Hey guys, I need a new bar bag in a bad way and I'm wondering what folks are using out there.
I've had two banjo bros, and now a lone peak, and I'm still not happy. Currently I'm looking at the Ortlieb, and maybe a topeak cause it looks pretty solid.
I'd like to spend no more than a 100 bucks if possible.
Any thoughts?
Mark

What didn't you like about the Lone Peak? Just wondering as I'm bonding with mine pretty well. Only had it a couple of months though

It would be helpful to know what about your existing bags you're unhappy with. Mounting system? Water-proofiness? Security?

I use an ortlieb bar bag with camera insert for my DSLR camera. Works great, and is waterproof.

The only downside is the mounting system. If you leave it on the bike all the time, it's fine. Bag mounts and dismounts easily. But if I want to pack the bike for flying or bussing, and have to remove the mounting system, which is difficult to get off, and the coating on the cable often strips off and the whole cable has to be replaced. Very annoying.

I travel with the mounting plate in place and have never had any problem. It is a fit and forget item.
My bag is Carradice with Rixen and Kaul mount. Not as waterproof as Ortleib but still very practical.

+1
However, I have often loosened the mount to get at my stem bolts to position my handlebars during packing. This is not a problem. To protect the cable on Ortlieb handlebar bag mounts do not tighten the retaining bolts too tight (just snug). It does not take much pressure to have enough friction to hold the mount securely. The cable does not need to be mashed. I have removed mine several times when switching between bikes, and still have the original cable (about 5 years old). I am really sold on Ortlieb products.

Ortlieb bar bags are waterproof as are their panniers. This is a medium Classic. My camera goes in the orange case.




Wayne, at The Touring Store has the Classic $102 right now. He provides excellent service and is great to do business with. If you decide on Ortlieb, I'd also recommend getting the map case. It is very handy, and waterproof.

https://www.thetouringstore.com/index.htm

Arkel Handal bar bag. I have the regular size. They make a bigger one. As much as I like the bag i really like the mounts. The setup is bomb proof. Heavier then most but a great bag. I have 2 sets of mounts so I can move it between bikes. https://arkel.ca

I like the room/capacity and multi pockets of the lone peak. But it's terrible in the rain. In a steady rain after 90 minutes of riding I had puddles in each compartment.
The banjo bros was nice in terms of waterproofness, but only had one compartment and I could not get that thing to stop moving down everytime I'd hit a bump. Even with the wire.
I was wondering about the Ortlieb or Arkel or Topeak. The Ortlieb being the most interesting.
I'm used to the permanent mounts, and thats not a problem for me.

A little OT, but please tell me that that picture was taken before you left for a tour. The idea that someone can keep things that organized sickens me a little.
By day three, my handlbar bag can start to look like a junk drawer, where everything that you want at the moment is at the bottom. I seriously never make fun of my girlfriends purses anymore, no matter how much crap they stuff in it. About the only thing I can really keep at the top is a spoon, cause I stop for ice cream every chance I get.

And sorry I have nothing to offer to the OP, been useing a nashbar bag for five years, it smells like an old 85 pontiac interior no matter how much I soak it in baking soda, have had to make reinforcments for it, and its starting to fall apart, but I actualy like it. Its had a hard life, thrown onto trains, dropped in rivers, and savaged by raccoons, and made to carry really heavy things I have found on the side of the road(like a 15" cresent wrench, a 15 pound come along, and once a puppy.

I really like my Jandd Handlebar Pack II. I was a little skeptical when I bought it but it is completely solid and easy to remove and transfer to another bike. However, it probably won't work with a 31.8 stem. The bag collapses flat for travel and has plenty of useable pockets. The rain cover also has a clear window so you can still see your map. I really didn't care for my Ortlieb bag at all and like this much better.

Do most handlebar bags use standard mounting brackets, or at least brackets that are well-established and produced for many years?

One thing that I've really appreciated about my Ortlieb handlebar bag is that they've been using the same bracket for at least the past six or so years (perhaps longer.. I'm just basing that on when I bought mine), and even though they've updated the bags they sell, they've stuck with the same bracket.

This has been great for me because it seems every other year or so I add a new bike to my collection, and I've really appreciated how easy it is to get a bracket that works just fine with my existing bag -- I now have them on five different bikes.

Eventually my bag will either wear out or I'll find some update so tempting that I'll buy a new one, and it means a lot to me that I can buy another Ortlieb and still use those same brackets.

Check out the Acorn handlebar bags. I like them because they have pockets on the back that face toward you, so you can easily access gear like a camera, food, etc. They also attach to handlebars without special mounts and sit lower than many bags. The main problem is that Acorn has very limited production and it is difficult ordering one.

+1 on the Jannd

+1 on everything Doug64 said. I have a the same bag and it is absolutely waterproof. Even on entire day of drenching rain. I was wet and miserable but my camera and everything else in the bag was completely dry.

By the way, Doug64's bag is very messy compared to mine I only carry an SLR camera, some camera equipment and a phone in mine.

I like the KlickFix and Ortlieb bag mounts, better than what Jandd uses

KF sells their hardware to other bag makers , Berthoud and Carradice both use them .

they can also be purchased to adapt a different, say thrift store find bag.

And I can mount an Ortlieb bag on a KF bar bag mount.

Rixen and Kaul do a mount which is easier to remove and refit. Might be worth investigating.

Andrew