Cramming your Topeak bikepacking bags [Review]

What do you do when you have a few days off and you like to go on long bike rides? That’s right, you go cycling. That’s also my plan when September turns out to have two beautiful summer days in store. A set of Topeak bikepacking bags has been lying on my desk for a while now. So it’s about time I gave them a little test. I plan a 3-day trip to and through the Eifel, starting in Nijmegen.

I want to make sure I don’t bring too little with me. So I mount one of each model from the Topeak set onto my bicycle. That way I’ll certainly have enough space.

It’s better to carry a rain jacket with you that you don’t use, than to end up soaking wet just after a few kilometres in that one unexpected rain shower.

A huge saddle bag: Topeak BackLoader

The Topeak BackLoader is the most striking bikepacking bag of this set. It’s actually just a saddle bag, but one that’s very, very washed-up.

It’s available in 3 different sizes. The smallest contains about 6 litres, a size medium about 10 litres and in a size large you can store a good 15 litres. For comparison, in most ordinary saddle bags you get a volume of about 0.5 litres… Since I’m only planning on going on a short trip, I decided to go with the medium (10 litres).

It’s very simple to attach the Topeak BackLoader. It works exactly the same as mounting a normal saddle bag: a velcro strap around the seat tube and two loops through the saddle rails. Extra convenient is the elastic bungee on top of the bag, ideal to secure extra luggage. In my case, an extra bottle of water.

Topeak MidLoader for assembly on your top tube

The Topeak MidLoader is available in 3 and 4.5 litres. In height there is no difference between the two, but the bigger version is about 9 centimetres longer. It depends on your bicycle frame which variant fits best. The small one is 37.5 centimetres long, the large is 46 centimetres long.

I chose the 3 litre variant for my Giant Defy. In retrospect, the 4.5 litre bag might have been a better fit in terms of looks. In any case, I still had enough room for the larger bag. However, in terms of storage room I didn’t need the extra 1.5 litres.

A MidLoader is also easy and quick to attach. Once it’s attached, it feels very firm.

Everything at hand with the Topeak TopLoader

The Topeak TopLoader seems like a handy bag to store my wallet, a power bank and a few energy bars. This bag is available in one size only.

The assembly is simple, yet in combination with the Topeak MidLoader I had to muddle along a bit with the position of the buckles. Luckily, the Topeak TopLoader has several loops so you can always secure it with two buckles.

Topeak FrontLoader

I also got the Topeak FrontLoader. But while packing it soon turned out I would not need it. And to bring an empty bikepacking bag with me is a bit too much. Nevertheless, the FrontLoader is slightly more suitable for a mountain bike with a straight handlebar.

And when I attach the bag to my road bike at home, it turns out it fits well on my road bike handlebar too. It fits exactly in between the drops. The included spacer blocks ensure that the cables do not get stuck. And if a waterproof bag of 8 litres isn’t enough, you can secure more stuff to the Topeak FrontLeader using the extra straps. It offers plenty of space for a sleeping bag or extra clothes.

Just like the BackLoader, the FrontLoader has a nice waterproof bag you can hang onto the Loader. Throw your stuff in it and press the bag together with the valve. This way you fully deflate the bag. That’s perfect if you’re someone like me, who likes to efficiently stuff their things.

Pack your bags!

After mounting the backpacking bags, I first check if everything I wanted to pack in the TopLoader would fit in it. A large power bank - with which my Garmin can last for four days, with navigation on - is on the bottom.

On top of that, I can fit a few energy bars, my wallet, a multi tool and 2 inner tyres. And in a bit of extra unused space I can nicely fit a small bottle of sun protection. It may be late summer, but my half British skin cannot handle a full day in the sun…

In my opinion, the separate rain cover is inconvenient. I’d rather choose a waterproof bag. However, the TopLoader is splash-proof, so it can easily handle a little rain shower.

Stuff your items with the BackLoader

It’s a lot of fun to pack your BackLoader. The waterproof inner bag has the same valve system as the FrontLoader, so it feels like you’re stuffing it endlessly. Put some clothes in, press together, open up again, add more clothes, and so forth. Since I’m just going on a short trip, it’s very little effort to pack a set of casual clothes and two sets of cycling clothes.

Rolling up the bag and making it airtight goes quickly. Even a normal pair of shoes - that I almost forgot - fits well in the bag. After rolling the inner bag it appears that there’s even some space left in the BackLoader. And I haven’t even used the biggest size of the BackLoader models.

I put the airtight and waterproof bag in the BackLoader first, followed by a rain jacket that’s also windproof. This way I should be able to quickly get to my rain jacket without even opening the inner bag. I think that’s very practical.

And then I can still use the elastic bungee on top of the bag, so I secure a water bottle of 1.5 litres. I expected it to feel a bit unstable, but since you can firmly tighten the BackLoader it barely yields.

