Other than our legs, the real heavy lifting on our Japanese bikepacking adventure was done by North St.’s bags, with the rear cargo held by Old Man Mountain’s Divide pannier rack.
We specifically chose this pairing because the then-new North St. Adventure Pannier bags were specifically designed to fit that rack. And their Roll-Top Trunk Bag perfectly fits on top, too. They’re designed to work well on any standard pannier rack system, too, but both brands were on board to support this trip, so we put them to the test. Here’s what we used…
Both Lauf Uthald road bikes were equipped with:
- Adventure Macro Pannier (21L, two per bike) – $140 ea.
- Roll-Top Trunk Bag – $120
- Fuel Pouch – $45
- Handlebar Pack – $95
- Tool Roll – $30
- Old Man Mountain Divide Rack – $168
- Robert Axle Project 12mm thru-axle fit kit – $68
Total to outfit each bike as shown is $806. All pieces come with all necessary mounting hardware, straps, etc.
The rack comes with bolts and everything to mount to any bike with standard threaded rack mounts, but we needed the appropriate fit kits to strap them to the seatstays and attach to a specific Robert Axle Project thru axle with extended mounting tabs. This setup is ideal because it increases the load capacity from 55lbs to 70lbs, and Old Man Mountain’s website has a comprehensive “Fit Kit Finder” that gets you the right axle for any bike made, guaranteed.
RAP & OMM are sister companies, so all parts are 100% cross-compatible and the Divide rack is made to fit perfectly on their axle supports. The rack works front or rear, and they make thru axle fit kits for both forks and frames. It’s a solid rack, and I highly recommend it as it’ll fit virtually any bike out there – road, gravel, mountain, fat, whatever. OK, on to the bags…
North St. Pannier & Trunk Bags
North St.’s Adventure Panniers come in two sizes – Micro (14L) and Macro (21L). I always opt for the larger because I always overpack. But also, it’s good to have room for stuff you pick up along the way…like food. Also, the 21L’s capacity is measured when fully open – it only has 15L capacity when fully rolled shut. Go big, trust me.
The bags attach to the racks with Velcro straps on the top and a hooked strap on the bottom that loops through the rack and clips back onto the bag. This allows for a wider range of adjustment, but does take a few extra seconds to finagle through the slots on the rack. Once installed, it’s rock solid.
Notice those trunk bags sagging and shifting a bit? That’s because we didn’t install the included plastic sleeves that create structure and support. And that’s because we didn’t read the instructions. So, entirely our fault. Once home, I installed them and the bags sit much more upright and self assured. Definitely do that.
I mostly love these bags, and I’ll explain why below. But first, there are two things I wish it had. First, none of these have a rear light clip, which is a major oversight IMO.
We were able to clip our taillights to the roll-top’s closure strap, but depending on how tightly it was twisted (and in which direction), the light could either jiggle around or be aimed askew. It took work to get it aimed straight back, which is particularly important if you’re using a radar-equipped light like Trek’s excellent Car Back.
Second, there are no reflective elements on it. Great for stealth missions in the woods, but not great for riding on the road. Some of the tunnels we rode through were pitch black…we had lights (obvi), but reflective thread or panels are great, cheap insurance.
Not having them isn’t a dealbreaker for these otherwise excellent bags, but I’d recommend adding your own reflective elements.
SIDE NOTE: North St.’s commuter-oriented packs DO have these features. Founder Curtis says they weren’t in high demand for bikepacking users as much, but they may be offering it in the future, either as a standard feature or option.
The bags come in anywhere from 5 to 11 colors on the outside, letting you mix or match. Inside is bright yellow, making it easier to find stuff. The outside material is “waterproof” sailcloth, which we found to be mostly waterproof. We rode through a few rainy days, some rainier than others, and the material did “wet out” a little in spots, to the point where it looked like it was soaked. That said, the seams aren’t taped or sealed, and North St. only claims that they are “highly water resistant.”
Inside, everything remained dry, so unless you’re always riding in the rain, it works. The zippers are waterproof, too, and if I wanted total repellency, I could easily wax them. The material is tough, with nary a scratch even with us leaning and dropping our bikes on all manner of surfaces.
We split our loads between the panniers, putting sleeping gear and half of the Sea to Summit Telos Bikepacking TR2 tent on one side…
…and clothing on the other. The external zippered pockets are great for a microfiber travel towel, snacks, compact bike lock, or other things you want easy access to without digging around. (GoreWear and Huckberry supported our trip with gear, click those links for the reviews)
The clothing shown above left room for extra stuff we picked up along the way, which gradually replaced the OSMO recovery & hydration drink mixes we consumed along the way.
