Bikepacking bags tend to follow a very narrow design path. Where there were once a few innovators in the space there are now dozens. Most of them make products you could say are more or less all the same. It takes a forward thinker to reinvent the bikepacking bag. And someone just did with the new Aereo BikePack modular system.
New Zealander Pat Maguire made a name for himself with his popular Freeload bike rack system which Thule liked so much they bought it in 2012. It has been a huge success and helped get many riders out on the road. Maguire’s latest system, now on Kickstarter with just a few days remaining in the campaign, will no doubt be just as big a hit as his first product.
The Aeroe BikePack system is a bag and mount kit that allows users to customize the placement of their bags on the bike. The bane of the bikepacker has always been straps and attachment points and the Aeroe kit uses revolutionary twist-lock mounts to quickly affix the bags.
To offer the most flexibility, the kit includes optional fork, frame, seatpost, and handlebar mounts. The BikePack bag is available in three sizes. The smallest is 9-liters. The medium bag is 11-liters and the large 14-liters. Each bag is made of lightweight double-laminate TPU fabric. The 600-denier fabric is waterproof and made to endure the rigors of multi-day epics.
The 7-piece system includes bags starting at just $66 and mounts at $42. Once the mounts are bolted to the bike, the bags clip into their circular docks with a simple twist. It’s like a giant Garmin mount. The bags can be attached in vertical or horizontal positions to help balance the load, provide clearance for feet, or just to slice into the wind more Aeroe-dynamically. In fact, the bags can be mounted at any angle.
One of the most significant benefits of the system for people riding full suspension bikes is the ability to place the load on the un-sprung portions of the frame and fork. Rather than place the bags where the suspension shoulders the load, the Aeroe mounts place the bags on the chainstays and lower fork legs.
There is only one day left in the Kickstarter campaign. The flexible reward system allows backers to customize their own kit. The Aeroe BikePack campaign already doubled its goal and plans to have kits ready for delivery in November.
Check out the Kickstarter campaign to learn more: Aeroe BikePack
