest standards of construction. Check out more at ILE.