Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
In our guide to bikepacking with a dropper post, we covered the benefits and reliability of modern droppers. To sum up the experience, using a dropper improves the ride by getting the saddle out of the way during descents and provides several other unexpected benefits. But, until the last few years, dropper seatposts weren’t reliable enough to consider for extended bikepacking trips.
To complicate matters, the seat pack—one of the key bags in a bikepacking setup—further hinders a rider’s ability to move their weight back over the wheel while riding on steep terrain. As such, many trail mountain bikers who’ve become bikepackers have resorted to leaving their seat bag at home and carrying a heavy backpack or have settled for swapping their precious dropper for a rigid post while bikepacking. Thankfully, that no longer needs to be the case. With many reliable dropper posts and several dropper post seat bags on the market, as well as other good solutions on offer, all the puzzle pieces are now in place.
Choosing a Dropper Post Seat Pack
Since dropper post seat bags are generally much smaller than traditional saddle bags, their capacity will likely influence whether a bag will work or if you should consider another solution. Here are some factors to consider.
Sizing and Volume
Some of the smallest, including the Revelate Designs Shrew and Ortlieb Saddle Bag Two, have hardly enough room for a few extra layers and are likely only useful for minimal overnighter setups or those looking to pack light and ride fast. We find packs in the 5L to 9L range suitable enough for lightweight setups without affecting dropper post function—anything much larger and you run the risk of having tire clearance issues or needing to assist your dropper post to return to full height.
Tire Clearance
Most dropper-specific seat packs require between 5-8” (13-23cm) of clearance between the rear tire and the saddle. So, if you only have that much space, these bags may simply serve as a usable seat pack. Conversely, if you have a foot of space (~30cm), you should be able to get away with using most of the travel in a 150mm dropper on a hardtail with a smaller seat pack. Or, on a full-suspension bike, with the same amount of space, you could consider setting your rear shock to the firm setting (if it has one) to limit its travel, and use half of your dropper post’s travel. In addition, with a bikepacking load, it’s appropriate to add 10-20 psi of air pressure to your rear shock to compensate for added weight.
Weight & Power
Dropper posts are quite powerful and can hoist a significant load, but in our tests we found a load weight of about 3lbs 8oz (1.6kg) to be a good baseline, bag included (more on that towards the bottom of the page). Most of the dropper posts we’ve tested were able to lift a bag of this size, although it was a little much for some others. We’d probably recommend shooting for a weight around three pounds even, which should be a little better for most dropper posts
If you need to have more packing space, heavier items, or don’t have enough tire clearance, it might be worth looking into using a rear bike rack or mountless rack/bag instead of a seat bag. This solution is particularly useful for shorter riders, anyone with limited clearance between the saddle and rear tire, or those who want full dropper post function. More on those below.
Mounting Solutions and the Wolf Tooth Valais
All kinds of bag attachment systems have been developed with dropper posts in mind. Some use a saddle rail-mounted support system to provide stability, such as the Bedrock Black Dragon and Blackburn Outpost Elite, and others hook directly to the saddle rails, such as the Ortlieb Seat Pack QR. Those often have built-in hardware and come at the cost of extra weight and additional setup time. Simpler bags such as the Rockgeist Gondola and Revelate Shrew use a minimal and efficient strap system that doesn’t require extra hardware.
Then there are all the others, based on the standard seat pack design, that feature a strap that attaches directly to the seatpost. For this style of bag, there needs to be a collar attached to the post to protect the dropper’s glossy stanchion. Enter the Wolf Tooth Valais, the original clamp-on seatpost collar designed specifically for this. There are others, such as the Apidura Dropper Post Adapter and the collar that comes with the Ortlieb Seat Pack QR. Most of these limit dropper post travel by at least 25mm, but they are a necessary evil. And, as a bonus, they can be used as an emergency clamp should your dropper develop sag or fail altogether.
Complete List of Dropper Post Seat Packs
You can find a complete list of the dropper post seat bags that are currently on the market below. Additionally, we’ve put together some tips for packing these bags and some additional suggestions for dropper-friendly ways to haul your gear. Bags marked with an “XX” are no longer available.
