Restrap Race Frame Bag: Max Capacity, Min Bulk

Do you know what I hate about bikepacking? It's having bags dangling off every part of my bike! A large handlebar roll disrupts handling, saddlebags wag their tail like an excited dog, and don't even get me started on feedbags.

While hate is probably an over-exaggeration, one of the nicest parts of riding your bike after a bikepacking trip is riding without all of the bags attached to it. It's the equivalent to taking off your jacket and tie after a day at the office. However, there's now one bag that I'm more than happy to leave attached to my bike 24/7, and that's the Restrap Race frame bag.

I've been testing this capacious bag for the past six months and haven't felt the need to remove it at all (besides removing it to try it out on a different bike that is).

Restrap's Tested & True Approach

Established in Yorkshire, in the north of England, Restrap are perhaps best known for their comprehensive range of technical bikepacking bags. Producing all of their bags in house, Restrap continually tests their products in the harsh conditions found in the UK so you know you're getting a product that'll stand up to the elements wherever you're riding. Restrap's 'design, build and ride' philosophy means they're able to implement feedback and improve products by constantly retesting and redesigning their products in their own workshop, this is evidenced in many of the features of their products.

Alongside technical bikepacking bags, Restrap offers a small range of accessories, including a cargo style cage, light mount, handlebar bumper bar, water bottles and the new side release bottle cages that were reviewed by Stuart recently.

Set It Up

Installation of the Restrap Race frame bag is about as easy as it comes. There are three large rubberised Velcro tabs that attach over your top tube; these are plenty wide enough to give you confidence that they're not likely to budge. At the front you've two cam-locking straps that have plenty of adjustment to cinch the bag snugly to your down tube and an additional cam-locking strap that attaches to the seat tube. Aim to avoid pinching any cables when cinching the bag tight. If you want further advice on attaching the frame bag, there's a good video on YouTube produced by Restrap.

Built to Last

Like all Restrap products, the Race Frame Bag comes with a reassuringly confident lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. I've filled, refilled, overfilled and soundly used this bag over the last six months and besides the straps looking pretty dirty, the bag is functioning as well as day one.

Handmade in Yorkshire, England, the construction appears flawless and there's no cheap feeling zippers, or thin material to be found. If anything the bag feels tougher than its lightweight 250g status might lead you to believe and it's made with X21 waterproof fabric and a YKK Aquaguard zipper.

There's a few nice features to this bag that you might not notice, or appreciate straightaway, such is the nature of the sleek black design. First up is the full-length Hypalon pocket cover. This waterproof flap shields the zipper from direct contact with rain, keeping water away from this typically high risk area. The Hypalon cover is also intended to direct water away from the pocket if using the bag in the rain - although as mentioned in Restrap instructional video, there are limits to how effective this cover can be if you stretch the pocket as wide open as possible.

Next up, the Hypalon cover also has a small cutout towards the front. At first I thought this was just to aid the zipper usage, but apparently it is intended to provide a seamless spot for a power cable or such if you were wanting to run a cable from a power bank up to your cockpit. On the subject of power cables, there is also a hidden cable slot at the front of the bag for running a tube from a hydration bladder, or a cable from a dynamo setup.

Rounding off our tour of the outer workings of the Race Frame Bag is the highly reflective Restrap logo; another example of a nifty feature quietly going about its business subtly unnoticed.

Heading indoors, I'll begin with the non-driveside. Here you'll find a full length zipper that unveils a narrow document pocket. Designed for bikepacking race essentials like a passport and credit cards, this waterproof pocket will also take care of your phone, keeping it close to hand and away from the much larger driveside pocket.

On to the main event. Boasting a capacity of 4.5 litres, the large version of the Restrap Race Frame Bag feels cavernous. I'll dive into what I've been carrying in the next section, but design-wise it's important to mention the two mesh pockets that line the main compartment and the internal Velcro divider that's central to this storage area.

Sleek, but Cavernous

At the start of this review I mentioned how nice it is to remove bags from your bike after bikepacking and one of the reasons so many bikepacking bags are a bit annoying is because they are external to the bike itself. By that I mean that they are increasing the size of your bike by sticking out from the handlebars, under the down tube, off a rack or behind your saddle. Every bag you add makes your bike longer, or wider, or reduces your riding space. Except, that is, for the frame bag.

Sitting snugly within your main triangle, particularly in the case of the Race Frame Bag which only occupies a fraction of that triangle, frame bags are making use of the dead space below the top tube and above your water bottle cages, meaning the bike retains its original size. This bag hits the sweet spot in adding a very respectable four and a half litres of carrying capacity without getting in the way. Its narrow design also ensures that there's no knee rub - something I've experienced with other bags in the past.

So what exactly can you fit in 4.5L of frame bag? Well I've tried all sorts of combinations and have used the bag to carry everything from rain jackets and gloves, to cheese sandwiches and swimmers. Depending on your setup, you've a strong chance of portaging your entire coffee outside kit, coffee grinder and all. On the odd occasion that I've fallen into the trap of over-stuffing the bag, the zip can struggle to fully close, but that's not really a black mark against the bag, rather a black mark against my own poor packing strategies and greed.

In the last section I touched on the mesh pockets in the main compartment, and these are great for storing your daily ride essentials like tyre levers, plugs, inner tube, and pump. Not only do the pockets keep these items organised, it also stops them from rattling around like a tin can when your bag is empty. I found myself also using the Velcro divider more than I imagined, only occasionally opening it up to use the full length of the compartment to carry a bulkier jacket, or tin of Pringles.

Wrap Up

Six months down the line the Restrap Race Frame Bag is barely showing its age and it only takes a quick hose down after a ride for it to look brand new - its only the cam-locking straps that are holding the dirt and give a hint that the bag isn't fresh out of its packaging. Despite my general dislike for keeping bikepacking bags on board after a trip, both me and my gravel bike are more than happy to keep this one around for the near future - unlike every other bag that continues to be ditched as soon as the campfire goes out.