The Rekki Works DX35 is a dramatic departure from the two previous handlebar-bag systems I recently reviewed. When I introduced both the versatile Tailfin Bar Bag System and San Util Roly Poly, I spoke about how my recent trips often bring my ultra-light backpacking practices into bikepacking. While I am unlikely to set an FKT or win a bikepacking event, I love riding fast and going long. Most of the time, that means packing light and prioritizing comfort on the bike rather than at the campsite.
Although it's becoming frustratingly rare to free my schedule, find dog care, book time off work, and escape for longer trips, I still look forward to each opportunity. It's now been nearly five years since I biked the Careterra Austral in Chile, and I am itching for another long-distance adventure abroad.
Although it works with any front rack, the DX35 is designed around Jack The Bike Rack, which debuted on Kickstarter a few years ago. I supported that Kickstarter campaign but have not used the rack frequently. I've never had the right bag to maximize its potential. I want a front bag that offers easy access to gear throughout the day, however, I didn't enjoy strapping dry bags to the Jack. I'd rather have a versatile system that's efficient enough to store a camera, electronics, snacks, and extra layers, increasing my carrying capacity and providing easy access to gear.
About Rekki Works
Luke Cardew founded Rekki Works and spent three years developing the DX35 to complement his best-known product. He helped pioneer the Jack rack and brought it to market with his business partner, Miles Gibbons. Together, they own WholeGrain Cycles, but Rekki is Luke's initiative.
With this company, Luke's mission is to develop the world's most versatile bikepacking bag, using the highly evolved hiking backpack as his benchmark. Alongside the DX35, which will be the first commercial product, he's also released several DIY tutorials for everything you'd need to make your own bikepacking gear. The DIY MYOG collection is available on the website, with detailed instruction videos on YouTube.
Fits Any Rack & Handlebars
The Rekki Works DX35 is extremely versatile. If your bike has a front rack, it should work. As somebody with too many*… a few* bikes, I was able to put this to the test. Two of my bikes have flat bars—it was no surprise that the bag performed best in this configuration.
On my mountain bike, a 120mm Santa Cruz Blur Trail, the bag and rack did look out of place, however, it's easy to convert any mountain bike into a bikepacking setup. Fortunately, the rack fits with just enough clearance for the suspension. For some riders, it might be necessary to lock out the front suspension for this type of setup—while not ideal, it could work in a pinch.
I can't use the Jack on my specific gravel bike, but it does fit on my wife's. She runs a narrow 38cm handlebar, which we thought might not work given the overall size of the bag, but surprisingly, it did! The bag was just narrow enough to sit inside the cockpit. A single compression strap can be used around the bag—just like a belt—to mold the shape to accommodate the brake levers and shifting. This would be great on a wider set of drop bars, like the Salsa Cowchipper.
Where the bag truly worked best was on a Surly Krampus. Both my wife and I own an original 2014 Surly Krampus, and they've been our dedicated bikepacking bikes for years, especially on international trips. With the Jack installed, the Rekki Works DX35 suits the Krampus's pedal-beyond-borway style. I also experimented with running it on the rear rack of the Krampus, with some success.
The gargantuan storage capacity cannot be denied, but it draws my attention towards the overall concept of the bag. While it was specifically designed for the Jack rack, it's designed to be used with any front rack. The rack has a maximum recommended carrying capacity of 5 kg, which begs the question of whether a 35L bag is simply too big or not when used with racks with such limited carrying capacity. It should be said that the 5kg recommendation is just for the bike's handling. It has nothing to do with the strength of the rack—which undoubtedly holds substantially more. For winter bikepacking, this might be ideal as it can carry lightweight bulky layers and big fluffy sleeping bags.
Design & Construction
When the Rekki Works DX35 arrived, it resembled a backpack. The bag is absolutely massive, and there are a lot of pieces going on. It's made from x-pac and uses a variety of webbing, plastic buckles, zippers and drawstrings to secure gear.
A closer look revealed a well thought-out design that addresses almost every variable. It's certainly well made and feels the part. The stitching is clean, and the black colour pattern benefits from yellow highlights.
The main compartment is a 25L bucket with a drawstring closure. There are two external 2L stash pockets on the sides and daisy-chained webbing front and back to make it easy to attach the bag to the handlebars and rack and to compress it depending on the load. Although it is not too time-consuming to secure on the bike, it seems designed to be installed and left on the bike during a drip. My favourite part of this design is the 100% waterproof, rolltop liner with two large shopping bag-like carrying straps. This keeps everything dry yet makes it easy to pack gear off the bike and simply slide it into the main compartment when gearing up for the day.
More storage is added with a removable 6L lid attached with four buckles and includes three spacious zippered pockets. While not waterproof, it comes with a slick shower cap that sheds water off the entire bag—keeping the top lid completely dry. Since the lid detaches, it's a natural place to carry valuables such as your keys, wallet, and phone, which can be removed quickly to take with you when leaving it locked somewhere.
Two attachment cords make attaching the bag to the handlebars easy, but straps to attach it to a rack are not included. There are countless attachment points, though, so this should be easy and will vary depending on your rack design. A shoulder strap is also included.