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$240
Arkel Seatpacker
- Volume: 6-16L
- Material: X-Pac / Cordura / Aluminum
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Mount / Stanchion Strap
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 7-8"
CloseThe Arkel Seatpacker uses a lightweight aluminum hanger that attaches directly to your post and supports the top of the bag, allowing for easy packing and handling. The flexible seatpost mount is dropper-post friendly, and the rear rack portion is secured to the saddle rails, thanks to a quick-release aluminum bracket. The Seatpacker is 100% waterproof and comes in two sizes: 9L and 16L.
From our review: “Overall, Arkel’s Seatpacker is a solid seat pack that will work great for most bikepacking setups. The Seatpacker aesthetic is plain but purposeful. Its strengths over other bags of this type are that it can be used with a dropper post and that it uses a rack system that eliminates vertical and lateral movement. The rack does help immensely for stabilizing the load and most users should feel confident with the bag fully loaded, even with some heavier items. As their first entry into the bikepacking market, Arkel have done a great job with their seat pack and has us excited to see what they have in store for other bikepacking solutions.”
- Weight: 640 grams (22.6 oz)
- Price: $240 (9L)
- Place of Manufacture: Canada
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$225
Bedrock Black Dragon
- Volume: 7L
- Material: X-Pac / Aluminum
- Attachment: Mini Wing / Valais
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 5.25"
CloseThe Black Dragon is connected to the bike by way of two pieces of hardware. As with most classic seat packs, the primary strap that carries the weight of the bag is threaded through the saddle rails. Bedrock takes this a step further with a lightweight two piece aluminum clamp called the Rail Wing. This allows the rail strap to overlap the angled “wings” that cradle the top of the bag and help prevent it from swaying side to side. The system clamps to the saddle rails with two bolts that sandwich the rails — each side has a protective rubber layer to keep the rails from getting scratched. The new version of the Rail Wing — made specifically for the Black Dragon — has a hook on either side which catches the looped end of an elasticized strap wrapping the middle of the bag, making loading and unloading much easier. Further serving this purpose, as well as keeping the bag in place, the underside of the Wing is laminated with a layer of velcro hook which sticks to the loop side stitched onto the bag itself.
The Black Dragon was designed to work with the Wolf Tooth Components Valais, the second piece of hardware needed when installing the Black Dragon with a dropper seat post. The Valais is a plastic clip that snaps onto the top of the seat post and clamps into place with a thru bolt. Acting as a shim for the bag’s seat post strap, the Valais protects the stanchion from the rub and abrasion that’s inevitable when bounding down bumpy roads.
- Weight: 412 grams (14.5 oz)
- Price: $225
- Place of Manufacture: USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$170
Blackburn Outpost Elite Universal Seat Pack
- Volume: 7L
- Material: Ripstop Nylon / Aluminum
- Attachment: Mini Wing / Post Straps
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 5"
CloseThe Outpost Elite Universal Seat Pack is a two-part system. One part features a T6061 alloy wing — hauntingly similar to the Rail Wing designed by Bedrock Bags’ for their Black Dragon and Coconino seat packs—that affixes to the saddle, not the seatpost. The other part is a removable waterproof drybag with a scuba-style air bleed valve that enables the rider to remove excess air from the bag itself, similar to the one used on the Revelate Terrapin. While the wing stays affixed to the seat, the waterproof drybag can be easily removed, packed, compressed, and snapped back into place with two adjustable buckles. The fixed portion of the pack is sturdy and reinforced in key areas around the nose and the bottom of the harness to minimize sway.
- Weight: 572 grams (20.2 oz)
- Price: $170
- Place of Manufacture: China
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$180
JPaks DropperPak
- Volume: 5L
- Material: X-Pac / LiteSkin
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Valais
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6"
CloseThe JPaks DropperPak addresses stability with an internal double layer HDPE panel and Wolf Tooth Valais mounting system. A pack size of 2 to 5 litres is at the smaller end of the spectrum, but makes sense for a dropper-specific bag, and the entire package weighs just 360g (12.7oz). Although the DropperPak takes design cues from other dropper post seat bags available, its slender shape and clean looks make it stand out. Its thoughtful, pared down design is possibly its greatest strength. For now, the DropperPak is made from a VX-42 spine, LS-21 sides, and a Hypalon reinforced bottom. The internal spine is also stabilized with ⅛” thick HDPE panels on the top and bottom that double up to ¼” thick at the seatpost straps, with additional closed cell foam padding. Although the construction itself isn’t waterproof, it uses waterproof materials and all internal seams are finished with bias tape to create a very weather-resistant bag.
