The Tailfin V-Mount Pack adds to their already comprehensive luggage offerings, this time adding the option of 1.7 or 3L of waterproof capacity to any bike. Quickly fit using tough, scratch-free straps, the V-Mount pack has quality parts, and warranty backup to bolster Tailfin’s reputation for bikepacking excellence.
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To match Tailfin's renowned bikepacking luggage system and Cargo Cage, the brand has released Cage Packs - basically wee drybags in 1.5, 3, and 5L volumes. These are all well and good if you have bottle or luggage bosses to bolt them to, but what if you need to carry stuff on a bike lacking bosses?
Enter the V-Mount Pack. There are 1.7L and 3L versions - identical apart from volume. The 1.7L will hold a 750ml water bottle, Fazua e-bike battery, or any object up to 88mm diameter, the 3L will take a 1L Nalgene plus other kit, or a cooking setup like a stove, small cylindrical pots etc. up to 120mm diameter. The waterproof Hypalon packs are square in profile, hence the apparent loss of usable volume when inserting a cylindrical bottle.
The 1.7L size is narrower and pointed at road and gravel riders, whilst the 3L is definitely more for MTB use where the wider Q-factor, slacker downtube, and more tyre clearance puts it forward and out of the way of your feet. Yes, they can be mounted inside the frame triangle too, either below or above both the top and downtubes. I doubt many bikes will allow top tube mounting without striking knee clearance issues.
Provided with the packs are heavy-duty super-grippy TPU rubber straps, not dissimilar to Voile straps but with a few tweaks to improve usability, like including retaining loops which are an extra purchase with Voile, as well as ensuring the buckle can’t come into contact with your frame. There are two pairs provided with the 1.7L, one 18.5cm for narrower tubing, and 30cm for fatter wraps. The 3L just gets 30cm straps.
The straps pass through ‘V-mounts’ that are adjustable up and down the pack by 19mm, allowing a fair range of choice. Somewhat annoyingly they are just 1mm wider than the gap between three boss mounts, and it’s not possible to get an alignment that doesn’t see one of the mounts sitting on top of a boss. So if you’re wanting to strap the V-Mount Pack over the top of bosses - say to carry lots of small stuff or a bottle you don’t want to get covered in filth - you need to position it carefully. Tailfin provides three rubber blanking plugs to put in bosses in place of screws, and in use, the pack didn’t budge thanks to the slight V shape, even when leaving normal round head screws in place.
One unexpected plus was that either pack can be used on an eMTB, where the mega-fat downtube/battery cover usually precludes any kind of luggage. I had to steal one of the shorter straps from the 1.7L bag and daisy chain them together. Or I could have used a longer Voile strap. If you have a longer strap, there would be nothing stopping you from strapping the pack to a rear rack as a different option for carrying small loads.
The buckles closing the packs offer the usual Tailfin excellence and can be secured at the top as per all drybags, or cinched down the side using the supplied optional compression straps. I didn’t find these necessary for either size bag to hold everything tight. You can also use the strap around the bag to really secure an internal load, and the side slots for holding the ends of the compression strap are handy for securing the loose V-Mount strap ends if needed.
The 1.7L can be a faff to pack if you have large hands. For example, stuffing a down jacket inside it is a chore. But smaller things like tools or a pump slip in easily, especially if pre-packaged in a smaller bag or container like a tool roll or bottle. I got a lightweight jacket scrunched up in there fine. Doing this on the bike with a bag covered in filth is a mucky faff, so it’s best left as something you do at the start/end of a ride, or as an emergency carriage of things you’re not likely to need.
Tailfin explicitly states that the V-Mount Packs are not for putting onto forks, or onto the legs of their racks. I’m guessing this is because they have nothing to stop them from rotating except friction - so a brush with a rock or tree could spin a bag around and into your spokes resulting in a very short and unexpected trip over the bars.
At 210g for the 1.7L and 277g for the 3L, the overall weight is nearly identical to using a cargo cage, straps, and wee drybag.
Finally, the mounts have gaps wide enough to slip two straps through. For example, if you were really paranoid about attaching, or had to use a long strap with loads of excess. If you don’t want/need that 6.7mm gap, you can remove the plates to shrink the clearance down to just one strap with the supplied shorter bolts. Noticeable difference unlikely - but nice to have the option.
In use on road, gravel, or seriously-smashy enduro MTB trails, the V-Mount packs didn’t budge a single millimetre. Looking down they were undetectable, and therefore rather aero if that matters. I blasted about red and black MTB trails full bore with the maximum 3kg of weight on board, and everything stayed well and truly put.
Other brands have been offered similar before. The £75 Revelate Joey is a 2L-capacity bag that uses velcro instead of rubber straps to secure things. The wide straps aren’t movable, which may limit placement options and limit the bag’s life after hard use.
Also using velcro is the £52 1.2L Apidura Expedition Downtube Pack. The squishy design and velcro fitting mean it only works with something inside it, so if you’re stashing a coat and need to wear it, it could be an issue keeping the empty bag in place. Accessing the contents means loosening the velcro fixing, which could become tiresome.
At £60 for the 1.7L and £70 for the 3L, the V-Mount Packs are certainly the usual premium Tailfin purchase. But with adjustability, repairability, and the Tailfin 5-year warranty, if you need to carry stuff and lack the bosses to mount normal cages (or don’t want to) the Tailfin V-Mount Pack is a winner.
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