Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L vs Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L

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 how far it reaches back and weight; the Seat-Pack QR 7.5L takes capacity, 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

0.5L more in the Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
7L
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
7.5L

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

2.5cm shorter on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
39.5cm
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
42cm

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 Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
18cm
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
16cm

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

280g lighter on the Racing Saddle Pack 7L
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
210g
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
490g

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

$48 between them
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
$170

Manufacturer's price as we hold it.

Per litre

$8.47 per litre between them
Apidura Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$31.14
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
$22.67

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 Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
Capacity7L7.5L
Reach behind the saddle39.5cm42cm
Depth18cm16cm
Weight210g490g
Price$218$170
Per litre$31.14$22.67
Apidura
Racing Saddle Pack 7L
$218 · 210g
Ortlieb
Seat-Pack QR 7.5L
$170 · 490g

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