- Weight: 360 grams (12.7 oz)
- Price: $180
- Place of Manufacture: Colorado, USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$190
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR
- Volume: 13L
- Material: PU Coated Cordura / Plastic
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Hooks / Stanchion Clamp
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 5.5"
CloseThe Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR is a welded waterproof dropper post-compatible seat bag with a clever quick-release mechanism that easily hooks onto the saddle rails, providing a fast and easy attachment system. The crux of this system is the Seat-Lock assembly. It features two U-shaped rail contours at the base and two pivoting hooks that rotate to clasp the top of the saddle rails. Each hook connects to a compression strap that cinches the bag’s load and keeps the hooks from rotating upward and inward. The Seat-Pack QR’s small nose and sliding Seat-Lock mechanism allow it to sit just against the top of the seat post in most situations, letting you use most of the dropper’s travel, save the 35-40mm required to fit the included lock ring. The lock ring is very similar to the Wolf Tooth Valais. It has two bolts instead of one, and comes in just one size. However, it also comes with two pairs of shims, which allows it to work with 26, 25, and 22mm dropper post stanchions. Prior to this, there was no such option for small 22mm posts.
- Weight: 626 grams (22.1 oz)
- Price: $190
- Place of Manufacture: Germany
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$69
Revelate Designs Shrew
- Volume: 2.25L
- Material: X-Pac
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6"
CloseThe Revelate Designs Shrew is their smallest seat bag, stepping away from multi-day trips into the world of single-day brevets, singletrack epics, and long gravel rides. The most interesting and unique thing about the Shrew is that it doesn’t rely on a seat post connection, unlike most seat bags. Attaching it just requires saddle rails. Furthermore, instead of using a center-mounted webbing point that loops over the rails, it mounts to the saddle rails via two “indie-rail straps”. To help stabilize this two-strap system, each indie-rail loop has a triangular hypalon reinforcement that wraps around the saddle rail. Coupled with a fiberglass stay stitched into the top of the bag, the system keeps the Shrew upright and fairly stable. Additionally, the Shrew has a reinforced Rhinotek top fabric that provides some extra grip to keep it from slipping.
- Weight: 131 grams (4.6 oz)
- Price: $69
- Place of Manufacture: USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$125
Rockgeist Gondola
- Volume: 5L
- Material: X-Pac
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 4-5" (small) / 5-6" (large)
CloseClaimed to be the first-ever dropper post saddlebag designed and sold for bikepacking, the Rockiest Gondola is a lightweight and minimal bag that’s compatible with nearly every type of bike. The Gondola uses four webbing attachment points connect with the lower and upper-back section of the saddle rails, making it compatible with any dropper post, rigid post, and saddle out there. Since it doesn’t attach to the seatpost itself, the Gondola theoretically allows you to use the full length of your dropper post, although that will ultimately depend on how much clearance there is above the rear tire. It comes in two sizes: small (4L) and large (5L), requiring 4-5″ and 5-6″ of clearance between the tire and the seat at its lowest position.
- Weight: 250 grams (8.8 oz)
- Price: $125 (Large)
- Place of Manufacture: North Carolina, USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$220
Rogue Panda Ripsey
- Volume: 8L
- Material: Plastic Harness / X-Pac
- Attachment: Alloy Saddle Rail Clamp / Valais
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 3"
CloseThe Rogue Panda Ripsey is a unique harness-and-dry-bag system that has exceptional tire clearance without sacrificing stability. It’s based around an injected molded harness, an aluminum saddle rail clamp, and a Wolf Tooth Valais—finished with some CNC-machined Austere Manufacturing cam lock buckles to keep the things tight and secure. Rogue Panda will also include a made-to-order dry bag that’s tapered to fit the harness. The Ripsey has one of the smallest claimed tire to saddle clearances in this index: 3″ at half capacity, 4″ at full capacity. Rogue Panda recommends measuring clearance at 75% sag on full suspension bikes, because the harness can take the occasional tire hit.
