When someone says “Apidura,” I think of the little bee logo, grey fabric, and technical bags. Some bag brands pride themselves on offering fun colors, fabrics, and limited-edition drops, but Apidura has taken a steady and consistent—if a bit boring—approach to branding and product design.

Since its founding by Tori Fahey and Pierre Coeffe in 2013, Apidura has expanded its product line to include an impressive assortment of bike bags, backpacks, cargo cages, and other accessories. I can’t think of another reputable bikepacking bag brand that offers as much breadth within their product line. Everything they offer feels on-brand, so when I heard Apidura had plans to launch a front rack bag, I couldn’t help but think, “Really?”

The new Apidura Front Rack Pack is one of the most technical front rack bags we’ve seen, which is right in line with Apidura’s image, but it’s also totally off-brand at the same time. Considering Apidura has never released a bag designed around front or rear racks before, I was a little surprised to hear it was one of their next product launches.

Technical Rack Bags

The Front Rack Pack is part of Apidura’s Expedition range. Every product in the series is waterproof, thanks to a seam-welded construction, and durable enough to handle the rigours of bikepacking. As the name suggests, the Rack Pack is a strap-on bag designed for front racks. According to Apidura, the Rack Pack exists to accommodate the evolution of how cyclists carry their gear while also increasing their carrying capacity.

At first glance, the Rack Pack doesn’t look too dissimilar to the Rockgeist Meanwhile Basket Bag. Like many basket bags, it uses a simple and easy-to-access roll-top closure with side release buckles, and the rectangular base is reinforced with an HDPE frame to give the bag structure. It’s offered in two sizes (20L and 30L) and attaches to a rack of your choice using three webbing straps: two from front to back and one from side to side, which secure to the sides of the bag.

A few details set the Rack Pack apart from other, less technical bags in the category. Starting from the top, the roll-top closure features an integrated magnetic closure that serves as a seal when packing. Once rolled closed, a compression panel made from ultrastretch mesh wraps around the front of the bag and secures to the back using an aluminum G-hook buckle. Both the 20L and 30L versions have small, stretchy side pockets on either side, and the 30L model has two additional rider-facing pockets on the backside. The interior is finished with high-visibility yellow liner fabric, and a zippered pocket and internal sleeves help keep small items organized.

Like the rest of the Expedition series, the Front Rack Pack is made from a PFA and PFC-free tri-laminate fabric that is waterproof and weldable. The base of the bag is reinforced with a nylon patch to handle the extra abrasion it sees, and silicone strips help prevent slippage against the rack surface. The front, side, and back panels are made from Hexalon, Apidura’s proprietary take on Hypalon. Both sizes feature two lashing points on the front for attaching a front light or other accessories. The 20L and 30L bags weigh 740 grams and 900 grams, respectively, which is a touch less than the 20L OuterShell Rack Bag.

Sizing, Fit, and Function

Determining whether the Front Rack Pack will work with your setup ultimately depends on the dimensions of your rack’s platform. According to Apidura, any rack narrower than 6″ (16cm) won’t work with either size, and a rack narrower than 8″ (20cm) won’t work with the 30L “large” version. It’s not an exhaustive list, but the following compatibility chart should help you determine which racks are compatible and which are not.

For the Rack Pack to work properly, it’s best to use a rack with a platfrom close to or equal to the size of the bag. Unfortunately, some of the most popular minimal racks, such as the OMM Divide and Elkhorn and the Tumbleweed T-Rack and Pannier Rack, aren’t wide enough to support the bag. As someone with a lot of racks in my procession, I was a little disappointed to learn that only two of my racks would work: Jack the Rack and the Hudski Itzarack.

The installation is self-explanatory, with the two webbing straps running along the length of the rack and a third across the width. It only takes a few seconds to loop the straps under the rack platform and cinch into place. However, on both racks, I found that wasn’t enough to keep the bag from sliding from side to side. To limit the amount of movement, I ended up looping the side straps around both sides of the rack to create more tension. This works, but it’s not a very clean solution. It would have been better if Apidura included daisy chain points on the base of the bag for additional attachment points. Of course, I’m sure some racks will work better than others, depending on the dimensions and locations of the rack struts/tubes.

I used the smaller of the two bags on a recent bike to hike trip into the alpine, packing it with my runners and some extra gear. The movement was less noticeable loaded up, but I think the attachment system could use some additional work. I figured maybe using the bags with a Wald basket would help, but the smaller bag is too large for the Wald 137. The larger Wald 139 basket is big enough to fit both Apidura bags, but because they weren’t designed with baskets in mind, the fit isn’t perfect.

Some things I like are the magnetic roll-top closure and the ultrastretch compression panel that loops from front to back. I probably wouldn’t trust heavy items to stay put, but it’s a fine place to stash an extra layer or jacket. I appreciate how lightweight Apidura made the bags without sacrificing the internal structure and some organization. The upper part of the body is lightweight and supple, making it easy to roll tight. Once the magnetic closure snaps together, it’s easy to press down on the roll-top and force out any extra air inside.

I didn’t find the stretchy exterior pockets very useful, considering their size, but I suppose you could stuff a tiny multi-tool or garbage inside without it ejecting. I can’t speak to the bag’s long-term durability, but Apidura’s warranty covers defects in material and craftsmanship for the reasonable lifetime of their products. If your product fails due to a manufacturing defect, they will repair or replace it.

• Capacity: 20L / 30L
• Material: PFA and PFC-free tri-laminate
• Weight: 740g (20L) / 900g (30L)
• Place of Manufacture: China
• Price: $251 (20L) / $269 (30L)
• Manufacturer’s Details: Apidura.com

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...