Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 13L vs Salsa EXP Seatpack

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

The short answer

The Seat-Pack QR 13L takes how far it reaches back; the EXP Seatpack takes weight, 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

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

Reach behind the saddle

2cm shorter on the Seat-Pack QR 13L
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 13L
48cm
Salsa EXP Seatpack
50cm

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.

Weight

225g lighter on the EXP Seatpack
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 13L
625g
Salsa EXP Seatpack
400g

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

$75 between them
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 13L
$215
Salsa EXP Seatpack
$140

Manufacturer's price as we hold it.

Per litre

$5.77 per litre between them
Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR 13L
$16.54
Salsa EXP Seatpack
$10.77

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 Seat-Pack QR 13LSalsa EXP Seatpack
Capacity13L13L
Reach behind the saddle48cm50cm
Depth22cm22cm
Weight625g400g
Price$215$140
Per litre$16.54$10.77
Ortlieb
Seat-Pack QR 13L
$215 · 625g
Salsa
EXP Seatpack
$140 · 400g

Other comparisons with these two