The Ripsey Kickstarter campaign is expected to launch early November. Sign up at RoguePanda.com to be notified and stay tuned for a closer look.
- Weight: 368 grams (13 oz)
- Price: $220
- Place of Manufacture: Arizona, USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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£125
Straight Cut Design Dropper Seatpost Saddlebag
- Volume: 4.5L
- Material: X-Pac / Cordura
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Valais
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6"
CloseMade by Straight Cut Design in the UK, the Dropper Seatpost Saddlebag was developed and tested for over four years to refine its design. It’s constructed from water resistant materials, and features a contoured profile and reinforce side panels to help hold its shape while loaded. Webbing straps loop around the saddle rails and an additional velcro strap attaches to your dropper post, by way of a Wolf Tooth Valais. It has a bright orange liner fabric, requires 6″ of clearance between the saddle rails and rear tire, and weighs 265g. Read our review here.
- Weight: 265 grams (9.3 oz)
- Price: £125
- Place of Manufacture: Edinburgh, UK
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$70
Wayward Riders Louise Dropper Post Harness
- Volume: 10L
- Material: Polypropylene
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Stanchion Strap
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 7"
CloseThe Louise is made up of a thin, flexible plastic harness and webbing straps. The entire design is minimal, functional, and modest. The upper webbing straps weave through the saddle rails and the harness before looping through the ladder lock buckles on either side of the harness. A rubber bumper and Nano Voile strap attach to your dropper post’s stanchion, and a final webbing strap loops around the removable drybag to keep it secure. The harness can be set up and ready to ride in less than a minute and results in a versatile, sway-free saddlebag.
Compared to other dropper post seat bags out there, the Louise requires more clearance above the rear tire. For example, the Bedrock Black Dragon, Revelate Vole, Rockgeist Gondola, Rogue Panda Ripsey, and Outer Shell Dropper Seatpack all require between 5″ and 6″ of clearance above the rear tire. On the other hand, none of these bags can carry 13L of gear, and most of them are maxed out closer to 7L and are nearly double the price. For those with limited tire-to-saddle clearance, like Emily, replacing the rubber bumper with the Wolftooth Valais will reduce dropper travel and keep the harness away from your rear tire. Another option would be by simply pairing the harness with a smaller dry bag, and cinching the side straps up tighter to provide more clearance under the bag.
- Weight: 170 grams (6 oz)
- Price: $70
- Place of Manufacture: Wellington, New Zealand
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$162
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
- Volume: 4.5-10L
- Material: X-Pac
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Dropper Post Adapter
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 7-8"
CloseThe Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack comes in three sizes, is made from X-Pac, and is seam welded for a 100% waterproof construction. It’s designed to be lightweight and durable, perfectly suited for demanding off-road bikepacking. The velcro straps are reinforced with Hypalon, the saddle rail straps use Woojin buckles for their reliability, and 840-denier abrasion resistant panels on the side of the bag provide additional protection. The 4.5L and 6L models are compatible with Apidura’s Dropper Post Adapter, which is a take on the Wolf Tooth Valais. It secures onto the stanchion with a 3mm hex key, protecting the post, and comes with two shims for 25mm or 26mm dropper post uppers.
- Weight: 235 grams (8.3 oz)
- Price: $162 (4.5L (pack only))
- Place of Manufacture: China
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$150
EVOC Seat Pack BOA
- Volume: 3L
- Material: PU-Coated Nylon
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / BOA
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 4.5"
CloseThe Seat Pack BOA WP is a completely waterproof seat pack design that attaches with the BOA Fit System to the seatpost and two adjustable straps that loop around the saddle rails. Contents are kept dry yet easily accessible thanks to the roll-closure. Currently the largest size is 3L, but they teased larger versions that should be coming soon, and we suspect the discrete point of contact with the seatpost means great dropper post compatibility on the smaller sizes.
