As gravel riding and self supported endurance races are gaining in popularity, so are the needs for bike packing necessities. North St. of Portland, OR is meeting the demand with its North St. Fuel Pouch (from $39.99), to outfit your dusty excursion riding needs.
Of all the North St. bike packing fleet that I have reviewed–the Tool Roll, the Micro Pannier, the Pioneer 9 Hip Pack–the Fuel Pouch is my favorite
What I Liked
Fill ‘er up
When jersey pockets don’t offer enough room, or an item that can’t be trusted to jersey pockets because it would be easily tossed out of a pocket or fall out during a crash (read: keys or a cell phone), the North St. Fuel Pouch provides a great option to store those valuables. Riding with the pouch on my top tube made it convenient when I needed something quickly like gels or my phone to snap a picture.
Tough Love
Like all North St. bags, the Fuel Pouch is weatherproof and made with tough Cordura nylon and reinforced variant X-Pac™ sailcloth. This helps the bags to retain their strength and make them resistant to tears and scuffs.
The Amazingness of North St. Bags
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.
USA-made and Lifetime Guarantee
The North St. Fuel Pouch is slapped with a “Made in USA” tag proudly sewn on the outside of the bag. All North St. Bags are built tough for long wearability and come with a lifetime guarantee.
What I didn’t Like
Velcro
I have a thing about velcro. It can easily become a lint receptacle, with the fuzz ruining the close-ability factor. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get the pouch 100 percent snug against the top tube and stem, which lead to some flopping of the bag throughout the ride.
