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review

Brooks Scape Seat Bag

8
£120.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Top quality seat pack with great waterproofing and attention to detail, though you're paying a premium price
Dry bag offers decent waterproofing
Hardwearing materials
High quality finish
Small pack size for the money
Weight: 
556g

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The Brooks Scape Seat Bag, from its latest bike luggage range, is a beautiful bit of kit. Top quality materials have been used to not only make sure it looks the part, but also that it is functional, durable and waterproof. For the money it's not the biggest pack out there, though.

Seat packs like this tend to come in two styles: a large bag that straps to your seatpost and saddle rails, or, like the Scape, a holster that fits to the bike which you then use to carry a dry bag.

> Find your nearest dealer here

This holster style allows you to remove the bag without having to keep faffing with clips and straps to attach it to your saddle and seatpost, making it ideal if you want to take your stuff with you into a shop or café while leaving your bike parked up outside.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - without bag.jpg

For stability the Scape uses two Velcro straps around the seatpost and a clamp system attached to nylon webbing which wraps around the holster and the saddle rails. When loaded there is a small amount of sway, but on the whole it's a very sturdy setup.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - from back.jpg

The holster material is hugely tough and hardwearing. It's been battered by the elements and covered in mud with no ill effects. If the front section that sits near the seatpost gets full of water there is a drainage hole in place to get rid of it – a nice touch.

The top panel has various loops, a daisy chain, which allows plenty of adjustment when using the strap that secures the dry bag, and also means you can add various bags from Brooks' line-up.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - top clip.jpg

On that strap there are also two loops to attach a rear light. Most bags like this will cover your entire seatpost length so that's very important.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - Light fitted 1.JPG

The dry bag is constructed from 420D nylon with fully welded seams, and I found the waterproofing great, both out on the trail and when giving it a shower with the hosepipe out on the drive.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - bag.jpg

Overall capacity is 8 litres, which isn't as big as the likes of Restrap's slightly cheaper offering at 14 litres.

> How to go bikepacking: a beginner’s guide

I could still fit in a lightweight sleeping bag, inflatable sleeping mat and pillow, large titanium mug filled with stove, utensils etc and a gas canister. Various small bits of clothing could be shoved into the little nooks and crannies too.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - bag roll top.jpg

That would leave enough space to roll the end of the dry bag over a couple of times to seal it, with excess air squeezed out through the pressure valve to make the bag as compact as possible.

2021 Brooks Scape Seat Bag - air release vent.jpg

One thing to bear in mind is that the weight limit for the Scape is just 3kg.

The overall quality of the Scape Seat Bag is top notch and that goes a long way to explain the £120 price tag.

> Buyer’s Guide: 23 of the best bikepacking bags

The Restrap I mentioned earlier is slightly cheaper at £109.99 and you are getting an extra 6 litres of storage; Restrap also does an 8-litre version for £104.99.

I recently tested the Zefal Z Adventure R17 seat pack and was very impressed. It doesn't use a holster/dry bag design, it's just a bag you attach to the bike. It has 17 litres of space, though, and costs just £69.99. I managed to get the whole of my sleeping stuff in it, including a one-man tent.

Conclusion

Overall, the Scape Seat Bag is definitely up there with the best when it comes to the quality and I like the attention to detail. The materials are tough, so it'll retain its new look for a long time to come, and you can rely on it to keep your kit dry. It is priced right at the top end, though, and you can get more packing space for less cash if that's what you need.

Verdict

Top quality seat pack with great waterproofing and attention to detail, though you're paying a premium price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Brooks Scape Seat Bag

Size tested: 8 litres

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Brooks says, "Made for Gravel & Bikepacking and Adventure Cycling, the Scape Seatpost Bag is a saddle pack designed as a holster attached to the saddle and seatpost made to hold its own waterproof dry sack."

It's a high quality seat pack that does a great job of keeping out the elements.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Brooks lists:

HOLSTER

Lateral reflective logo

Plastic buckles with cam lock

Aluminium hook to fix the dry bag into the holster

Vertical daisy chain for extra bags attachment

Reinforced fabric at all points of contact to the seat and wheel

Dryhole to drain any water drops or condensation

Nylon webbing

Loop for mounting a rear light

DRY BAG

420D Nylon fully welded

Waterproof

Roll closure

Air pressure valve to minimize the space

Capacity 8 L

W 400-600 x H 180 x D 140 mm

Dry Bag: 620 x 320 mm

Max Load 3 kg

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It'll carry a decent amount of kit and fits securely to the bike when loaded.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great build quality.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Other than the top-end price there is little to dislike.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's £15 more than the equivalent size offering from Restrap, and £10 more than the 14-litre version. It's a lot more than bags like the Zefal I mention in the review, but it's a few quid cheaper than Apidura's highly regarded 9-litre Expedition Saddle Pack.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, if I could find a good deal.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The Scape Seat Bag is very well made out of some top quality materials so it will certainly last the test of time. It has a premium price, though, and other high-end brands offer the same or more storage for less money.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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1 comments

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brooksby | 2 years ago
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So, did the Brooks Scape marketing manager take someone out for a socially distanced pub garden meal...? 

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