Lomo 3L Bikepacking Handlebar Dry Bag

The Lomo 3L Bikepacking Handlebar Dry Bag is a compact bag with a modest 3-litre capacity – but it feels like the TARDIS with how much you can actually put in it. It's ideal for snacks, tools, small items of clothing and your phone. And Lomo also makes wetsuits, so it knows a thing or two about keeping the contents bone dry, and this double-end rolltop bag proved completely waterproof. I wasn't quite as keen on the straps, which can dangle, but that's about my only criticism of this well-made and keenly priced bar bag.

This nifty little bag is designed for bikepacking and day-to-day adventures when you want to carry some bits and bobs with you but you don't want to cart around the full kitchen sink. And while the 3-litre capacity sounds quite modest, in practice I found it surprisingly voluminous and was surprised how much it could take the first time I filled it.

You can access the single-compartment bag from either end, each of which is very well secured against the elements if you pull the rolltop straps tight, which takes a few seconds. The welded waterproof seams ensure the bag's contents stay total dry, though the rolltop design means the contents aren't immediately accessible.

That said, if you do want to have stuff to hand the bag also features external rubber bungees which I found very handy for securing my sliders – the cords kept them tight to the bag but they were there when I needed them without having to undo the bag. This easily accessible external storage is handy for kit likes gloves or a gilet for changeable weather.

Another aspect of the bag that pleased me was that its compact size meant I could use it with my setup that features a 33cm bar with a slammed stem. Quite surprisingly the bag fitted with a bit of room to spare either side. The small size means it will also work if you have a limited bar-to-tyre drop, which has caused previous bags to rub against the front tyre, which is not something you want.

The bag is lined with a stiff backboard, which means it doesn't flex or flop around when you're riding over poor roads or on rough unsurfaced routes. A fitting for a front light is a nice addition.

About the only downside to the bag was that once you've secured the straps around your bar and stem their excess length dangles. I experimented and did manage to tuck them in so they looked neat, but I do feel it could have been a little better.

The other potential drawback is something that's true of all rolltop-design dry bags – the fold-over seal is totally waterproof when you've tightened it properly, but if you're storing your snacks in there they're not instantly to hand.

Value

The Lomo's £19.50 price puts it very much in the budget range of bikepacking bar bags.

Restrap describes its Bar Bag as small, but it has a much more voluminous 14-litre capacity. This is a secured by a separate holster, and while Mike really rated it, the bag that was already expensive £84.95 when we tested it is now a really wallet-worrying £99.99.

At off-road.cc, Jim tested the Zefal Z Adventure F10 bar bag, and while he rated the dry bag highly, he wasn't so keen on how it attaches to your bike, and at £45 this is also more expensive – but then again it does have a 10-litre capacity.

Matt praised the handmade-in-Scotland Straight Cut Bagel bar bag, but this 2.2-litre capacity bag will cost you £70, so the Lomo massively undercuts it.

Conclusion

Lomo has created a totally waterproof small bar bag that can carry a surprisingly good amount of kit. It's secure over poorer surfaces so it doesn't rock around when you're riding and is a storage option that's well worth considering for bikepacking or every-day riding.

Verdict

A small and secure bar bag with a surprisingly good capacity and great protection from the elements