Originally Posted by
psycho d
i am about ready to plop some cash down for a nice bar bag, but as always, second thoughts plague me. i ruled out Ortlieb cuz it sounds like a pain to mount. Lone peak sounds ok, but there is only limited info here about them. Arkels sound great, except that they are a bit weighty. That said, i still think the Arkel is my number one choice. i just cannot decide on the size. i am leaning on getting the small bar bag, but i am not yet totally committed. For touring, do most of ya'll think that its size is adequate??? Thanks.
Ashe.
d
I have both the Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Plus Medium Handlebar Bag and the Lone Peak H-100. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.
First, I am surprised that you have found the Ortlieb hard to mount...I find the two are quite different but are equally easy to mount both the fixtures and the bag to the fixture. The quick release on both are quick. Both mounts are bomb proof. The shoulder strap comes with the Ortlieb but is optional on the Alpine.
The main compartment of each is very similar and very easy to access which is a primary requirement for a handlebar bag.
The Ortlieb is probably theoretically more water proof but I have had no problem with the Alpine. The Ortlieb has a flip top with domed fasteners. The Alpine has a two-way zipper. Both are equally easy to access.
The Ortlieb has a zippered internal compartment close to the handlebars; The Alpine has a larger, unzippered one away from the handlebars.
The Ortlieb has no external, non-mesh compartment. The Alpine has a generous, slim forward facing "map" pocket. These two latter points mean that the forward cargo of the Alpine may need to be "managed" to ensure that weight does not get distributed too far away from the steering axis. That is, maybe be careful not to put heavy objects in the forward pouch or compartment.
The Orlieb has ridiculously small, zippered mesh side pockets that are marginally useful. The Alpine has large, full sized, unzippered but elasticized mesh pockets that can each hold gloves, two Hammer nutrition squeeze bottles, snacks, small camera... (Not big enough for full-sized water bottles.) These mesh pockets are major differentiating strengths for the Alpine.
The Orlieb has a fully waterproof map pouch (optional) which separates from the bag and holds several full-size maps in different orientations. It can blow upside down in a following wind but I have been able to put up with this. This map pocket is a major differentiating strength for the Orlieb. The Alpine has a very restrictive map pocket integrated into the lid and which is not fully waterproof.
To summarize, these are two terrific bags. The Ortlieb has the better map pouch and the Alpine has better mesh side pouches.
As a final note, I have considered the Arkels in the past but find that they are just simply too heavy to compete with the above two bags.