Blackburn

Affordable and easy to use, but a couple of strange design choices that have lead me to go back to my 15 year old rusty Topeak multi. First, the case is strange and doesn't quite close as well as it could. Second, there is no included phillips bit. Thirdly, and the biggest offense for me, is the decision to make the 3mm and smaller hex keys ball-end. When I'm on the side of the road making an adjustment, I don't need to be worrying whether or not I'm about to round out the 3mm bolts on my Thomson stem. It's a bizarre design choice and I can't think of any situation where I'd prefer ball-end over straight hex, especially in roadside/emergency situations.

I bought the medium Grid bag. It is a very sturdy and well constructed bag, but slimmer than I expected. Also, if you plan to hang a Garmin Varia off the back light strap, it will sag and aim pretty much down. You really need to be creative to fit much into the bag. I had to get a TPU tube and a smaller multi-tool, rearrange stuff a bit, but now have enough room for 700c TPU tube, multitool(with tubeless plugger), CO2 inflator, tire lever and Tyre Glider tool, and thin rubber gloves and paper towel . Anything more would require the large bag. It really locks into place under the seat. Varia needs to mount on the bike seat tube though, instead of the back of the bag.

I've used the Blackburn Outpost roll and bag on a couple of overnight trips now, about 125 miles. I like the cradle, it's fairly stiff and holds its shape. The velcro strip keeps the bag positioned and I like that it temporarily holds the bag while you get the rest of the straps adjusted. If there is a weak point, I think it is the plastic stand-off / handlebar attachment. It slipped and I had to re-adjust it a couple of times and then re-adjust the under-wire. You definitely need to use the red straps. That said, I did use it on some bumpy dirt roads, and I wouldn't want to have the bag bumping up against my cables. If the stand-off was a little more robust, I would give it five stars.

I installed this on my mountain bike, an older hard-tail, and after some strap swapping it fit better than I had expected. I made a cardboard mock-up using their dimensions so I knew it would be close. I have cables under the top tube and was concerned that they might not work well going through the straps, but it hasn't been a problem. I've put a couple hundred miles on the bike and the frame pack has stayed put and performed well. I like the flexibility to shrink the pack if I want to, but so far it's stayed at the maximum size, and the movable divider really helps keep things organized. I carry an extra water bottle and snacks/lunch in the main pouch, and some things I might want when I first get to camp. It's convenient to get to without having to dismount and retrieve stuff from the panniers. I really haven't had a Blackburn product disappoint !