Hey Joe....
It was your bike that set my mind on Rob's folding design...especially as you were using an alfine 8 too.
I love your bike in that mode! :]


The ability to fit them into such a small package is amazing...
Mine finally arrived here in England today...


A full twenty niner MTB, with 2.4" tyres, two rear wheels, front rack, 27" wide Jones bars, aero bars, 5 bottle cages, a saddle bag, a full frame bag, front and rear gastank bags, a handlebar harness, 2x13ltr ortlieb drybags, and a full size sleeping bag....all in a 26" x 26" x 12" case!

Quality!
Yup...to quote Gil Scott Heron..."Ain't no new thing" :]

If anyone deserves the credit for inspiring ANY of the bikepacking style bags I've made for myself over the years, it's this guy right above me^^^
Eric inspired me to make my first ever set of bikepacking bags years ago!

How's it going Eric? :]

Sorry to disappoint you, but I only discovered this place a few months ago, but the bike and bag design was sorted two years ago. :]
But props to you for being the first to post your ideas on here!
It's always nice to see other people making their own kit.
I've been making bags now for about 12 years in total, so I have respect for anyone that is prepared to get behind a sewing machine and make their own gear

There will be bags for the Anything cages too, but I was waiting for Salsa to bring out the new version first before I made them. :]

Yeah, I had a very specific idea for the cockpit/aerobars. I've been using Jones bars for years, so they made my idea much easier to achieve. :]

I'm proud to say that it's not only my bags, but my bike too. :]
I had a very specific design in mind, with very specific features,and I knew that Rob would be the best guy to turn my ideas into reality...and I have to say, he did an amazing job!
Rob won best in show at NAHBS, and my bike won the Gates belt drive competition too! :]

Although it doesn't look that way on the picture, the side buckles are actually out of the way of the riders legs, but on the final version I've switched to cobra frame buckles instead, and moved them lower. These are smaller and lighter, and non quick release, as I don't really think they need to be in that application, as once the harness is on, it stays on until the ride/tour is done.
The top/back buckle doesn't seem to cause any contact problems either... Unless you were to slide a long way back while still seated.
The bike its actually going on though  has a different seat post and the saddle is a bit further back... Both of which move the bag down a bit at the rear and get it further out of the way.

As you can also see from my second picture, the seatpost clamp design also plays a part in that this particular one stops the nose of the bag being able to move any higher up the seatpost.
A less bulky clamp would technically allow the whole bag to rotate up at the front and down at the back.

The saddlebag in your picture is at a lower angle because the saddle is further back and the angle of the underside of the saddle is different.. The top of both saddlebags is effectively a flat surface which runs parallel to the rear section of the saddle and then continues on past the saddle at that same angle. So if for example I was to put your saddlebag on my bike and pull the saddle rail mounting strap tight, it would follow the same angle as my own, because the tops of both are flat....except the seatpost collar would probably be at the wrong angle to mount properly.
If you were to move your saddle two inches further forward or use a saddle with a different angle under the shell, then your saddlebag would also rise up higher behind your saddle because the angle between the post and saddle would be steeper.
If you look at the angle between the seatpost collar of your bag, and the top section, it's pretty much exactly the same as on mine.
The different rise of the bags is down to the different saddle positions between the two bikes...in my opinion at least.
If you look at this picture you can see what I mean a little better...once the saddlebag is pulled tight against the saddle, it follows the same angle as the saddle.

Also, the bungee can be mounted on top because you don't have an end compression strap and buckle in the way. It also means though that anything you strap on top will then be in the way when you move back over the wheel, so it kind of cancels out the lower bag angle.
Carousel, porcelain rocket, bikepacking.eu all have their bungee lashing on the underside.

I hear what you're saying, but how high it rises above the saddle is determined more by the relative positions of the saddle to seatpost, and the shape of the saddle and the position of it's rails relative to the rear of the saddle. The pack will tighten until it stops flat against the saddle/rails. If the saddle was set further back in relation to the post then the pack would sit lower due to the shallower angle.
The only other way is to radically shape the harness to curve down past the saddle, which won't work so well with a separate drybag.
Repositioning the straps to allow the pack to effectively roll back and down is also not possible as the seatpost clamp would prevent it.

With regards to the molle being on top...you are very limited for space up there unfortunately. There is one molle loop, then the buckle.
Having it underneath is to allow more space...which i assume is why most companies also place their bungee lashing down there?

Hey folks...
This is my first post on this forum. I just thought I'd share a quick picture of a prototype seat pack I've been working on for a while.
The one in the picture isn't quite the finished version. I decided to tweak the shape a touch more, but haven't had a chance to finish the latest prototype yet.
I know it goes against the usual bikepacking ideas of ultra light weight...especially with the Cobra buckles, but I wanted to make myself a pack that adhered to the principles of my bag company, where light weight has never been at the top of the priority list...and Cobras are my buckle of choice. ;]
It still beats the weight of racks and panniers anyway, and I like that I can really crank the straps down tight without worrying about breaking buckles...something I've done many times with plastic hardwear.

Anyway...it was more about trying out a few ideas than trying to please the majority. ;]
The one piece shell is hdpe plastic, with a high density foam backing, which gives me support and abrasion resistance, and it's built around a 13ltr Ortlieb drybag, so it's watertight too. The molle webbing strip on the bottom allows for strapping on other items or pouches.
The use of cable ties around the nose also makes it easy to fix if necessary.
I know that for most people it will be seen as overkill, but personally I'm really happy with it, but I'm always keen to get other people's opinions too...especially with so many hardcore bikepackers on here.