Triangle bag review after 10000k

A triangular frame bag is, in my opinion, the most important piece of bikepacking kit. Installing a "half" frame bag to preserve space for bottles is pointless – you lose a lot of space, and accessing the bottles even without the bag is inconvenient. Always use stem-bags for bottles!

I was lucky enough to find a Ride and Get Lost bag on OLX (Polish Craigslist), which fit perfectly into the frame of my Kona Rove Ti. Later, I discovered it also works well on my True Love bikes – an all-road and a drop-bar MTB. One bag, but it works for all bikes and all types of rides. My model is simple – the bag is divided into two sections by a removable divider. It doesn't have external pockets, but it does have Velcro, which I attached a patch to. Inside, there are vertical mesh compartments where I put small items to keep them from falling around. The top is attached with an elastic cord – it's not the fastest solution, but it looks great and doesn't snag on my shorts like Velcro can.

The bag is made of X-Pac material, and since I've owned it, it hasn't been fully waterproof (perhaps the previous owner, like me, didn't pay attention to proper waterproofing). This can be a problem if you want to carry clothes or sleeping gear in the frame. I tend to pack everything that needs to be dry in a dry bag or a roll-top bag without zippers, made of rubberized material – in my setup, these are saddle bags and handlebar bags.

What do I carry in my frame bag? The heaviest items and those I want quick access to. In the lower section, I always have a toilet trower in a bag, a heavy rehabilitation ball for rolling, and cans of food (I'm not a fan of freeze-dried foods). On the GDMBR, I carried water in this section in a triangular Apidura container. In the upper section, I've recently carried: an MSR Pocket Rocket cooking kit, documents, wet wipes, a foldable coffee dripper, and even more food. This bag has already been on the GDMBR trail (from Canada to the Mexican border), Morocco, the Canary Islands, Georgia, and Scotland, among other places.

Only before my last trip did I ask Paweł from Ride and Get Lost to replace the top zipper – the old one was splitting occasionally. Since waterproofness wasn't a priority for me, I chose a zipper with large teeth, much more resistant to the effects of overloading the bag. Although I like gadgets and have had the opportunity to replace bags, I don't plan to. I like items that have a history and that I've experienced, and this bag doesn't look like it'll fall apart in my lifetime.

Text and photos Adam Wilkoszarski

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