- Weight: 225 grams (7.9 oz)
- Price: $150
- Place of Manufacture: Germany
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$55
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two
- Volume: 4.1L
- Material: PU Coated Nylon
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Mount / Stanchion Strap
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 5.5"
CloseThe pint sized Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two is a minimal seat bag with 1.6L-4.1L of storage, a secure attachment system, and 100% waterproof design. It attaches directly to your saddle using an intuitive snap buckle that clicks into an adapter that installs onto the saddle rails. This also means you could easily swap the bag between bikes, providing you have an adapter installed. It has an internal plastic frame to provide stability and a roll-top closure for quick-access.
- Weight: 260 grams (9.2 oz)
- Price: $55
- Place of Manufacture: Germany
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$128
Outer Shell Dropper Seatpack
- Volume: 10.5L
- Material: Cordura / X-Pac
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Stanchion Strap
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6"
CloseHandmade in California, the Outer Shell Dropper Seatpack shares a similar design to their larger Expedition Seatpack, but is smaller to provide more saddle-to-tire clearance while using a dropper post. It features a 360° internal plastic frame to hold its shape, durable metal cam buckles, and a water-resistant construction. The Dropper Seatpack requires 2″ of exposed seatpost and 6″ of saddle-to-tire clearance at all times.
- Weight: 510 grams (18 oz)
- Price: $128
- Place of Manufacture: California, USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$80
Sturdy Seat Packs
- Volume: 1.8-6L
- Material: X-Pac / Ripstop Nylon
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 3-6"
CloseSturdy Bag Designs has a few seat packs that are compatible with dropper posts when attached to the saddle using the included Voile straps. They are one of the simplest bags in the index, based around a roll-top bag and your choice of a 1.8L or 6L capacity.
- Price: $80 (Seat Pack)
- Place of Manufacture: Minnesota, USA
- Manufacturer's Details: Link
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$230CAD
XX – Porcelain Rocket Albert
- Volume: 9L
- Material: Cordura / Aluminum / Steel
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Mount
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6.5"
CloseOne of the first dropper post specific seat packs was the Porcelain Rocket Albert, based around a similar lightweight rack support that they used on their Mr. Fusion saddle bag (now made by Rockgeist). A lightweight aluminum bracket was fitted in between the lower seatpost clamp and saddle rail, providing a solid spot for the curved chromoly steel rack to bolt directly onto. The result was one of the most stable dropper post bags we’ve ever used, with the added benefit of using a removable dry bag for easy packing at camp. For a detailed look at the design process, make sure to check out this article by our friend Skyler.
- Weight: 450 grams (15.9 oz)
- Price: $230CAD
- Place of Manufacture: Alberta, Canada
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$150
XX – Revelate Designs Vole
- Volume: 7L
- Material: X-Pac / Rhinotek
- Attachment: Saddle Rail Straps / Valais
- Tire/Saddle Clearance: 6"
CloseThe Revelate Designs Vole shares a few features with the new Terrapin 8L, introduced just a few weeks before the Vole was first announced. The most notable is the new style of saddle rail straps. Instead of using a center-mounted webbing point that loops over the rails, Revelate implemented independent, side-mounted, urethane-coated loops that individually thread through each rail from the inside out. Each loop is then connected to one of the main straps with a plastic hitch and tightened with an auto-locking active cam buckle. This pulls the bag tight against the saddle, and, from a performance perspective, is a huge improvement over the single-mount rail strap on previous bags. The other two main straps are the 1” seatpost strap that’s intended for use with the Wolf Tooth Valais, which is included with the Vole.
- Weight: 319 grams (11.3 oz)
- Price: $150
- Place of Manufacture: Oregon, USA
What to Pack in Dropper Seat Post Bags
As mentioned in our guide to bikepacking with a dropper post, droppers aren’t always powerful enough to hoist a heavy load. The key to bikepacking with a dropper is to pack light. Most bikepackers will agree that space is usually more of a challenge than weight, so as long as you factor in moving ultralight items to the seat pack and having more weight in the handlebar bag, it should work for you.
As an example, here’s a typical packlist that Logan uses in a smaller dropper post seat bag:
Patagonia Merino Air baselayer
Merino wool jersey
Wool socks
Rain jacket (Search and State PJ-1)
Down jacket (Montbell Anorak)
Dinner (Good To-Go double meal)
Toiletries (toothbrush/paste, etc.)
