Saturday, March 31, 2012

Porcelain Rocket Anything Cage bag review

I love the concept of bikepacking, the idea of using different types of bags, like a frame bag, a seat bag, a handlebar bag and so on. And believe or not, they are versatile and not only for bikepacking adventures. They work for commuting and grocery shopping too.

Over a year ago when I planned my fatbike project, my clear choice for the front fork was the Salsa Enabler, because it has three back-of-fork-leg water bottle mounts for Salsa Anything Cages. They hold lightweight, roundish objects such as insulated Nalgene bottle holders, small drybags, sleeping pads and shelters. With smaller drybags one can pack small things and carry them conventionally with the Anything Cage. Many of the lightweight drybags are not very sturdy, and you have to use the Anything Cage straps to attach them to the cage. Something better would be nice.

Revelate Designs has been the most known bikepacking bag maker so far, but there are others. One of them is Porcelain Rocket, runned by a brilliant man called Scott Felter. Now, Revelate doesn't do custom bags anymore, but Porcelain does. Look at the Flickr page of Porcelain Rocket - Scott's work is truly magnificent!

Now Scott makes absolutely sweet bags for Anything Cage. I ordered a pair of them, in custom red/black color to match my 9:Zero:7.

Hover your mouse over the photos for more info!









The bag weights in at 117g, so it's lightweight. The construction is sturdy, and it sits perfectly in the Anything Cage. It's really fast and easy to attach to the cage, thanks to the double-back attachment wings.

The maximum capacity for the bag is 4L. All of the stuff in the photo below packed nicely in there!



Versatility? Of course, a Helly Hansen shell jacket in there, on my Friday commute:



So, if you need a perfect bag for your Anything Cage, or any other bag too, look for Porcelain Rocket. Thanks again Scott for my bags, keep up the great work!