Built with the long haul in mind, the 10-litre Big Bar Bag gulps up everything you’d want on a tour, and it’s feature-packed: there’s an outside front pocket with a waterproof zip, two side mesh pouches, a reflective strip, LED tab and inner zipped pocket. A cover neatly Velcros over the mounting point for off-the-bike excursions, with a stash pocket for the strap when you’re riding.
The aluminium mounting system is tough and secure though fiddly to fit (shims are provided for different widths). Zips are chunky and run almost completely round the bag for easy access, with both a small waterproof map case and a larger see-through map flap. Build quality is high, with a tough polyethylene shell and aluminium rods – the lining is removable so you can add more padding too.
On the downside, it’s heavy (1,200g) and the Cordura is water resistant rather than waterproof, so you’ll need the optional rain cover.