I’ve been looking into solutions for good bikepacking bags that I can use to attach to our bikes for our longer rides to help us carry equipment so we can stop relying on backpacks and killing our shoulders. Recently, my local friend here in Nagoya (Japan) bought a Restrap saddle bag and was telling me how good it was, so I decided to pull the trigger and purchase one for myself.

They come in two main sizes, 8 liters and 14 liters. The main difference being with the dry bag itself. We ended up going with the 14 liter option, so we would have more room in case we needed it.

One interesting thing to note about this saddle bag is that it is actually split into two parts. The dry bag (above) and the holster which attaches to the seat post and saddle (below).

Installing the Restrap Saddle Bag

Installation is quite simple. There are two main contact points which are very easy to attach. Two Velcro straps which go around the seat post, and two clips for each side of the saddle railings. Once the harness is attached, you just need to slide in your dry bag. Actually, if you wanted to, you could fit in other bags into the holster as well.

And voila, as you can see our new Restrap saddle bag is looking quite good with my black specialized Allez. I’ve done a few test rides with this saddle bag so far, and it’s been doing an awesome job and it seems to be very durable (can’t forget about waterproof as well!)

How to purchase

The bags currently cost about $110-$130, and you can purchase directly, through Amazon, or through a local distributor.

Restrap Homepage: https://restrap.co.uk/

Amazon Links: Amazon US /// Amazon Japan