Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack vs Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L

Two seat packs, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.

The short answer

The Backcountry Saddle Pack takes price; the Racing Saddle Pack 7L takes capacity, how far it reaches back, tire clearance, weight and value per litre. The biggest single gap is 2.5L more in the Racing Saddle Pack 7L. Which of those you care about depends on the frame you are fitting it to.

Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them. Every figure is a published measurement or computed from one — nobody here has used either one.

Where they differ

6 of the 6 things we can measure come out differently.

Capacity

2.5L more in the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
4.5L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
7L

The maker's own figure. Worth reading alongside the dimensions below rather than on its own — two bags of the same litreage can want very different frames.

Reach behind the saddle

8.5cm shorter on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
48cm
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
39.5cm

Length is the lever arm on the seatpost, and the longer lever is what makes a loaded pack sway. Shorter is easier to live with; longer usually means more volume. It is a trade, not a fault.

Depth

2cm shallower on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
20cm
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
18cm

Depth is what competes with the rear tire once the pack sags under load. On a small frame or a big tire this is the measurement that decides it.

Weight

25g lighter on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
235g
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
210g

Empty weight as published. Worth holding against capacity rather than alone — the lighter bag is not the better one if it carries a third less.

Price

$23 between them
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
$195
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218

Manufacturer's price as we hold it.

Per litre

$12.19 per litre between them
Apidura Backcountry Saddle Pack
$43.33
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$31.14

Price divided by the maker's capacity. A crude measure that still catches the case where the dearer bag is also the bigger one, which the price alone hides.

Side by side

Including the rows where they are level.

Apidura Backcountry Saddle PackApidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Capacity4.5L7L
Reach behind the saddle48cm39.5cm
Depth20cm18cm
Weight235g210g
Price$195$218
Per litre$43.33$31.14
Apidura
Backcountry Saddle Pack
$195 · 235g

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Apidura
Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218 · 210g

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