Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack

The Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack is dependable, impressively waterproof and with a large capacity for adventure cycling, bikepacking and day-to-day riding duties. It's solid and stable on the bike, and its bright orange colour helps you to stay visible. It's competitively priced too, and a final advantage is that it helps to keep your backside cleaner on grimy roads, if you're not using mudguards.

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I found it an absolute breeze to attach the Oxford bag to my gravel bike. As with most similar bags, there's a strap that passes through the saddle rails and clips in either side…

…and two big Velcro straps go around the seatpost, before cinching down tight.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - seta post straps 2.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Once you've loaded the bag, you can roll up the loose section in a similar manner to a dry bag, before securing it down with a clip either side. It's a neat mounting solution that means the bag doesn't flop around even if the bag isn't filled.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - strap.jpg (credit: road.cc)

I found the bag's capacity sufficient for tools, tubes, a coat and a couple of meals with room to spare.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - seat post straps 1.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Its 10-litre capacity means you could comfortably keep all your clothing in here for an overnight trip, along with some extras like food.

And if you need more storage, external elasticated netting means you can carry extras such as sliders for an evening out.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - bungees.jpg (credit: road.cc)

The bag proved pleasingly stable too, which I haven't found to be the case with all the bags I've used. And even without taping underneath the bag there was no paint rub. I think this is because of the softness of the material under the large Velcro straps. That said, do make sure you install a clean bag on to a clean bike, as any dirt trapped could lead to paint damage, which is the last thing you want.

I also found that the bag held its shape well even if it wasn't filled to its limit. This is crucial, as it means it doesn't collapse around the seatpost, where your legs would catch it on every revolution of the pedals, something else you don't want...

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - from back.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Oxford has used a super-light 400D Ripstop TPU for the bag's construction, and it's impressively waterproof as a result. Its IPX6 rating means it'll withstand water ingress even from powerful jets from any direction. I found that the contents of the bag stayed dry even after it had received a total soaking, which makes it ideal for carrying a change of clothing.

I did find that when I was getting my weight back in the saddle for more technical descents, the inside of my thighs did catch it, but that's not unique to this bag.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - from front.jpg (credit: road.cc)

A more general issue is mounting a rear light. As this bag puts the seatpost out of the equation, I mounted my light to the cut-out section at the top of the bag. It worked, but was a bit of a faff and took a little longer than expected. Larger cut-outs would have helped with this.

Another potential issue – and something that is also true with most similar bags – is that if you have a smaller frame there may be issues with rear wheel clearance, which is certainly worth checking before buying.

2024 Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack - straps 2.jpg (credit: road.cc)

The only area where I see potential issues further down the line is with how the straps are stitched to the bag. This is not something that you can swap out but during testing I ran into no issues whatsoever, but it does feel like the cheapest area of the bag's construction.

Value

Speaking of cheap, this bag is a well-priced option. With a £54.99 RRP it's not a total bargain, but its price still undercuts most of the competition.

Restrap offers its 14-litre Saddle Bag Holster for a much pricier £120, though its straps and construction offer lots of reassurance.

The Acid Saddle Bag Pro 63 comes in at £59.99, and has added features like a one-way vent to allow you to vacuum pack the contents, but it has a lower volume and a smaller seatpost strap.

The £67.99 Zefal Z Adventure R11 has an 11-litre capacity and dealt well with the rain, but again it doesn't have the thickness of the Oxford's seatpost strapping.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a bag to get into bikepacking, adventure riding or just want added luggage capacity for day-to-day riding and want something to cope with harsh conditions, this is a very good call. It's well priced, impressively waterproof and its bright orange fabric adds visibility. It's hard to know how it'll fare as the years pass, but it's held up well so far.

Verdict

An impressive bag for bikepacking and more – stable, solid, waterproof, easy to use and all at a very good price