Panniers or bikepacking bags: what each setup carries, weighs and costs
A typical pair of rear panniers in our catalog holds 37.5 litres, weighs 1.53 kg and costs $220. A typical rack-free bikepacking set, with one handlebar bag, one frame bag and one saddle bag, holds 13.15 litres, weighs 0.77 kg and costs $368.48. Panniers carry almost three times the volume for less money, but they need a rear rack. The bikepacking set straps straight to the bike.
Both figures are built from medians, so they describe a middle-of-the-range bag in each spot, not a particular product. The rack itself is not counted on the pannier side. We don’t list racks, so their weight and price are left out.
The two setups side by side
We assume a pannier setup is one pair of rear panniers, and a bikepacking setup is one handlebar bag, one frame bag and one saddle bag. Each line adds up the median bag for each position. Prices use only bags with a US price.
| Setup | Litres | Empty weight | Price | Grams per litre | Price per litre |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rear pannier pair | 37.5 L | 1.53 kg | $220 | 41 | $5.87 |
| Handlebar + frame + saddle | 13.15 L | 0.77 kg | $368.48 | 58 | $28.02 |
| Handlebar + frame + saddle + top tube | 14.15 L | 0.89 kg | $440.98 | 63 | $31.16 |
| Same, with a saddle bag of 8 L or more | 22.15 L | 1.15 kg | $521.98 | 52 | $23.57 |
The bikepacking set is lighter in absolute terms but heavier per litre. Our guess is that small bags need much of the same straps and buckles as big ones, so the hardware weighs more per litre.
Where the bikepacking money goes
Here is the median bag per position among the 328 bags that need no rack:
| Position | Bags | Median volume | Median weight | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handlebar | 91 | 5 L | 0.28 kg | $99.48 |
| Frame | 94 | 3.15 L | 0.21 kg | $155 |
| Saddle | 73 | 5 L | 0.27 kg | $114 |
| Top tube | 55 | 1 L | 0.12 kg | $72.50 |
The frame bag is the most expensive piece and the smallest of the three. Frame bags have the highest median price of any rack-free position, and at $41.25 per litre they cost more than twice the $19.50 per litre of handlebar bags. Most of them (83 of 94) list the frame triangle as a requirement, so check the space inside your frame before buying. The frame bags guide ranks them by volume.
Saddle bags vary the most. They run from 0.5 to 20 litres. The 25 saddle bags of 8 litres or more have a median of 13 litres and $195, against 5 litres and $114 for all saddle bags. Those big packs are in the bikepacking saddle bags guide.
What the pannier side looks like
We have 120 bags that sit on a rear rack. 22 are sold as a pair; the other 98 are sold one at a time, a group that also includes trunk bags that sit on top of the rack. For the pairs, the median set holds 37.5 litres, from 20 to 70 litres, and weighs 1.53 kg, from 0.51 to 2.4 kg. 14 of the 22 pairs have a US price, with a median of $220.
A few pairs show the spread:
| Pair | Set volume | Set weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortlieb Back-Roller XL | 70 L | 2.4 kg | $275 |
| Ortlieb Back-Roller Pair | 40 L | 1.9 kg | $220 |
| Roswheel Tour Pannier Large | 40 L | 1.38 kg | $140 |
| Axiom Oceanweave Pannierpack 25 | 25 L | 0.86 kg | $90 |
| Revelate Designs Nano Panniers | 22 L | 0.51 kg | $275 |
The Nano Panniers are the odd pair out: the lightest we list, and near the top of the $90 to $295 price range for pairs. The waterproof rear panniers guide ranks the waterproof ones by price per litre of the set.
Which to choose
Start from the bike. If it has a rack and you need more than 22.15 litres, a pair of panniers is the cheaper way to get the space. That figure is the largest median bikepacking set in the table above, not a rule. If the bike can’t take a rack, the rack-free set is the only option, and it costs more per litre.
You can also mix them. A median pannier pair plus a handlebar bag and a top tube bag adds up to 43.5 litres, 1.94 kg and $391.98.
The bike fit tool filters bags by what your bike has: a rack, fork mounts, frame space, seatpost clearance. The full list is in bike bags, and the rack-free guide ranks every bag that straps on without a rack by litres per kilo.
How we counted
Volume and weight are stored per bag. For a pair, set volume and set weight are twice the per-bag figure, and price is the price of the pair as sold. Prices are the brands’ US list prices, checked in October 2026; 268 of our 457 bike bags have one, and bags without a US price are left out of price figures. Volume is the brand’s stated capacity. A setup’s total is the sum of the median bag in each position, which is not the same as the median of real setups.