Revelate Designs Nook and Cranny Review: Tiny Bags for Awkward Spaces

Revelate Designs is entering the realm of mini frame bags today with their new Nook and Cranny bags. Designed around full-suspension bikes with limited frame bag space, inconvenient shock placement, or any frame that might benefit from a tiny bit of extra storage, they make up for their limited capacity by integrating some handy features.

The first thing that came to mind after seeing news of Revelate Designs’ new mini frame bags was Bicycle Pubes’ #TinyFuckinFrameBag contest on Instagram. After all, these are some seriously minuscule frame bags–likely the smallest production frame bag ever. But then I thought of Emily’s Ibis Ripley AF and how the rear shock cuts through the main triangle, leaving no room for a bag. The Ibis isn’t alone in this, particularly when it comes to smaller frame sizes. So, while those of us blessed with long legs and gigantic main triangles might not need a tiny frame bag, I can see why they exist.

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There are no surprises with the Revelate Designs Nook and Cranny bags. They are teeny wedge-shaped frame bags with wide daisy chain webbing along the spine that come with three silicone-backed velcro straps and are made from ECOPAK VX-21 X-Pac. The single water-resistant, urethane-coated YKK RC zipper is sewn into the spine rather than the side panel, and both bags feature a high-vis recycled polyester interior and a small mesh sleeve on the base for organization.

The Nook and Cranny are nearly identical, aside from their size. The Cranny, pictured here on Emily’s size medium Ibis Ripley AF, is the smaller of the two. It offers a whopping 0.6L capacity, weighs 72 grams, and has the single mesh interior sleeve mentioned above. The Nook has a 1.2L capacity, weighs 85 grams, and has an extra small mesh sleeve and key clip on the zipper side of the bag. Neither bag is waterproof, but they should be highly weather-resistant due to their construction and materials. If blue isn’t your thing, they are offered in a more subdued black X-Pac.

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Emily and I snuck out on a few rides with both bags installed on our bikes before today’s launch. As you might expect, I only have a little to report on. I did notice the silicone-backed velcro straps do an excellent job of grabbing onto the frame and keeping the bag in place. It had me wondering why more bag makers don’t splurge for nicer straps like these. The unique zipper position make it easier to open the bag wide, and the little zipper pull tabs are handy for proper zipper function, depending on where the velcro straps are positioned. The interior mesh sleeve is also convenient, keeping smaller items like multi-tools and tubeless plugger kits in place. Both bags are about 4″ (10cm) wide, which happens to be the exact length of a standard Snickers bar.

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After a joyful trip to Trader Joe’s, we discovered that the Revelate Designs Cranny can fit 28 one-bite peanut butter cups (that’s nearly 2,000 calories), a dozen Joe-Joe’s (think Oreos), two 85-gram tuna cans, two medium avocados, or eight regular-sized Snickers. For those thinking about mechanicals more than snacks, the Cranny has enough room for a standard 29″ tube with room to spare.

As expected, the Revelate Designs Nook can fit a whole lot more. I managed to cram two 12-ounce cans inside, and approximately 17 Snickers bars (that’s over 4,000 calories) also fit. I could also squeeze in my loaded Revelate Designs ToolCash, a multi-tool, and Dynaplug Racer tool with room to spare.

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• Capacity: 0.6L (Cranny), 1.2L (Nook)
• Material: ECOPAK VX-21 X-Pac, Recycled Polyester Liner, YKK Zipper
• Weight: 72 grams (Cranny), 85 grams (Nook)
• Place of Manufacture: Vietnam
• Price: $45 USD (Cranny), $50 USD (Nook)
• Manufacturer’s Details: Cranny Nook

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