Most of the buckles and attachment points are adjustable with clever straps that attach to the bag with a simple girth hitch, making height adjustments easy and allowing pieces to be removed if they're unnecessary so buckles aren't flapping in the wind.
But wait, there's more…
There is more to the DX35; my test bag came with the CLOG, a lightweight gear carrier that helps keep things organized. It's also the perfect solution when packing a pair of sandals or camp shoes when it's essential to keep those dirty soles off your dry camp gear or clothing. Although I didn't receive one, there is a smaller version of the CLOG called the SLIPPER designed to help organize packing. In addition to the CLOG, I received an oversized feedback called the Monster Munch that fits a 1L Nalgene in the main compartment and a massively large external stash pocket.
The complete setup, which includes the main bag, rolltop liner, lid, showercap raincover, and shoulder strap, weighs 800g. The Jack weighs 700g. Combined, it sounds considerable, but keep in mind, this holds up to 35L of gear. For comparison, Tailfin's large diameter handlebar bag weighs 636g plus the mounting hardware of 182g, making it 818g for one-third the volume (12L).
Usage & Performance
I've used the Jack on a few occasions, so I felt comfortable dropping it onto both my Santa Cruz Blur Trail and my Surly Krampu so I didn't waste time packing this setup to the max.
In the rolltop waterproof liner, I packed a puffy jacket, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, camp pillow and a pair of shoes. I then added a 1-person tent to the stash pocket on one side and my rain layers on the opposite and packed plenty of snacks and food in the lid for a couple of days. I secured my 1L Nalgene and gummy bears to the Monster Munch feed bag. With all that, it wasn't close to being full. With a little effort, almost everything could have been compressed more, but I would never want to carry too much weight on my handlebars.
On my full-suspension bike, it was immediately noticeable that I'd given up a lot of performance. The bag is quite tall when packed full, so it blocked my view of the front tire. On a gravel road, this wouldn't be a huge concern. On mountain bike trails, it made it a challenge committing down a trail. If I was going to use it on my mountain bike again, I would pack minimally, leaving the easy-to-remove lid at home and keeping the bag roughly at handlebar level. Alternatively, it could work to pedal into a base camp with lots of gear and take rides from there.
On my Krampus, I immediately discovered the bag's true character. This bag is meant to carry almost too much gear to the ends of the earth—and this is exactly how I've set up my Krampus. The upright geometry and rigid fork helped keep steering responsive even when the bag was loaded. The bag itself is super convenient during long rides. The two stash pockets can hold just about anything. It's an easy place to stash rain layers, down layers, or whatever else is needed close to hand. The zippered pockets on the lid are great, too. In the hidden pocket under the lid, I stashed my keys, wallet, and things I need to keep safe and secure. In the top two pockets, I stacked the pockets with snacks, sunscreen, cords, batteries, and the miscellaneous stuff I find myself reaching for throughout the day. It still blocked my view of the front tire; however, my Krampus rides are usually along forest service roads.
It was fun to discover the lid was big enough to hold a loaf of sourdough without risking damaging it. While it might seem entirely unnecessary, it points to the benefits of this bag. It's big enough to carry supplies for any adventure. It also lets you purchase from that roadside food stand rather than opt for more packable food items that we typically carry on a bikepacking adventure.
The truth is that my wife is celiac. On longer international trips, this has been a challenge when resupply points aren't guaranteed to have gluten-free options. When we biked the Carretera Austral in Chile, we struggled to pack enough food—mainly gluten-free carbs like pasta and cookies—to make it between larger supermarkets. The DX35 would have alleviated this concern. It's the perfect example of what I view as this bag's best feature. It was designed with a hiking backpack in mind. It's a bag that helps its user prepare for the most remote adventures.
In the desert, it's not uncommon to fill a 10L MSR Dromedary from every known water source, which is difficult to pack this much water onto the bike—even if it's only temporary. I'd rather risk an overloaded front bag than dehydration, so this is another place where I'd turn to the DX35 and its capacity.
Conclusion
This is Rekki Work's first product, and it's doing everything possible to achieve the goal of developing the most versatile bikepacking bag. It is truly adaptable, and it fits on almost any bike with a front rack. I am confident nobody will be disappointed ordering one.
While the DX35 won't be my go-to front bag on most adventures, it is a wonderful solution for a variety of uses. In my opinion, it's best suited for flat bar bikes, so mine will see plenty of use on my Krampus and, often enough, my cargo bike. It will also likely be on my handlebars for my next month-long trip abroad.
The bag checks all the boxes for design and quality. While it might invite overpacking with its almost bottomless 35L design, it's easy to compress. On a long haul trip, I would aim to keep it lightly packed, reserving its full potential for those occasions when I want to haul a bag of chips or fresh bread to a nearby campsite. I've never been frustrated by having too much carrying capacity. The trick is just keeping the overall bike weight manageable, not stuffing every bag to capacity before you leave.
Overall, the DX35 works best on a rigid MTB looking to crush gravel roads and long-distance rides rather than on technical mountain bike terrain. It's unusual, progressive and will undoubtedly last a long time.
| ✓ Pros |
|---|
| Endless volume |
| Thoughtful design that increases versatility |
| Quality that feels durable |
| Removable lid design |
| ✕ Cons |
|---|
| Easy to overpack |
| Not overly lightweight |
| Functional but busy design |
