Review: Is the Tailfin Frame Bag Worth the Hype?
Review by Chris Hunt
There’s no doubt that Tailfin could have put together a fine frame bag long ago. Instead, demonstrating extraordinary attention to detail, the heads at Tailfin have taken the time to redesign the heart of the bikepacking setup right from its bones. And in doing so they have created what could just be the finest frame bag on the market. Better still, they’ve created nine size variants to suit every bike and rider.
The frame bag is quite literally the centre piece of any bikepacking set up. Useful from the daily commute to the day ride to the longest of adventures, it makes use of the empty space inside the bike frame’s central triangle with a neat, out the way, aerodynamically friendly and hopefully hassle free solution to carrying your essentials.
The problem many of us face though is that frame bags often come in just one size, if you’re lucky there might be a couple to chose from but very much designed with a general approach. Bikes of course are not designed the same way. With all sorts of geometry variation, angles, bottle cage positions etc. All before you’ve even considered moving the bag between different bikes with a whole new set of requirements.
My road bike for example is a 54cm frame – a pretty standard medium – so you’d think that the above shouldn’t really apply to me. A standard middle off-the-shelf frame bag from almost any brand, should be just fine, right? Wrong. Over the past six or seven years, I’ve dabbled with frame bags from Wizard Works, Apidura and Alpkit and I’ve liked them all for different reasons but I’ve never found the perfect option – the ultimate, fit and forget, particularly as my interest in long-distances developed, where maximising carrying capacity space as well as water proves to be a tough balance to strike.
Why I Chose the Tailfin Frame Bag 2.7L Wedge
Tailfin, it seems may have provided the solution to all my woes – at least where frame bags are concerned. Facing sizing issues head on, they developed nine unique sizes, including half-frame and wedge-style options to suit everyone from the smallest to largest riders and all shapes of bike in between. Nine!
In January 2025, I signed up for The Transcontinental Race no. 11, an almost 5000km adventure across Europe. And so, for the following months all I could think about was dialling in my set up. But as the months rolled by I still couldn’t decide on the best fit for the bike’s central triangle.
Boasting by far the biggest range of sizes, surely I could find the ticket in Tailfin’s full frame bag lineup. While there’s a fantastic online tool to help you with sizing, nothing quite beats the physical thing. Luckily for me, I live just a stone’s though from Tailfin HQ in Bristol and so I headed over with my TCR rig to get sized up.
I tried a couple of options, and while there was space for a larger size, the 2.7 litre wedge I decided was the business, leaving plenty of space for a whopping 1 litre water bottle on the seat tube and a 850ml bottle on the down tube. With the additional Tailfin strap that came in the box I could always attach something into that extra unused space – a tube for example. I also new it would fit into the frame of my mtb, which offers much less real estate.
My bike setup for the Transcontinental Race no.11
Out of the Box
The first thing you really notice even handling a Tailfin frame bag is its squareness and rigidity. Partly down to the material but also the two carbon rods that travel the length of the bag. These ensure the bag retains its shape, stays stable and can’t be overpacked relieving strain on the zips and mitigating leg rub. It also means the bag is far easier to pack efficiently which isn’t always so straight forward with other designs.
The three attachment points are solid and interestingly designed, with a rubber port connecting the bag to the frame, through which each strap threads behind before wrapping around the frame. Innovative and unique but equally satisfying in its simplicity.
While setting up the bag is slightly more fiddly than others with their simple velcro attachments, it really is then fit and forget. From the get-go I find the bag is rock solid in its placement.
I’d seen online that the straps are designed to work in conjunction with the brand’s top tube bag making for a really clean setup with half the amount of straps. I was pleasantly surprised then to learn I could also thread the straps through my Restrap top tube bag which I’d planned to use for the Transcontinental Race. The sturdier straps of the Tailfin bag actually then made the top tube bag sit reliably straighter compared to even using its own, slightly more delicate straps.
The materials across the bag seemed satisfyingly robust including watertight zips and 210D * Hypolon and Diamond Ripstop across the body of the bag. With the bag now fitted securely to my frame, I was keen to get it on the road for a test ride.
*210D (Denier) refers to the yarn’s thickness, meaning that 9,000 meters of that yarn would weigh 210 grams. 210D is a typical measurement we see across outdoors products, typically for water, abrasion and tear resistance.
Put to the Test
It’s a sharp test for any product, but I was straight into the TCR. Strapped to the centre triangle of my MASON Resolution for 17 and a half straight days, covering a total distance of 4800kms from Spain to Romania. What could be a better test for any bit of bikepacking kit?
