Revelate Designs Terrapin Seat Harness

[JRA]

Anyone out there have any experience with, or an opinion on this model?
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/index.cfm/store.catalog/Seat-Bags/Terrapin

I like the simplicity of the idea.  I'm just not sure how well it would work compared to a traditional seat bag design.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts,
-JRA

[JefA]

I met a nice guy on the great divide that was not happy with his. It just does not give you as much room. I think it's a fun idea but I love my seat bags from revelate. I have the regular seat bags. I put all my clothes in a compression drybag and then slide then into the seat. Then I can cram food and stuff around the drybag.

[adamgnewman]

Both systems have plusses and minuses. The Terrapin lets you strap all sorts of weird shit back there if you need to. Pretty rad that Eric just keeps innovating.

[AG6]

I have one and I love it.  It is nice to be able to take at least 1 bag easily off the bike.  That said, I am coming from a touring background and have gone the bikepacking bag route primarily as a way to force myself to carry less crap.  I don't have much experience off-road. My current set up is Tangle, Terrapin, Gas Tank, and front Panniers.  On a Salsa Vaya.

[joeydurango]

The Terrapin mounts the same way as the other Revelate seat bags, so it should be about as stable.  We stock these alongside the Viscacha, Pika, and Bedrock Coconino, but I've only used the Viscacha and Coconino personally.  Space-wise, it appears to closely match the Viscacha.

I think the Terrapin is great for coastal trips and so on.  But for the high-country or desert trips I do personally, I prefer the regular X-Pac bags.

If you're looking to have a bag that comes off the bike quickly but is also rock solid on the bike, well... here in a month or so there might be a new, awesome answer for that.  Stay posted.

[tanadog]

I have a terrapin, done some multiday races and mtb touring (single track) with it - probably 20 days. The terrapin stays on my bike all the time & I load/ unload a light dry bag (15litre).
The up side.
- You can put your own drybag in it and be sure stuff will stay dry
- it doesn't rely on so much how well you pack it (like a viscacha) to keep it's shape
- it's very easy to unpack/ pack at the end/ start of each day
- I find it really stable

the down side
- it's a bit slower to get stuff in & out of during the day, so I tend to put my overnight stuff in it.
- when it gets very full it gets a bit bulbous, but that's more to do with the shape of the dry bag

[htrider]

Used mine all this year - big bonus over the standard viscachia is that the dry bag is waterproof. I bung all of my dry kit in it - sleeping bag, mat, overnight kit and spare kit on a tour. I can chuck the tent up and then grab the dry bag out of the harness, shove it in the tent knowing everything I need is in there and bone dry. Only problem I've had is the seat rail straps rubbing on the harness sides and wearing them a bit on a muddy trip. Solved by two bits of duct tape.

[flatlander]

I'm considering buying my first seatbag and Revelate seems to meet most of my needs. But I have a question to Terrapin owners: is it possible to throw in a larger (longer) drybag?

I can make one myself if needed. I was just curious if I could pack more than 14 liters into this bag with a custom drybag. Judging by capabilities of the harness - how far can I take it with weight? What do you think?

[Smithhammer]

I really like my Terrapin. The convenience of being able to simply pull the dry bag out of the harness and take it into my tent, pack it on the ground, etc. makes it hard for me to imagine going back to a seat bag that stays on the bike. I've used it with dry bags from 10 to 14L. Most of my touring with it has been on dirt, and it rides great. Like any seat bag, how you strategically pack it can make a big difference in how it will ride.

[Aushiker]

If you're looking to have a bag that comes off the bike quickly but is also rock solid on the bike, well... here in a month or so there might be a new, awesome answer for that.  Stay posted.

Did anything come of this?

[tahic]

I replaced a Vischara with this and I do not like it at all. It is difficult to pack properly, swings and is unstable unless you get it just right ...The plus side is the ability to hang stuff of it and take the dry bag off if it's bucketing but I ended up swapping it out for a rack and a dry bag placed on top because I could not deal with the bouncing and swinging. My Vischara was the older version with 2 seat post straps and I don't think the change to one is a positive one.

[joeydurango]

Did anything come of this?

Why yes, something did in fact come of it... I just forgot to post it here.    The Gen II Bedrock Coconino was launched in the spring of 2015 and has become one of our best-selling bags.  Here you go:  http://www.velorutioncycles.com/seat-bags/bedrock-coconino-seat-bag

[Aushiker]

Why yes, something did in fact come of it... I just forgot to post it here.    The Gen II Bedrock Coconino was launched in the spring of 2015 and has become one of our best-selling bags.  Here you go:  http://www.velorutioncycles.com/seat-bags/bedrock-coconino-seat-bag

Thanks. I am aware of those.