Muddy Brown's Blog: Alpkit Possum Bike Bag

I have been meaning to do a review on the Alpkit Possum bike bag so here you go. I have never used frame bags before or ridden a bike with panniers / handle bar bags etc fitted. Over the last year or so since buying a Fat Bike i have read more and more stories of riders taking to the wilderness for over nighters and humping all their gear around strapped onto their bike. I like to be at one with nature but not sure if i want to be this up close and personal. Alpkit have expanded their range of bikes bags and tweaked them over time and now have a full range to carry enough gear for an expidition. Me on the other hand just wanted a smallish frame bag where i could store bits n bobs instead of taking a small back pack or all my jersey pockets full to bursting all the time. I didnt want a full frame bag (Alpkit Stingray) as that would be too much storage and i wanted to keep my water bottle cage etc. The Posum looked like the ideal solution with just enough storage space and i could keep the water bottle cage which i swaped to the seat tube and co2 holder which i swaped to the down tube. Talking of the down tube, on the Beargrease it is massive so measured the dia and added it into the notes section of the order just in case the standard velcro straps were not long enough. I check the bag measurements on the website and was looking like a medium bag for the Large Beargrease frame. Once ordered it arrived within 3 working days with five velcro straps inside. I placed it into the main triangle and was a near perfect fit, champion. Feed through the staps on the multi loop system all the way around the bag, top tube no probs - down tube just too short, grrr - phoned them up and mentioned i put a note on the order about dia of down tube - "warehouse staff must have missed it, i will send out two longer replacement straps" champion, they come in rather large carboard box two days later, no probs this time plenty length (see photo below re length!) trimmed off the excess and ready to go. I can get my pump, pertex, energy bars, camera, money ,phone and keys in - just what i wanted. I have used it on several rides and had no problems what so ever. It does not move around when riding and the packed weight does not alter the bike balance etc. I cannot comment on how waterproof the bag is yet but when i washed the bike a splashed it with the hose and the water just ran straight off the material. The bag is hand made in the UK Alpkit factory and comes in three sizes and loads of different colours. I stuck with plain boring black so didnt look out of place if i fitted onto any of my other bikes. There is a hook on the wide left side of the bag for attaching keys. The right side is for thinner/smaller items ie camera, energy bars. The left side is the wider for pertex, pump, tube etc. Dur to the size of the tubes on the beargrease the bag does not bulge out past them (see photo). Alpkit also offer a custom made design service if you want a bespoke bag which many riders have used.

One thing i did learn is to put the velcro in so the sticky side is not outwards. The straps are that sticky if you catch your lycra leggings etc on them they dont half stick. I pulled my straps back out and turned them around so they dont stick to my clothing but feeding them through tle loop system was alot harder as it kept sticking to the bag. The medium is £50, small is a tenner less and the large is a tenner more - simples.

•Made from durable and highly water resistant VX21

•Water resistant YKK Zips provide long term durability

•Webbing Ladder velcro attachments, secure and prevent stress on the zips

•As a guide the small fits 15”-17” frames, the medium tends to fit 17”-19” frames and the large fits 19”-21” frames. However frames differ immensely, measure the space you have a see what will fit best.

•Small: Weight; 0.17 kg, Length; 42 cm, Width; 6 cm, Height; 10 cm

•Medium: Weight; 0.19 kg, Length; 46 cm, Width; 6 cm, Height; 11 cm

•Large: Weight; 0.21 kg, Length; 51 cm, Width; 6 cm, Height; 13 cm
•Made in our own UK workshop by bikers, climbers and paddlers