Birzman Packman Saddle Pack (with waterproof carrier) review

Birzman’s Packman range is designed for bikepacking and attaches to various parts of the bike. These can be mixed and matched to cater to your individual needs. The Birzman Packman Saddle Pack pictured here features a waterproof roll-top bag, that offers sturdy and fully waterproof storage. It fared impressively on our bikepacking testing but is it a worthy consideration when compared to the best bikepacking seat packs?

Birzman Packman Saddle Pack – Technical details

At the heart of the sturdy design is a carrier that bolts directly to your seat rails. It’s worth mentioning that this setup isn’t recommended if you run a dropper post. The rack clamps to the seat rails with four bolts, which causes some faff but results in a sturdy fixing point for the carrier bag to slide over. There are two straps to fix the front of the carrier bag to the seat post. With the carrier fitted, the roll-top bag can be slid in and cinched up using the adjustable orange straps.

> Buy now: Birzman Packman Saddle Pack (with waterproof carrier) from ProBikeKit for £64.49

The carrier is made from 420D/600D fabric which is water repellent and abrasion resistant while the roll top bag is made from 250D tarpaulin which is IPX5 waterproof.

Birzman_Saddlepack_1.jpeg, by Ty Rutherford

The waterproof roll-top bag has a maximum volume of 8 litres but can be rolled down smaller and cinched securely into the carrier when less space is required. The bag also allows this set-up to be easily mobile. At the end of a long day in the saddle simply release one buckle and the bag can be pulled out and taken with you – a nice feature when fatigue has set in.

Birzman Packman Saddle Pack – Performance

Testing the Birzman Packman Saddle Pack was carried out on a Badger Divide trip savouring the best and worst weather Scotland had to offer. After four days on the road, the pros and cons of this set-up really started to show. I can report the carrier stayed sturdy and was impressively quiet even on some rough gravel roads, although having the bag on the fuller side did help to secure it better.

The roll-top bag remained waterproof all day fending off some heavy rain and a lot of puddles. The only gripe was that the bag got covered in mud from the rear tyre, which is just one of the realities of riding in the northern hemisphere. Birzman recommends a weight limit of 2.3kg. Put to the test, the bag housed everything from dry clothes, toiletries, food and a stove, all of which did little to affect the structural integrity of the set-up.

The durability of the kit was impressive – particularly given the soggy and gritty nature of the conditions. After a good clean the material looks new and shows no sign of wear.

Birzman Packman Saddle Pack – Verdict

At £90 the Birzman Packman Saddle Pack is not cheap but considering the performance and durability mean the price is not unreasonable. The Wildcat Tiger Drover Saddle Harness is a similar option coming in at £72 and was highly praised by Matt over on our sister site, road.cc. Coming in at £65 is the Topeak Backloader 10L seat pack (also tested by road.cc) – though this is a one-piece bag rather than detachable. 

The Birzman Packman Saddle Pack (with waterproof carrier) is an excellent option for carrying gear out back, and the roll-top bag allows flexible and waterproof storage. The rail is a little fiddly to fit and without a mudguard, the seat pack gets covered in dirt but this is a reliable option among the best bikepacking seat packs.

Check out the Birzman Travel series here.

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