Cycling backpack "pants" (for the trunk)

A mandatory item in the equipment list of any cyclist is a bicycle backpack for the trunk. It is also called a bicycle bag or simply “bicycle pants”. Some people prefer to travel with a regular backpack on their shoulders. But this method is only suitable for one-day bike trips (rides) or short trips without spending the night in tents. This is due to the fact that carrying a heavy load on a bent back is not so comfortable (and even unsafe) and your back gets tired quickly.

Therefore, a bike bag on any bike trip is simply a must and irreplaceable thing. Typically, bicycle backpacks are divided into two main types - single-volume and three-section...

Three-piece bike backpacks usually have a relatively small volume of up to 50 liters and, as the name suggests, consist of three independent “bags” (two side and a central one). Suitable for short hikes, and the main advantage is that you can vary the volume based on the amount of equipment. For example, take only one or two side bags or, after attaching the top “suitcase”, take the entire “bike pants”. The main disadvantage is, of course, that you cannot put a large thing, for example, a tent, and it will have to be attached to the outside of the bike backpack.

single-volume bicycle bags do not have this problem. The most common models have a volume of 60 to 80 liters, and even a rolled up rug fits into many of them without any problems. Typically, such bicycle backpacks are also equipped with straps (like a regular backpack) for ease of carrying when boarding a vehicle or when overcoming difficult sections on difficult cycling trips. That is, they can be worn on the back. Also, “bicycle pants” are most often attached to the trunk using one single belt or elastic band. This allows you to quickly remove them from the trunk, which is again important on difficult bike trips with a lot of “crossroads.” Three-piece bike backpacks have numerous plastic latches that make the removal process much more tedious, and they are also less reliable (they can break).

For three-day hikes, almost any bike backpack on the trunk is suitable. If you are going on a long hike without a battery, we can recommend bulky three-section or medium-sized single-volume backpacks with a capacity of 50-60 liters. Well, for heavy autonomous hikes, it is, of course, desirable to have a single-volume bicycle bag of 80-90 liters.

When choosing a bicycle backpack, do not forget about a special rain cover. For some reason, this absolutely necessary accessory on a hike can rarely be found in our stores.

Brief overview of the market

Below is a table with the most common bike bags on our market. The bicycle backpacks in the table are sorted by suitability for long cycling trips (our, purely subjective assessment): suitable at the beginning, crap at the end :)

The first two points are worth special mention: The Mirage models of the St. Petersburg company Snaryazhenie have proven themselves to be the best in the most difficult bicycle trips and expeditions for their practicality, ergonomics, and durability. And the bicycle bags of Alexander Volkov (website beskid.com.ua) are unrivaled in terms of price/quality ratio. We rent exactly these trunks (Dakar model) to participants of our bike trips.