Osprey Makes Bikepacking Baggage Now and We Took Them for a Spin

Osprey has ventured into the world of bikepacking baggage and Amy received her palms on a few of the Escapist vary to take for a spin.

Osprey and I’ve one thing in widespread – we lately thought we’d check out one thing new. I made a decision to go bikepacking and Osprey determined to make bikepacking baggage. Heyyyy, that’s a helpful coincidence! 

We out right here

Osprey has a brand new bikepacking vary, AKA the Escapist vary, and so they despatched me over a couple of of the baggage to take for a spin. I received my sweaty palms on the Escapist High Tube Bag, Escapist Handlebar Bag, in addition to the Escapist 20 backpack.

As I stated, I’ve not bikepacked earlier than (and I’m unsure I might say I’ve but). What I’d deliberate to be my first in a single day bikepacking journey became an extended day journey as a substitute, as 5 mates and I rode by 70km of savannah woodland alongside the Darwin to Adelaide River Rail Path. So though I didn’t pack all my tenting gear, I nonetheless wanted sufficient storage to get me by a extremely popular and distant day of using. 

Learn extra: What I Realized on My First In a single day Bikepacking Journey

To be sincere, the variety of baggage I had for the journey was overkill (particularly once I noticed how little gear the professionals I used to be using with introduced alongside). However all of them fulfilled a function for me on the day. 

The crew!

Regardless of biking in over 30-degree temps, I wore the Escapist 20 backpack, during which I packed little greater than my 3L water bladder for accessible hydration. 

The High Tube Bag held my telephone (simply) and vitally my lip balm, whereas wrapped up within the Handlebar Bag have been all my snacks, a spare set of garments, swimmers (there was a pool on the finish), and my digicam. Look, I might’ve gone lighter nevertheless it was barely greater than what I’d pack for a day hike. 

Right here was my first impression of every bag!

Received the traditional biking shot

Escapist High Tube Bag

This nifty little bag is sturdy, well-made, and appears fairly water resistant. The massive loop zipper is tremendous helpful for when your palms are gloved up, and with three straps, it’s totally safe. As soon as it’s in your bike, it’s not going wherever. It didn’t get in my manner whereas using in any respect.

My principal gripe is that it’s just a bit too small. Look, I’m in all probability not utilizing it for precisely what it was supposed. However once I can’t simply slip my telephone into probably the most accessible bag on the bike, it’s a little bit of a purple flag. Certain I might add a telephone holder to my handlebars and pop the telephone in there. However I do know myself, and if there’s a display about, I’m it. So I wish to have it tucked away, accessible, however out of sight.

Sadly, the angle of the High Tube Bag begins to chop away just some centimetres too quickly, which implies the underside nook of my telephone is continually making an attempt to bust out of the zip, as soon as I’ve spent a number of minutes wrangling it in there.

Three factors of contact always!

My second gripe is with the velcro straps. The hook and loop materials the straps are made of labor fantastically, but when the mushy anti-scratch facet of the strap is meant to be positioned on the within, as is pictured in product photos, and the rougher hook facet of the strap is to face outward, we’ve received a little bit of an issue. Each time I leaned the bike towards me whereas taking a break, the tough strap caught on my bike shorts and I’d have to drag them aside, leaving the shorts materials pilled and broken.

Noticing my frustration, a pal turned the straps across the reverse manner so the tough facet touched the bike body as a substitute, however I don’t imagine that is the supposed use.

Escapist Handlebar Bag

As with different Osprey merchandise I’ve owned (and reviewed), the sheer variety of straps on the Handlebar Bag gave me anxiousness. To be sincere, I nonetheless haven’t fairly figured all of them out.

The bag is available in two items. An outer shell that secures to the handlebar utilizing two sturdy and inflexible mounting factors, and an inside roll bag that’s waterproof and is packable from each ends. The shell has further straps that wrap across the backside of the shell, by loops on the bag, and that buckle collectively on the high. These might be tightened to safe the bag and shell collectively. I discovered this arrange nice for accessing the bag with out having to detach it from the body, though it’s important to be considerably explicit about the way you pack the bag to verify the form suits nicely into the shell.

Shiny and smooth

The outer shell additionally has a number of loops, some on the high for attaching lights and different equipment, and a few on the backside for attaching two further looping straps. That is the place my confusion kicked in. The straps are fairly completely different to the others on the high. They’re thinner with quick-release clasps, nevertheless the place and the way they connect to the body isn’t clear.

I ended up attaching them to the top tube, one above and under the highest tube, though I’m but to seek out data or photos confirming this positioning on the Osprey web site. One of many straps solely has simply sufficient size to make it round and thru the clasp. They appear to make the positioning of the shell safer, nevertheless I really feel like this might’ve been simplified and streamlined.

All of the gear and a few concept by this stage

Escapist 20 Backpack

Regardless of my first assumptions, the Escapist 20 Backpack has turned out to be my favorite bag within the vary thus far. Certain, a backpack is often the final piece of biking baggage you need to add to your arsenal, nevertheless it truthfully annoyed me lower than the opposite two baggage. Maybe that is the blessing and curse of coming to bikepacking as a hiker – a bag on the again doesn’t hassle me however the others are overseas to me. 

For a 20L bag, it’s stuffed with methods. A high-vis waterproof cowl is tucked right into a backside pocket, there’s an outer pocket for slipping a water bladder into, a Lidlock helmet system, zippered waist-strap pockets, and mesh water bottle holders on both sides. 

Blue can also be helpful for standing out on the highway!

Regardless of using within the sizzling and humid situations of the High Finish, having a bag on my again didn’t hassle me as a lot as I believed. I put this right down to it having an extremely safe match that basically locks onto the physique, with simply sufficient airflow because of the Airscape function on the again. 

It’s a toss up as to what’s extra conducive to using – together with elongated pockets on the waist strap or leaving it as a thinner strap to scale back the quantity of fabric in touch with the physique to stop warmth construct up. I’m but to place the backpack to its full potential and make use of the entire pockets, however I think if you happen to want sufficient storage to warrant the backpack, you’ll be thankful for the extra pockets.

It’d double nicely as a day hike pack!

Remaining Ideas on the Osprey Escapist Vary

Total the baggage I’ve tried out from the Escapist vary are nicely made and of top quality. They really feel like they’ll final a rattling very long time and have a smooth design throughout the vary.

I believe a couple of of the ultimate particulars might’ve been tweaked to permit for a extra seamless use of the baggage. And extra data out there from Osprey on precisely find out how to mount them to the bike wouldn’t go astray!

I’m excited to maintain utilizing them for day rides and ultimately my first in a single day bikepacking journey. I’ll report again on them once more as soon as I do!