No longer the preserve of fashionable gravelleurs, the humble bar bag has in many ways usurped the best saddle bags in recent years. You can fit more in them, they're easier to access and are a better way to add a splash of colour to your bike. They come in many guises nowadays, but the barrel shape is usually the most popular. Depending on the size you can usually fit in all your spares like a multi-tool, mini pump, tyre levers, plus an extra layer and some snacks. There's a slight aero penalty over a saddlebag, but in my eyes, the added utility is worth it.
In this guide, I've kept it to the smaller day-ride style options, rather than the giant ones you'd find in our guide to the best bikepacking bags guide. While there is a huge array of options on the market, the differences between a really good option and an average one aren't enormous, a bit like with the best cycling socks, so you can very easily just pick an option that suits your style. The key factors to consider for me are the construction, the mounting, capacity, and aesthetics.
The best bar bags you can buy today
+ Extremely well made
+ Voilé strap attachment
- Side pockets not elasticated
Simple, effective, extremely well made, and coming in two sizes. The Lil' Presto from London-based Wizard Works is my pick of the bunch. There's an array of colours to choose from, the zip is great, and it's stood up to a load of abuse (the one photographed is a fresh one, for reference). What makes it stand out is the details; the stiffener is really sturdy so it holds its shape when empty, the lining is a bright, high visibility yellow so you can find small things inside more easily, and the attachment system uses the brilliant Voilé nano straps, which trump anything else for security and longevity. With foam spacers and two attachment points on the bag, you can mount it easily to avoid your cables. My only gripe is the side pockets, into which I tend to secrete empty wrappers, which aren't elasticated. On the flip side, there's no elastic to wear out.
+ Smaller form
+ Decent straps
- No stiffener
While the Lil' Presto comes in a smaller offering, if you're after a smaller barrel bag then the Resrap Canister is my pick. Its 1.5-litre capacity is perfect for all the basics, a light snack and a windbreaker or a pair of gloves. It doesn't have a stiffener, so when it's empty it can look a little flaccid, but given it is small it's relatively easy to fill. There are also elasticated side pockets (great for wrappers), and a light bracket on the front, though this is best kept for small 'be seen' clip-on lights. The straps are decent too; no Velcro here! I'd rather the straps weren't stitched to the bag, to allow for adjustment left and right, but that's a minor detail.
+ Waterproof
+ Somewhat aero
- Velcro straps only work with round bars
While the majority of the bar bags in this guide will happily shrug off an extended shower, the Racing Handlebar Pack from Apidura is properly waterproof. It's got a rolltop, which is better than a zip at keeping water at bay, and a welded construction so there are no vulnerable seams. It's also not a barrel shape, though this doesn't have anything to do with its waterproof capabilities. If you've got a reasonably long stem it looks to be slightly more aero than a barrel option. There's a loop for a light, and it's stiffened nicely so holds its shape. While the straps are padded, both the closure and the attachment straps are Velcro though, which will wear out over time if you're taking it on and off a lot.
+ Easy Access
+ Camera padding insert
- Lid closure relies on stem notch
If you're like me then taking a proper camera out riding is a regular occurrence. Outer Shell does have a history of facilitating this, and its camera strap featured in my Gear of the Year for 2023. Its Drawcord bar bag is ideal if you want to store your camera on-bike, rather than on-body. There's even an optional camera padding insert, to better protect your camera, and the lid opens forwards so you can access the contents while riding with ease. The downside is that the lid closure relies on an elastic loop that hooks around the back of the stem, so if your stem doesn't have a little notch between the bolts it may not be the most secure - this can be fixed with a zip tie though.
+ Large capacity
+ Map pocket
- Mounting hardware sold separately
If you want to pack more than just snacks and tools then the Paloma from Swift Industries is for you. It requires some additional mounting hardware, sold separately, but what you get is the form of a traditional rando bag but without the need for a front rack. The shape is boxy, well stiffened with decently sized external pockets for further portage, along with a large map sleeve within the lid for your map/brevet card/patches/bike computer. It's perfect for light touring to pop all your valuables, as it can be easily removed if you park up at a cafe. For UK readers you can try the Carradice Keswick, which I have also used myself for touring, though it has a heavier construction the basic form is very similar.
+ Solves many bar bag issues
+ Modular design
- Relatively expensive
The Handlebar Bag from Route Werks is a brilliant, modular bar bag that successfully solves many of the issues of running a bar bag. Want to run an out-front mount, but it interferes with your bag? This one has a mount on the hard plastic lid for your computer. Bar bag gets in the way of your light? You can add light mounting points to the bag itself, freeing up handlebar space in the process. Don't need the bar bag and want to run an out-front mount again? There's an out-front mount you can swap into the mounting system for days you don't need the bag. It's on the expensive side, but it's well made, well thought out, and with a bit of internal padding another excellent option for photographers.
