Best Phone Bags and Frame Bags for Long Distance Cycling

The right bag setup for long distance cycling depends on how long, where and whether you're sleeping out. A 4 hour endurance training loop needs almost nothing. A 200 km audax needs a frame bag and a snack pouch. A multi day bikepacking trip across the Cairngorms needs a full system on the bike.

This guide covers every bag type a long distance cyclist will come across, what each is actually for and which brands are worth buying. BTR makes a small range of compact day ride bags plus a hydration bladder. For the bigger bikepacking kit we don't make ourselves, you'll see honest recommendations from Apidura, Restrap and Ortlieb. The aim is a setup that works for your kind of riding, not a kit list copied off someone else's Tour Divide build.

What "long distance" actually means

The phrase covers very different riding. Your bag setup follows your discipline, not the other way round.

• Endurance training rides: 4 to 6 hours, usually a weekly loop close to home. No overnight, regular cafe stops. Minimal bags.
• Big day rides and centuries: 80 to 160 km in a day. Weather kit, snacks, a multi-tool, spare tube. Some bags needed, all of it under 5 litres.
• Audax and randonneuring: 200 to 1,200 km in a strict time limit. Sleep is grabbed at controls (school halls, bus shelters). Fast and light, frame bag plus food pouch.
• Multi-day bikepacking: Overnight on the bike, off road, sleeping in a tent or bivvy. Full three bag system: frame, saddle, bar.
• Touring: Multi-week, road-centric, panniers on a rack. Different philosophy entirely. Volumes 60 to 100 litres.

The first three are where BTR's bags genuinely earn their keep. For the last two, you'll mix BTR pieces with kit from the bigger bikepacking brands. We'll get to that.

The bag taxonomy: every type, what it's for

Every bag you can fit to a bike sits in one of eight categories. You don't need them all. Most riders use two or three.

Top tube food pouch (gas tank)

Tiny pouch (0.4 to 0.8 litres) that bolts to the top tube behind the stem. For gels, bars, a phone, a key. Quick access without stopping. Real options: Apidura Racing Top Tube Pack (around £35), Restrap Top Tube Bag (around £25), Topeak FastFuel (around £18 on sale).

Top tube / crossbar bag with phone window

Slightly bigger (0.8 to 1.5 litres), sits along the crossbar, has a transparent window so you can see your navigation app. Holds phone, snacks, a tube and a multi-tool. Our bike top tube bag with phone holder sits in this category at around £15, fully waterproof. Tailfin and Topeak make premium options in the £30 to £55 bracket.

Handlebar / cockpit bag

1 to 2 litres, mounts forward on the bars. Quick access for a phone, a Garmin spare battery, an emergency layer. Our handlebar bag with phone holder and sun visor sits here at around £15 to £20. Premium options include the Apidura Backcountry Cockpit Pack (around £75 to £85), Restrap Canister Bag (around £75) and Ortlieb Handlebar Pack (around £120).

If you're trying to pick between the top tube and the handlebar version, our handlebar bag vs top tube bag comparison covers the trade-offs.

Bar roll (harness + dry bag)

9 to 16 litres of multi day kit lashed under the bars: sleeping bag, dry clothes, shelter. Apidura Backcountry Handlebar Pack at around £95 to £110, Restrap Bar Bag at around £100 to £140, Ortlieb Handlebar Pack Plus at around £120 to £150. BTR doesn't make a bar roll. If you're packing for two or more nights out, this is one of the categories where you go to one of the proper bikepacking brands.

Frame triangle bag (half or full)

Sits in the main triangle of the frame. Half frame versions preserve at least one bottle cage. Full frame versions take the whole triangle. Holds tools, spares, jacket, food, the heavy items. Apidura Expedition Frame Pack at around £117 to £125 (half), Restrap Frame Bag Large at around £95 (full), Topeak Midloader in the budget bracket at around £50.

