Ortlieb Frame-Pack RC vs Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L

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

The short answer

The Frame-Pack RC takes capacity, price and value per litre; the Frame-Pack Toptube 3L takes weight. 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

4 of the 4 things we can measure come out differently.

Capacity

1L more in the Frame-Pack RC
Ortlieb Frame-Pack RC
4L
Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
3L

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.

Weight

80g lighter on the Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
Ortlieb Frame-Pack RC
250g
Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
170g

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

$15 between them
Ortlieb Frame-Pack RC
$150
Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
$165

Manufacturer's price as we hold it.

Per litre

$17.50 per litre between them
Ortlieb Frame-Pack RC
$37.50
Ortlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
$55.00

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.

Ortlieb Frame-Pack RCOrtlieb Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
Capacity4L3L
Weight250g170g
Price$150$165
Per litre$37.50$55.00
Ortlieb
Frame-Pack RC
$150 · 250g
Ortlieb
Frame-Pack Toptube 3L
$165 · 170g

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