![\"PB](\"https:\/\/www.meritgear.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PB-765x1024.jpg\" "\\"Popcorn")
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![\"bag4\"](\"https:\/\/www.meritgear.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/elementor\/thumbs\/bag4-pdj2dbmk4czkul6ikbufv0t3rz2arhiko12fwv6w74.jpg\" "\\"bag4\\"")
<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re going to bikepack, then you\u2019ll need some luggage. Once upon a time, your options were somewhat limited but over the years they\u2019ve steadily grown and now they\u2019re at a point where they feel almost infinite. While you might choose to festoon your bike with a full set of matching custom luggage, you might also choose to use a rucksack or just put all your gear in a co-op carrier bag and hang it from your handlebars. However you decide to approach the task of carrying kit, you will probably find that over time you\u2019ll develop your own likes and dislikes when it comes luggage and packing. <\/p>\n
My own pet dislike (hate\u2019s probably a bit strong) is multiple small capacity bags placed on all and every available tube, bar and bracket. I think it makes a bike appear cluttered and as though packed after a winning streak on the WI tombola but aesthetics aside, I also think that three one litre bags probably weigh more than a single three litre bag does. Multiple small bags have a greater potential to rub paint off and the straps can interfere with one another making the bags more prone to move or wobble and lastly, three smaller bags will often cost more than twice what a single larger one will.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to agree with any of that but if you did find yourself nodding in agreement, then you might be interested in Custom Merit Gear\u2019s \u2018Popcorn bags\u2019. The Popcorn bags are a similar shape to the boxes that popcorn is generally served in, which unsurprisingly accounts for the name. Although primarily designed as a bar mounted \u2018feed bag\u2019, there\u2019s no reason why they can\u2019t be mounted somewhere else. With a capacity of two litres, they\u2019re noticeably more spacious than most bags intended for the purpose, yet they don\u2019t appear to invoke any additional knee \/ bag interference than something with less capacity.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re attached to the bike by way of hook and loop straps (3 included) and there\u2019s a total of twenty one different daisy-chain loops on the outside of each bag, so you should have little problem getting it sited exactly where you want it. Inside, you\u2019ll find a removable \u2018free-floating\u2019 divider; it\u2019s held at the base via an adjustable shockcord which can also be secured to the fork crown should you want to adopt a belt and braces approach to attachment. The divider acts as a baffle and prevents the contents from moving when only partially full but doesn\u2019t dictate what you can put inside or where you can put it. The divider can also be turned allowing the inside to be separated either across its length or width.<\/p>\n
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The contents are accessed by what at first appears to be a simple flap but the way it\u2019s sewn means that it folds in on itself when closed producing a good barrier to whatever\u2019s happening outside. A Fidlock magnetic clasp keeps the lid securely in place but can be undone (or closed back up) with a single hand quickly and easily. The walls of the bag are lightly padded which helps maintain its shape but it\u2019s not enough to prevent it from being squashed down or compressed when not full \u2013 incidentally, there are some loops other than the daisy-chains on the side of the bag that I\u2019m sure could be utilised for that purpose.<\/p>\n
![\"Bag3\"](\"https:\/\/www.meritgear.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/bag3.jpg\" "\\"Popcorn")
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Black is always a popular choice for bikepacking luggage but Merit like to give you options. As an unstylish colour-blind man, those options are perhaps somewhat wasted on me. However, when you order a bag, you\u2019ll be able to specify which panels you\u2019d like to be whatever colour you decide from the very long list provided. If you wish, you can have up to four different colours on the same bag and that is a lot of combinations. Personally, I took the easy way out and left it up to Mickey of Merit who decided on something subtle to compliment my Stooge, although it also wouldn\u2019t look out of place attached to something else.<\/p>\n
Upon attaching the bag to my bars, I was initially concerned that it might limit steering-lock but those thoughts were quickly dismissed when I realised that, in use the bag tends to lie in line with the angle of the steering head and so is held further from the frame than you might imagine. It certainly appears to be no more of a concern than any other bag fitted in a similar position \u2013 even something considerably smaller. Although bikepacking luggage, the Popcorn bags would in my opinion, also make ideal day-ride companions. There\u2019s certainly enough capacity for all the essentials and some not so essentials and the handlebars seems a much more convenient location for such things than under the saddle. Once any notion of returning home for tea has left, then I\u2019d personally also consider running two Popcorn bags in front of the bars and foregoing a front dry bag altogether; the caveat here is that (a) I tend to take very little and (b) perhaps I\u2019d only consider it during the more summery months. I realise some people may think that particular set-up is beyond the realm of feasibility but if like me, you only carry what you need rather than what you want, it could provide a very neat and compact system.<\/p>\n
The quality of manufacture is as good as I\u2019ve seen anywhere. There\u2019s no stray threads or wonky stitch lines and the materials and fittings are all high quality. Although based in the Netherlands, communication is swift and in a market that\u2019s seemingly overflowing, it nice to see something a little different on offer. If a \u2018Popcorn\u2019 bag appears to suit your needs, then I really don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be disappointed.<\/p>\n
![\"Bag5\"](\"https:\/\/www.meritgear.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/bag5.jpg\" "\\"Popcorn")
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