Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L vs Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L

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

The short answer

The Racing Saddle Pack 7L takes capacity and weight; the Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L takes how far it reaches back, tire clearance, price and value per litre. 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

2.9L more in the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
7L
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
4.1L

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

15.5cm shorter on the Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
39.5cm
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
24cm

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

6cm shallower on the Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
18cm
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
12cm

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

80g lighter on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
210g
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
290g

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

$133 between them
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
$85

Manufacturer's price as we hold it.

Per litre

$10.41 per litre between them
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$31.14
Ortlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
$20.73

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 Racing Saddle Pack 7LOrtlieb Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
Capacity7L4.1L
Reach behind the saddle39.5cm24cm
Depth18cm12cm
Weight210g290g
Price$218$85
Per litre$31.14$20.73
Apidura
Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218 · 210g

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Ortlieb
Saddle-Bag Two 4.1L
$85 · 290g

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