Look, if you’re rocking a Tailfin bikepacking system on your steed, there’s a good chance you bikepack “fast” or “ultra”. Like, you need your bikepacking gear minimal and strapped high and tight on your bike. Well, recently, Tailfin teased us with some work they’ve been doing in their R&D Kitchen that’s for the bikepackers out there who aren’t in a hurry to get to where they’re going.
Now, this is a one-off, prototype bag setup. And as of right now, it will not be going into production. So try not to get too excited.
Slowing Things Down…
Tailfin is best known for making bikepacking gear lighter, faster, and generally more aero than your average sleeping bag. So it’s kinda cool that its latest project is about slowing down, bringing a fishing rod, and not being in any hurry.
The project came out of Tailfin’s “R&D Kitchen,” a couple-times-a-year side gig for Tailfin’s prototyping department. The workshop sits next to the kitchen at HQ, so therefore “R&D Kitchen”.
The department’s day job is building prototypes for the R&D Division, which is the brand’s group of ultra athletes. The Kitchen projects have no commercial target. They’re about experimenting and having fun.
For this one, the team skipped the usual “lighter and faster” goal. Instead, they asked what they’d actually want to take on a trip built around the stops rather than the distance. Their answer was extra time and extra luxuries.
For the Love of Waxed Canvas…
The bags are the star here, as they should be. Product team member Theo designed a front bag designed around holding a film camera, complete with a pocket for a real paper map “for the romance of it.” So far, I love this…
Molly turned one pannier into an insulated cool bag for cold beers and a refrigerated picnic. What? She also made a separate bag for a small espresso maker. This is turning out to be spectacular…
Soft Goods Prototyper Callum redesigned the frame bag with flip-top closures instead of zips. And it’s split vertically rather than horizontally, with access at the front so you can dig around in it while riding.
1960s Japanese Touring!
The inspiration came from Callum’s research into 1960s Japanese touring photos, which led back to the French constructeurs, who built bikes, racks, and bags as one integrated system. Japanese builders refined the idea over the following decades. “The bags aren’t an afterthought,” Callum said. The result is a British take on that tradition.
But what about the bike? The bags are built around the new Singular Peregrine Mk5, a lugged steel bike from Sam Alison’s Singular Cycles. Alison launched the Peregrine in 2008, and it was arguably a gravel bike before the category had a name.
Tailfin made its own versions of two touring classics for it: low front panniers and a randonneur handlebar bag. Both use British waxed canvas that weathers naturally, plus the same mounting hardware and stability engineering as Tailfin’s race gear. Bristol tailor David Darby Minns, a friend of the team, supplied fabric samples and vintage tailoring inspiration.
This bike and bag system hits me right in the feels so hard. The color, the aesthetics, the fenders… I am a sucker for a good-lookin’ randoneurring rig. But sadly, it’s not a product that’s in development. Boo!!!
However, the light at the end of the tunnel is that Tailfin expects ideas from the project to inform future work. So, hopefully we will see some more waxed canvas.
Where to See It?
- Kendal Mountain Festival, 19–22 November 2026, Kendal, UK.
- Velofollies, 22–24 January 2027, Kortrijk Xpo, Belgium
Hit the link below for Tailfin products that are in production and ready to go.