This kit weighs about 3lbs 8oz (1.6kg), bag included, which is a good weight for most of the dropper posts we’ve tested and a little much for some others. We’d probably recommend shooting for a weight around three pounds even, which should be a little better for most dropper posts and keep bulk to a minimum, enabling more of the dropper to be used. Here are a few other packing tips to consider:
- Pack your sleeping bag and pad in your seat pack to keep the weight down; a reasonable summer bag/quilt and sleeping pad should get the weight down under three pounds.
- If you pack clothing in your seat pack, roll each item up tightly and insert it the long way to help the seat pack’s stability.
- Put the heaviest and most dense items at the nose of the pack to minimize sway.
Mount-less Racks & Bags
For anyone who looks at the list above and isn’t satisfied with the volume or tire clearance and doesn’t have rear rack mounts, a mount-less rack or bag might be the solution. To provide additional carrying capacity for bikes without rack mounts, brands including Tailfin, Old Man Mountain, and Aeroe have all come up with unique ways to secure their products onto bikes. The benefit here is that each one stays clear of the saddle, resulting in unobstructed dropper post function and increased packing space and versatility.
Tailfin Aeropack
The Tailfin AeroPack is a cross between a rack-top bag and a seatpack. It’s based around a large roll-top drybag that’s secured to the bike via an adjustable seatpost clamp and supported by two legs that attach down near the rear axle. The beauty of the design is the range of lower attachment points Tailfin offers, from quick-release mounts to bolt-on, to clamps that attach directly onto a thru-axle or quick-release skewer. The AeroPack requires no mounting points and is as versatile as they come, with options to add their own mini panniers, cargo cages, and more. Make sure to read Cass’ review here.
OMM Elkhorn
The Old Man Mountain (OMM) Elkhorn Rack is designed to be lightweight and stable, and similar to the Tumbleweed T-Rack, it features three-pack mounts on each leg. The Elkhorn comes in Short and Tall sizes. The Short is designed for 27.5″ tires up to 3″ wide and up to 700c x 38mm tires. The Tall is made for maximum mud clearance and bikes with 29″ tires up to 29 x 3.25″ wide. Similar to the AeroPack, OMM offers a variety of fit kits for thru-axle and quick-release axles, as well as standard bolt-on options for bikes with mounts. Its unique design makes it one of the most versatile racks available. Read Logan’s review here.
Aeroe Spider Rack
Unlike the AeroPack and Elkhorn, which utilize different fit kits to increase versatility, the Aeroe Spider Rack attaches directly to the seat stays using silicone-coated straps and plastic brackets. From there, Aeroe has a variety of add-ons for hauling gear on the rack, including an adjustable Spider Cradle and dry bags, as well as quick mount gear pods that can attach to the sides of the rack like panniers. While the entire system is somewhat unorthodox, its modular design is useful and compatible with most bikes, and we found it stable enough for rough singletrack riding. Read the review here.
Minimal Rear Racks
If your bike has rear rack mounts, one of the most efficient ways to go bikepacking with a dropper post is by simply running a rear rack. One of our favorite setups is a lightweight rear rack with a 10-15L drybag strapped directly on top. Small or mini panniers are another great option. Both options are very stable, and although a rack adds some extra weight compared to the bags above, it’s versatile and tucks the weight closer to your rear wheel. Plus, a rear rack eliminates undue stress to your dropper post, unlike a loaded bag. While any old racks will do, not all racks are created equal or rated for off-road use. We’ve had great success using the Tumbleweed T Rack, which has the added benefit of triple pack mounts on the legs. Also check out the racks from Tubus, the OMM Divide rack, or even the lightweight Nitto R10 Bag Support for smaller loads. Find our Index with a full list of lightweight rear bike racks here.
We’ve tested a lot of dropper post seat bags, racks, and dropper-friendly alternatives for packing the rear of the bike. However, chances are likely that we missed a couple, or that other options will be released soon. If you have a suggestion on a bag, minimal rack system, or other solution, please leave a note in the conversation below.