+ Big size
+ Elastic cord for stuffing
+ Straps aren't great
If you struggle to pack light then you're in the right place. The Tubular Barbag from Topeak is the biggest barrel on test. As well as a capacious 3.8-litre capacity, there are two exterior pockets, and an elastic cord weave around the base into which a jacket can be stuffed. The inside also features a foam divider to help you organise whatever you've decided needs packing. Including a clear protective strip for your frame is a good touch too, given that I've taken the paint off my headtube before from a too-tight bag. My main criticism is the straps; while they are removable, and so replaceable if they wear out, they are Velcro. My advice would be to swap them for some Voilé nano straps to make the most of the large size, especially if you're carrying heavier loads.
+ Integrated shoulder strap
+ Different to the usual shape
- Velcro straps
I'm always here for multi-purpose bike tech, whether it's waterproof jackets that you can also use while hiking, or bar bags that come with a shoulder strap so you can use them day to day when you're not riding. I don't think there are many bags out there that would work just as well riding to a festival as they would within a festival. The Rapha Explore Bar Bag is decently sized, and while the Velcro straps aren't my favourite, it's well made and does the job it needs to do well in a visual package that's a little different from the norm of 'a cylinder'. There's no internal stiffener, but like with the Restrap bag its small size means it's usually full enough to hold its shape anyway.
+ Hangs below outfront accessories
+ Slightly padded
- A little floppy
The Holman Handlebar Bag from Chrome actually looks smaller than its 3-litre capacity. It has no stiffener, so tends to collapse a little into itself when not filled, but it is slightly padded, which makes it great for slinging in a compact camera, though it's definitely not as easy to access as the Outer Shell option. Another good piece of design is the attachment points, which are on the top of the bag rather than the rear panel, so the bag hangs down from the bars rather than protruding out from them, and so is less likely to interfere with any out-front accessories you might have. Perhaps not overly relevant to an audience of road cyclists, it would fit extremely well inside some BMX bars...
How to choose the best bar bag
I'm not going to stand here and tell you a bar bag is of more consequence as a purchase than a set of tyres for example, but that doesn't mean there aren't some things to be aware of. Be sure to check out the below FAQs to make sure you make the best choice.
How big should a bar bag be?
To fulfil its main function of carrying snacks, tools, spares and layers the bag needs to be 1.5 litres. Any smaller than that and you'll struggle, and you may as well just use a saddlebag. That's why the Restrap bag is the smallest on this list.
At the other end of the spectrum, for general use, you don't really want to go over 3.5 litres or it gets cumbersome. If you're doing light touring then going bigger with something like the Swift Paloma makes a bit more sense, but for day-to-day riding that'd be more bag than you'd realistically need.
How should a bar bag attach?
In an ideal world, in my view at least, all bar bags would attach using Voilé Straps. These are slightly stretchy, extremely durable, and if they get damaged (they won't), then they can be easily replaced. Failing that, any removable buckle-based system is still excellent.
Velcro is my least favourite option. While it's extremely convenient, it can clog when muddy and will eventually wear out.
Will my bar bag get in the way of my bike computer?
Most bar bags will sit happily beneath an out-front computer mount, but if you run a short stem they're more likely to get in the way. If you sling a light beneath the out-front mount then that will have to relocate elsewhere - the Route Werks bag solves both of these issues brilliantly.
Are bar bags waterproof?
Most are water resistant, enough to shrug off a heavy shower, but few are truly waterproof. If you're out in the rain for a while be sure to protect any electronics, and your extra layers too so they aren't sopping when the time comes to pull them on.
Will a bar bag fit on all handlebars?
Most bar bags will have straps long enough to attach around even the deepest aero handlebars. The difficulty will come if you're running extremely narrow bars, where the width of the bag may exceed the width of the drops. If it's a tight fit and you're running electronic shifting then that's possibly ok, as long as it isn't fouling on the brake levers, but if you have mechanical shifting you also need to account for the throw of the shifters.
How do we test bar bags?
Build quality, straps, how they carry their load, capacity, waterproofness and aesthetics are all rated to determine whether a bag makes it into this guide, as well as things like ease of mounting. Layers stuffed in, taken out, zips yanked on in a rush, snacks squashed in after a dash into a petrol station forecourt; all part of the testing process.