The MidLoader as a toolbox

I already managed to put all the important things such as medicine, USB cables and chargers, and my clothes in the BackLoader. So that leaves the MidLoader still unpacked. I can fit a few inner tubes and other tools in there. It appears I even have space left so I decide to add the inner tubes and multi tool that were packed in the TopLoader.

In the TopLoader there is plenty of space for my phone and a few extra energy bars. I always start my rides in the morning when it’s still cold, so along the way I need some space to store my arm and leg warmers too. So I leave a bit of space in the MidLoader to be able to quickly put away a few things.

What I’m a bit worried about is the space under the MidLoader. Even though I have small bottles, they only fit with a bit of cramming under the MidLoader. So that’s something you have to take into account when you have a sloping or endurance frame like my Giant Defy. If you have a bike one size smaller than mine (M / 54 cm), your bottles most likely won’t fit under the MidLoader.

In practice

To pack your bikepacking bags is one thing, to cycle with them is another thing entirely. I am particularly curious if everything feels just as stable when cycling. At half past 6 in the morning I depart for the first day of cycling: 196 kilometres to Bad Münstereifel.

And honestly, I barely notice I am that packed on my bike. I don’t feel the MidLoader and TopLoader at all. I do feel the BackLoader rocking a bit when I have to slalom my way around a busy German market.

The whole day I have a very strong headwind, but that has no noticeable effect on the bags. I don’t feel like it’s very bulky or anti-aerodynamic. I have my energy bars, my wallet and my phone close at hand in the TopLoader. That way I don’t have to look in the fully loaded back pockets of my cycling shirt while riding.

My rain jacket comes in handy during my first short break. Not because of the rain luckily, but to not let the wind cool me down too much. I have enough bars with me so I don’t have to go to the supermarket on the first day. Which is nice. During my ride I only had to stop twice at a gas station to get extra water. Ideal!

Crumple zone and schnitzels

Once I arrive at my hotel I unpack everything as fast as I packed it. And before I know it, I am sitting on a terrace, fresh as a daisy, with a Weissen and a large German schnitzel.

The only downside I can think of, is that my shirt and my trousers have become one big crumple zone because of all the stuffing in the BackLoader. It might look a bit shabby for my fellow German terrace visitors… But personally I don’t care too much about that. After dinner I go back to the hotel to fall asleep like a log.

I wake up again at 5 o’clock in the morning and I immediately feel like packing everything for day 2. Quickly checking the weather… And it turns out the weather isn’t as nice for the planned third day. As a result, I decide to return back home in 1 day.

After a quick breakfast - in a room full of memorabilia, gold records and awards of hit singer Heino (true story) - I can pack everything for the return journey.

The only downside

I can quickly pack my stuff and within 10 minutes everything is back in place. Even hotel soaps and other goodies like chocolate still fit in perfectly. Just need to pull the straps firmly and I am ready to go. And then things take a slight turn for the worse.

In my enthusiasm I rip a part of the plastic locking clip with which the BackLoader is hanging under the saddle. Luckily, there is also an extra clip on the bag to secure the strap. I can easily fix it and secure everything before I leave for the return trip. So it is quite possible to tighten it firmly, but don’t overdo it.

Instead of a 3-day trip I have to do everything in 2 days. So today is not going to be a day of relaxing in the Eifel, but I’ve got another long day of cycling to go. I add a bit of extra water to my BackLoader and I’m good to go.

Limburg’s gravel

To test the bikepacking bags even more I planned a route through South Limburg with a number of gravel roads and other unpaved paths. It already starts with the gravel climb from Germany to the tripoint of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The rest of the planned gravel roads are all holes and potholes. Luckily, all the bags stay in place. The straps don’t give in. And the BackLoader, which is heavily loaded with a full 1.5 litre water bottle, also remains nicely stable.

Before I know it, I’m back in Venlo. After a whole day of cycling uphill and downhill I feel tired enough to go the easy way and take the train to Nijmegen for the last leg of the journey. And then it feels pretty satisfying to sit down and relax after 375 kilometres of pedalling in just 2 days.

On to the next bikepacking trip!

And what about the bikepacking bags? They are definitely a keeper for future bike trips. I’m only going to replace the small MidLoader with the big one. Not so much for extra space, but that way the space is used optimally. It immediately looks a lot neater.

The zippers of all bikepacking bags do well and feel very solid, just like the material of the bags itself. A very light rain shower on the last day did not harm any of the bags.

The TopLoader is small but perfect and suitable for things you often need. The MidLoader is the ideal storage for spare materials and a few extra energy bars. And the BackLoader is my favourite. I feel like you can put in an endless amount of things if you keep cramming. And the elastic bungee on top is very useful to secure an extra water bottle or maybe even a sleeping bag in case you go camping.

I left the FrontLoader at home, but it felt really nice and solid when I assembled the bag for a little test. Thanks to the expansion options at the front, you can also store a sleeping bag or light tent. So plenty of possibilities to go out well-packed on a road or mountain bike.