The best kit is always the stuff that while doing exactly what’s required of it, allows you to totally forget about it, that stays out the way of whatever it is you’re up to and that’s totally the case here with this frame bag. It’s where I kept my daily essentials that I wouldn’t necessarily need to access on the fly but was more likely to need daily than the bulkier items in my saddle or aero packs. Things like my brevet card, bank cards, passport, tool kit, spare inner tube, tyre sealant, chain lube, wash kit, knee and arm warmers.
Despite really packing the bag to its capacity, testament to its rigid shape, I was amazed at how everything stayed in place when the zip was open. With its super secure attachment system there was zero sway or movement over the entire distance of the race, unlike my other bags, which would occasionally require minor adjustment. There was no knee rub or inteference with the bike or other bags and with neat well-considered compartments, I could fit everything I needed and perhaps more importantly, know exactly where to find it again should it be required.
Photos from the Transconinental Race by Ben Wormald
Key Features
Size Options
Tailfin have developed nine different size options to chose from which means that there is a frame bag in this range with size and shape suited to you, whatever your frame size.
Attachment Points
Velcro straps annoy me. Not only because they’re not neat, but they never seem to fit quite right. Sure you can usually cut them down but that also means they then will only fit one bike. I have several bikes made from different materials with different tube sizings, so cutting down doesn’t really make sense. They also have a habit of marking your frame or rubbing against your legs.
The Tailfin straps are super tidy, don’t damage your frame and can even be doubled up to secure a top tube bag too – potentially even if it isn’t made by Tailfin.
Structure
More than with any other frame bag I’ve seen, Tailfin’s offering really holds its shape, which means you can really access all of its available space. Staying rigid also keeps it neatly in position, regardless of how far or hard the ride.
Its rigid structure also ensures the zips work as they’re intended to, meaning they can be easily accessed with one hand on the fly as well as relieving extra stress and pressure as capacity inside the bag fills.
This may sound like a minor point, but anyone who’s fought with the zips of a bulging frame as it slides around in position will know what a relief this is.
Highly Water-Resistant
Tailfin don’t state the bag to be waterproof but instead to be highly water-resistant. Although we didn’t have much in the way of rain to test this part out on the race nor during the UK’s unusually dry summer, during the race, I did pressure wash the bike including the bags. Its contents remained dry, which is largely down to the 210D material alongside its welded construction, meaning there are no seams for water to penetrate. How this then stands up over time is the real test, but from the feel of these materials I have every faith it’ll hold up.
It’s reassuring too to see the kinds of waterproof zips we’re familiar with from premium waterproof jackets which run smoothly into a neat zipper garage at the front end of the zip.
Internal Organisation
A good set up is all about organisation. Everything has to have it’s place and ideally you need to know exactly how to access anything at any given moment.
With entry points from either side, one into the main compartment and the other into a thinner map pocket there’s already ideal separation. The map pocket is also designed to expand inwards if need be rather than out into the path of your legs as others tend to be. There’s an additional zip pocket inside the main compartment for valuable bits like cash or cards, a hydration or electronics cable port at the front of the bag and even a velcro strap to store a pump or tent poles at the top of the bag maximising the space without the risk of it all falling out every time you open the zip.
The whole of the inside is also white, meaning your items will stand out in contrast making it even easier to rifle through to find what you’re after.
Rating
5/5
Specs
Capacity: 2.7 litre
Weight: 272g
Construction: 210D Hypalon & Diamond Ripstop
Cost: £105
Cons
No colour choice
Pros
Huge range of available sizes
Excellent usable capacity
Rigid frame
Durable and water resistant materials
No frame rub at attachment points
No leg rub
Is the Tailfin Frame Bag Worth your Money?
The frame bag has long been a staple of the bikepacking set-up, with pretty much every brand in the game producing their own with just minor variation. And while the vague shape and key features of Tailfin’s frame bag offering does remain largely similar to its counterparts, what sets this product apart is an attention to the finer design details.
Apparent in each design element is the genuine bikepacking experience of those behind its design and the brand’s patience and desire to create something brilliant. With easy attachment that doesn’t damage your frame, a slightly tapered shape which stays away from your legs and a rigid structure that retains its shape, the brand has successfully eradicated numerous nuisances that I’d learned to accept with other frame bags.
While £105 (for the 2.7L option) isn’t an insignificant chunk of cash, it sits well within the ballpark of the competition. Considering the huge range of available sizes, premium construction, use of quality materials and additional well-considered features, I’d argue that Tailfin frame bags actually make for better value than most of its competition and well worthy of your hard earned cash.