Have you been looking for a frame bag that fits your bike, provides lots of storage, and doesn’t block access to your water bottles? After meeting the Nittany Mountain Works crew at the Philly Bike show and learning about their product, I ordered their Fastpack 1/2 Frame Bag to use on my gravel bike for those long days in the saddle. I used the bag for over a month on various rides (two long rides over 75 miles) to get a good feel for the frame bag. On one of the long rides, I loaded it up for a 112-mile gravel ride along the Potomac River on the C&O Canal with a 40 mile loop in Loudon County, VA and a return on the Washington and Old Dominion trail. Here are my thoughts.
Set up: The 18.5” pack was a perfect fit for the Cobalt Warhawk 58 cm frame, mounting easily inside the front triangle between the head tube and seat tube. The bag includes seven replaceable hook and loop Velcro straps that fit through the webbing that surrounds the top, bottom, and ends of the bag, which enables different mounting positions to best fit your bike and allows for storage of extra gear below the bag. The Nittany Mountain Works Fastpack also allows space to put a bento box pack on the top using the mounting bolts, if needed. The frame pack is made of high-quality materials at the factory in central Pennsylvania with seven colors options. The frame bag also comes in three different sizes to fit your frame or an option for a custom fit.
Design: The pack is designed with two compartments: a large one on the right side and a smaller flat compartment to store maps, ID, etc., on the left. The larger compartment easily stored all the tools, inner tubes, and food for the day. It also has two sub compartments and a nifty elasticized internal pump retention to keep your pump accessible but out of the way when accessing the compartment. The bag is also large enough to store a rain jacket, just in case. Another nice feature is the hydration/ electronics port at the front end to run battery wires to your accessories or water tubes from a bladder.
Overall: The Nittany Mountain Works Fastpack 1/2 Frame Bag is a simple, well designed, quality product. I like the fact that they are all handmade in the U.S. and have custom color options. Another notable feature is the 1/2 size mounts high enough on the frame so you can use both water bottle cages—even though the Cobalt Warhawk frame has options to store three other bottles, one underneath the down tube and one on each side of the fork.
While I only used the frame pack on long, single-day rides, its size and functionality would make it a great piece of gear for a weekend warm weather bike packing trip. So, if you’re ready for an all-day gravel adventure and like carrying your gear on the bike rather than on your body, the Nittany Mountain Works Fastpack is the perfect choice.
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