Frame bags are the single most useful bikepacking bag because they sit low and centred. Weight distribution is excellent. BTR doesn't currently make one, so this is the category where bikepacking buyers go straight to Apidura or Restrap.

Saddle / seat pack

The classic bikepacking bag. Bolts behind the saddle, swallows 8 to 18 litres of soft kit (sleeping bag, clothes). Apidura Expedition Saddle Pack at around £149 to £160, Restrap Saddle Bag at around £125 to £145, Ortlieb Seat Pack QR at around £130 to £140 (the quick release version is the easiest to live with).

Backpack with hydration bladder

When the bike is full or the route's too rough for a bladder in a frame bag. A 1.5 to 3 litre bladder in a small backpack or hydration vest. Our 2L hydration bladder is the affordable end of this category at around £12, sized for 2 to 4 hours of riding.

Real setups by discipline

Here's what the bag list looks like for each type of long ride.

Endurance training ride (4 to 6 hours)

• Top tube or handlebar bag for phone, snacks, multi-tool (1 to 1.5 litres)
• One or two bottle cages, or a 2 litre hydration bladder if you don't want to stop
• Jersey pockets do the rest

Total: roughly £25 to £30 of bags. The BTR top tube bag plus the BTR hydration bladder covers it.

Century / big day ride (80 to 160 km)

• Top tube or handlebar bag for phone and ride food (1.5 litres)
• Small half frame bag or seat pouch for spare tube, multi-tool, mini pump, packable jacket (2 to 4 litres)
• Two bottles, or a hydration bladder in the frame bag if you can't carry enough liquid otherwise

Total kit cost: £40 to £80 depending on whether you go budget or mid range on the frame bag.

Audax / randonneuring (200 km plus)

• Half frame bag (3 to 4 litres) for spare layers, tools, emergency bivvy
• Top tube food pouch (0.5 to 0.8 litres) for gels and bars
• One 750 ml bottle for electrolyte, the bladder or a second bottle for water
• For 400 km or 600 km events, add a small bar roll for a sleeping bag and a change of base layer

For a 200 km audax the BTR top tube bag plus a budget half frame bag from Topeak or Restrap is perfectly adequate. For 600 km and up you'll want fully welded waterproof seams on the frame bag, which means Apidura or Restrap territory.

Multi-day bikepacking

• Bar roll (9 to 14 litres) for sleeping bag, mat and dry clothes
• Frame bag (5 to 10 litres) for tools, food, jacket, the heaviest items
• Saddle pack (8 to 14 litres) for tent, cooking kit, bulk clothing
• Top tube and handlebar bag for snacks, phone and sunscreen
• 2 litre hydration bladder inside the frame bag, two bottles on the cages

Total: £400 to £700 if you're buying premium Apidura or Restrap throughout. £150 to £250 if you mix BTR's top tube and handlebar pieces with budget Roswheel or Rockbros for the bigger bags. The budget kit gets you through your first season comfortably; you'll upgrade the bags that fail first (usually the saddle pack and the bar roll mounting straps).

Where BTR fits and where you'll need bigger brands

To be straight about it: BTR doesn't make a frame triangle bag, a bar roll or a saddle pack. We make a top tube bag, a handlebar bag and a hydration bladder. That's three pieces. They're built for day rides, endurance training, audaxes up to 400 km and the front of any bigger bikepacking setup.

For the rest of a bikepacking kit, you're choosing between Apidura, Restrap, Ortlieb and Tailfin at the premium end, or Roswheel and Rockbros in the budget bracket. There's no shame in either. Plenty of people ride the Highland Trail 550 on second hand Roswheel kit; plenty more swear by Apidura or Restrap because the welded seams and the strap durability matter when you're 80 km from the next bike shop.

Mix and match works fine. A BTR top tube bag for the phone window, an Apidura half frame bag for the tools, a Restrap saddle bag for the kit. The bike doesn't mind.

Hydration for long rides: bladder, bottles or both?

