As gravel riding and self supported endurance races are gaining in popularity, so are the needs for bike packing necessities. North St. Bags of Portland, OR is meeting the demand with North St. Pioneer 9 Hip Pack (from $69.99), to outfit your dusty excursion riding needs.
What I Liked
So Many Possibilities
Uses for this bag are endless – it’s a fanny pack, coffee stop purse, and stash and stow bag. I’ve stuffed the bag with a variety of accompaniments such as a multi tool, small first aid kit, mobile phone, spare water bottle, rain jacket, wallet, and food.
Capability
Inside the main compartment are two pockets which I’ve used to securely hold money and ID. I also store the adjustable “purse strap” in the zipper compartment when not in use. The front pocket can hold a bike tube or a *gasp* foldable paper map (yes, paper maps are still a thing). I also liked that the bag is made with North St. Bag’s durable waterproof X-Pac™ sailcloth.
North St. is just an Amazing Brand
Curtis Williams, North St.’s founder and owner, is the sole designer of all the bags. Since he’s also an avid cyclist, it’s safe to assume he knows that cyclists need high-quality bike bags that are functional and durable. He also prides himself on offering his entire workforce—four stitchers, one cutter, one fulfillment and hardware assembler (who also does all North St.’s customer service and retail support), and one sales and marketing coordinator—a livable wage.
Keep in mind this all takes place in Portland, OR, not exactly known for being a cheap place to live. This team of eight Portlanders average around thirty bags and fifteen upgrades (pockets, straps, etc) per day that they sell direct and through specialty outdoor gear and bicycle shops. And the month of October just happens to be their tenth birthday month!
Lifetime Guarantee
All North St. bags are built tough for long wearability and come with a lifetime guarantee. Click the link for a run down of all the durable fabrics North St. employs in its bags.
What I didn’t Like
Velcro smelcro. Again with the velcro mechanism that secures the bag to the bike. The velcro straps that wrap around the handlebars are short, which lead to much pulling around bike cables so that it would fit on the handlebars, which I didn’t like at all.
Final Thoughts
When your bike packing excursion presents the opportunity to pedal off the road and into single track, the North St. Pioneer 9 Hip Pack is a vital cog in the bike packing gear set-up.