The Roll-Top Trunk Bag held all this, including:
- First aid kit
- Charging plugs & wires
- 10,000mAh battery pack
- Chamois Butt’r
- Hydration bladder with filter
- Instant coffee
- Fire starter kit
- Mattress pad patch kits
- Baby wipes & toilet paper
- Extra straps, zip ties & baggies
- Small trowel w/ homemade cardboard sleeve
- Bike pump
Plus any bulky snacks we picked up on the way, including a bottle of Sake. Having a little extra room in these was key as we’d often have to pick up food for dinner, then ride to our campsite and eat there. We burned a LOT of calories.
North St. Handlebar Pack
Most handlebar bags are rolls. Perfect for burritos, but a bit small for major multi-day outings. North St.’s Handlebar Pack is more lunch-box sized, with a convenient zippered pocket on the front and two small, open mesh pockets on the back that are great for gels, lip balm, etc.
The loop on the zippers makes them easy to find, grab, and open/close while riding. It also has D-ring loops, so you can add a strap to turn it into a cross bag, bum bag, hip pack, fanny pack, murse, purse, or whatever other variation you prefer.
It comes with two VOLLE straps for mounting it to your bar, with multiple loops on the back of the bag so you can position them between your bar tape and around any accessories you have mounted.
SIDE NOTES: We opted for a K-Edge Boost Stem Mount computer mount and bar-mounted light. As much as I love K-Edge’s out-front combo mounts, I didn’t want anything sticking out over the bag and hindering access to it while riding. This position for the computer worked great, but we had to remove the computer to access the Granite Design Stash RCX tool hidden in the steerer.
The Handlebar Pack was most impacted by riding in the rain and was the only one that felt slightly damp inside after hours of wet riding, but still not soaked. Even so…
…I intentionally packed this one using Ziplock baggies for organization with the bonus idea that it would protect things from moisture. But mostly it was to keep small parts from jostling around and getting lost.
I kept spare AXS batteries (including a spare CR2032 for the shifters), bike lights, a headlamp, tubes, brake pads, hand sanitizer, electrical tape, and various action camera mounts in here. I mostly rode with the Insta360 action cam on a handle stick shoved into my jersey or bib pockets for quick access.
I brought the spare brake pads just in case the extra weight and extremely mountainous terrain burned through the stock pads quickly. Ended up not needing them, but it’s good insurance.
North St. Fuel Pouch
My son rode with his Fuel Pouch top-tube bag on the front, behind the stem, in its natural habitat. I needed something a bit bigger up front for additional action camera stuff, so I moved mine to the back and attached it around the seat tube. Both positions worked great, so you could double them up if you just carry a lot of small stuff but want to compartmentalize.
I kept my readers and lip balm in mine, and there was room to cram a few small snacks in there, too. It lacks the extra loop on the zipper, which sometimes meant a few extra seconds to find and grab it, particularly with full finger gloves on, so I may add one.
North St. Tool Roll
Tucked under my seat was their Tool Roll, which held Clever’s latest Flat Out tire lever combo tool, Anchor Stack tire plugger kit, and chainbreaker tool, plus extra plugs and a Presta-to-Schrader adapter. I brought three spare quick links, and two small things of wax chain lube.
All of this was a snug fit, I maaaaybe could have wrapped it small enough with a road bike tube in it and still strapped it around my saddle rails, but for this trip I kept the tubes in the handlebar bag.
Despite the diminutive size (or my propensity to overpack), I really like this bag. It held solid, something not every single-strap saddle bag does, and also works great as a basic small tool roll for organizing your stuff inside a hydration pack.
Fun fact, in case you’re wondering, North St. is “North Street”, not “North State” (they’re based in Portland, OR, so I was curious).
The bags performed flawlessly throughout our trip. I had to mount my panniers as far backward as possible to avoid kicking them with my heel. But otherwise, they all fit on the bike perfectly and remained rock solid even over rough gravel backroads and chunky descents. Which is saying something considering they’re mounted to a performance all-road bike like the Lauf Úthald, which was never designed with bikepacking in mind.
The bags are reasonably light, quite tough, and well-designed. They’re capable without being complicated, focusing on added space over added features. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re in the market for something with more room than a frame bag but still ready for adventure.
