UK gear maker Restrap has been toiling away in their bikepacking bag workshop over the winter, with 6 new products to debut this week. Fresh out of the sewing machines, their popular Top Tube Bag gets a bolt-on update, new Fast Straps grab your tubes, the Hip Pouch returns, Wash Kit Bags keep & Travel Packs keep gear organized on tour, and the City Carry Handle just makes Brompton commuter life easier…
Restrap Bolt-On Top Tube Bag, UK-made bikepacking gear
As more gravel, adventure & bikepacking specific bikes have bikes have adopted the more-or-less standardized placement of a pair of bottle cage spaced bosses on the toptube, there’s more reason to offer direct bolt-on mounted bags. Eliminating straps around the frame means less scratching of your fancy toptube, plus not scraping a strap with your leg as you pedal, and even more secure fit for bikes with either very small or weirdly shaped tubing.
Restrap adapted their standard, waterproof bag with a plastic base & reinforced holes to mount up to your bike, keeping their unique headtube strap that can be adjusted to fit whatever headset/spacer/stem stack your ride has. The bolt-on bag costs £35 / 42€ has 0.8L of space inside and weighs 100g.
Restrap Fast Straps are a simple, secure way to strap everything on
Since they pulled those straps off, they had some extra lying around, right? Restrap actually did repurpose these, more from their saddle bags, though. The simple but tough Hypalon fabric has a nice bit of grippy-ness and they don’t stretch. So paired with a locking buckle, they’re a good way to lash all manner of gear to your bike.
The Fast Straps come in three sizes 25cm, 45cm & 65cm long. Buy them in pairs for £8 / 9.50€, £10 / 12€ or £12 / 14.50€, respectively, or in a mixed set with one of each size for £16 / 19€.
Restrap Hip Pouch, simple belt-mounted bag remastered
The Hip Pouch was one of Restrap’s original bags, back before bikepacking was a glint in our eye. Now the little £23 / 27.50€ pouch is back with a single main pocket, a waterproof zipped inner pocket, and velcro to close it tight. It’s like a mini messenger bag that hangs on your belt to carry your wallet & keys, and now comes in five different color options.
Restrap Wash Kit Bag & Travel Packs
The expandable £25 / 30€ Wash Kit Bag is just a simple, single-pocket waterproof bag to keep your toiletries in one place and nicely separated when you travel. The ends snap down to make it pack down a bit smaller, but also adds an easy way to hang it up on the go. Pick one of five colors for the coated cordura, then stuff it in your carry-on or big saddle pack.
Along the same lines, the £40 / 48€ Travel Packs kit is a way to further organize your gear on the go. Made from the same waterproof nylon with waterproof zips, the small one is gonna get stuffed with little items (probably like the wash kit), the medium bag will contain your smell shoes, and the large bag has room for your clothes.
Restrap should really tell us how big they actually are, but I guess since you get all three in the kit, you can just stuff whatever packs into each. Again available in three colors… or a mix and match set!
Pretty much all of this new gear is made to order in batches for the time being, meaning a roughly two week lead time once you place your order, the fast straps a 7-day lead time.
Restrap City Carry Handle for hauling your Brompton
Besides making bikepacking & travel bags, Restrap also makes some pretty nice camera straps, and more recently a line of packs just for folding bikes. That comes full circle, as the City Carry Handle is a strap for your folder. Using the same Hypalon of the Fast Strap, the £25 / 30€ City Carry Handle secures around the toptube of your Brompton to just make it easier to carry when folded, plus an included shoulder strap can free up your hands.