The longer the ride, the more this matters. British Cycling's hydration guidance is 500 to 1,000 ml per hour of moderate effort. Two 750 ml bottles cover roughly 90 minutes to 3 hours. A 2 litre bladder covers 2 to 4 hours.

• Road, 2 to 3 hours, cafe stops: two bottles. Easy refill, low weight, simple.
• Gravel or off road, 3 hours plus, few stops: a 2 litre bladder in a frame bag or backpack. Hands free sipping, more volume.
• Audax 200 km, mixed terrain: hybrid. One bottle for electrolyte, the bladder for water. Refill at controls.
• Multi-day bikepacking: bladder in the frame bag, plus a bottle for visible reference. Refill from streams via filter for backcountry routes.
• Hot weather: bottles win. You can carry ice and a bottle insulates better than a bladder.

If you go the bladder route, keeping it clean matters more than people realise. Our guide to hydration bladder vs water bottle covers the trade-offs in more detail. There's a whole post on cleaning a hydration bladder if you've ever opened one a week after a ride and regretted it.

Three worked examples

The 100 km audax on a tight budget (around £35)

• BTR top tube bag with phone holder: £15
• Topeak FastFuel food pouch: £18
• Two existing bottles

Fits gels, phone, a tube, a multi-tool. That's enough for a 100 km audax with cafe stops.

The 200 km audax (around £90)

• BTR handlebar bag with phone holder and sun visor: £20
• Topeak Midloader half frame bag: £50
• BTR 2L hydration bladder for the frame bag: £12
• One existing bottle for electrolyte

Holds a packable jacket, emergency bivvy, full tool kit, 3 litres of fluid total. Enough for a 200 km audax with one overnight at a control.

First bikepacking trip (around £180 with budget bigger bags)

• BTR top tube bag: £15
• BTR handlebar bag with phone holder: £20
• Roswheel half frame bag: £45
• Roswheel saddle bag 17L: £55
• BTR 2L hydration bladder: £12
• Bar roll improvised from a dry bag and Voile straps: £30

This is the "give bikepacking a go without spending £500 first" setup. Upgrade the saddle bag and bar roll once you've decided you like the discipline.

If you want the full buyer's guide for the top tube category, our bike top tube bag buyer's guide goes into mount types, capacity and waterproofing in detail. The full BTR range sits in our bike bags collection.

Frequently asked questions

What's the most useful bag to buy first for long distance cycling?

A half frame bag. It sits low and centred, doesn't affect handling and swallows your tools, food and a packable layer. Add a top tube bag for the phone, then a saddle pack later if you start riding overnight.

Are cheap Roswheel and Rockbros bags any good?

For your first season or for testing whether you like a category, they're fine. Welded TPU on the cheap bags is genuinely waterproof when new. Expect the straps and zips to wear over 500 to 1,500 miles. Upgrade the bags that fail first, usually the saddle pack and the bar roll mounts. The compact top tube and handlebar bags tend to last longer because they take less abuse.

Do I need a hydration bladder or are two bottles enough?

For road rides up to 3 hours with cafe stops, two bottles are easier. For 3 hour plus gravel, off road or remote rides where refills are uncertain, a 2 litre hydration bladder beats bottles on capacity and on hands free sipping. Many endurance riders run both: bottle for electrolyte, bladder for water.

Will the BTR top tube bag fit a road frame with a sloping top tube?

Yes. The Velcro mounts wrap around both the top tube and the head tube and adjust for slope. The bag sits flat for compact road frames and angled for gravel frames with steeper sloping top tubes.

How waterproof is waterproof, on the cheaper bikepacking bags?

BTR's bags use welded TPU seams and are genuinely waterproof for the rain you'll see on a UK ride. Premium bikepacking bags (Apidura, Ortlieb) add fully welded waterproof zippers and stay dry even when submerged briefly. Mid-budget bags use water-resistant taped zippers. Use a dry bag liner inside any bag holding a sleeping bag or down jacket if you'll be riding through persistent rain.