At a glance Well made, waterproof, quick-release handlebar bag with a removeable shoulder strap and map case. Its 6-litre capacity is a little on the small side, but it'll keep all your essentials handy, and keep them bone dry, too.
Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List
Performance
Since I first used a barbag many years ago, I've been hooked. My initial reason for getting one was to hold my camera kit on a bike-packing C2C trip, but a barbag will do a lot more than that. Provided you're not hurling the front end around doing drop-offs or pulling wheelies, it's actually one of the most versatile carrying systems you can get. All the essentials and valuables go in the barbag, and when you get to your destination, you simply take the bag off the bike via its quick-release mechanism and carry it with you. There's a very slight impact on handling and maybe a little extra drag, but the benefits of getting all that clobber out of your jersey pockets and into one, neat, removeable pack outweigh the costs by a long, long way. What's more, most barbags offer a map case for finding your way, and all feature a shoulder strap so you can carry it with ease into the cafe.
The Vaude Aqua Box is a fully waterproof bar bag and it attaches using the near-universal Klickfix system made by Rixen Kaul. This is the same attachment that's used by Agu, Altura, Carradice, and of course, Rixen Kaul's own bar bags, and it's also the system for Karrimor bar bags of old. On top of that lot, it's also compatible with Ortlieb's bar bags, even though they actually use a bespoke fitting. The Klickfix bracket attaches to MTB or oversized road bars, and it's supported by a cable that threads over the bars and under the stem and locks into place with a couple of 4mm hex bolts. I can vouch for the sturdiness of this attachment - even on rough off-road terrain it holds firm, so there are no security issues on this tried-and-tested system. It's not compatible with carbon bars and stems though - because of the steel cable anchor, barbags are only for those using metal components.
The bolt-on plate on the rear side of the Aqua Box clips into the bracket and holds really firm. When you want to release it, you simply press the red button on the bracket and take the bag off. Very quick and simple, yet very solid and secure, too. The Aqua Box itself is made from a fully waterproof fabric, and the lid opens away from you so it's easy to get at the contents, even when you're on the move. The closure system uses two press studs, and though you don't have the extra security of a full zip fastening, it's really fast to open and shut. The lid overlaps the bottom part of the bag by a good margin, and this creates a waterproof seal. You could get water into the bag by forcing it upwards under the lid at the sides, but it seldom rains in that direction!
I did an hour's ride in proper 'cats and dogs' rain, and the contents of the Aqua Box stay totally dry, providing you keep the lid shut. Staying with the waterproof features, there's a map case included, the opening of which doubles back on itself and Velcros in place to make a water-tight seal. There's a clear front that you read your map through, but unfortunately, the back is opaque, so you can't just flip it over to check the route. It'll take a folded OS map - though it's a bit of a struggle - and the mapcase snaps onto the top using four press studs. Turning the map over is a faff though; it's a very tight fit and It's not as versatile as the Ortlieb bar bag's accessory map case, which folds out to cover a bigger area and is clear on both sides, but at least Vaude's one is included in the cost of the bag.
At the sides are two D-rings for attaching the supplied shoulder strap, and on the front of the bag is a Vaude logo set in a large retro-reflective patch. This glows in the headlights of oncoming traffic to help with visibility at night. Inside the bag, there's an unpadded, zipped accessory pocket that goes across the full width, and this has two compartments inside it. The pocket Velcros onto the inside-back of the bag (nearest the handlebars) and it gives a handy compartment for valuables as well as protecting the rest of the contents from the bolt heads that attach the mounting plate. The bottom of the bag is padded on the inside to protect whatever you're carrying, and there's a solid, internal frame that gives the bag its rigidity and shape.
The capacity of the Aqua Box is 6 litres - plenty for your essentials, but not as roomy as many other bar bags. If you're commuting into work, you'll have room for lightweight windproofs, multi-tool, spare tube, puncture kit, mini-pump, wallet, keys, phone, underwear, and sarnies, but not much beyond this. Those looking to carry much more may struggle a bit, and a bigger barbag offering 9 or 10 litres would make more sense if you like to have a spare layer or full waterproofs and shoe covers with you.
Overall, the small-ish capacity and rather high asking price are the only criticisms anyone could throw at the Aqua Box. It's well-designed, neat, sturdy, waterproof, and includes a serviceable map case, but for the suggested £70, so it should! Its main rival is the Ortlieb Ultimate 5 Classic (Medium), and though that model offers an extra litre of capacity for £4 less, you do have to spend an extra £14 to get the map case. Whichever bag you go for, though, you can feel secure in the knowledge that it'll still be carrying your stuff to and fro long after the cost has been forgotten. Once the money's spent, these things can take a proper hammering and still be going strong years (or even decades) down the line, so look at it as a long term investment and the cost isn't so bad. Even better, we've seen the Aqua Box with street prices around the £50 mark, and that's a real bargain for this excellent little bar bag.
Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk
Vaude says:
The classic handlebar bag for all those things you need to have in view and close at hand. Practical details: the shoulder strap, the removable zip pocket for valuables and the waterproof, removable map compartment.
The clever KLICKfix system is a quick and safe method to attach your handlebar bag: the bag adapter easily attaches with a "click" into the fixture attached to the handlebars. And at the push of the red button is easily detached.
- Removable shoulder strap
- KlickFix attachment
- removable zip compartment for valuables
- removable map pocket
- reflective elements
- weight: 850 g (we measured 624g without strap and handlebar bracket)
- volume: 6 litres
- dimensions: 15 x 26 x 20cm
- colours: white/black, silver/black, blue/black, red/black, black
Find out more www.vaude.com
