Trail-ready bikepacking bags from aeroe

The New Zealand brand aeroe was founded by brothers Mike and Paddy Maguire, who have been working for over twelve years to make carrying luggage by bike easier and more flexible. Their focus is on robust, modular bikepacking solutions that can be attached to almost any bike without complicated mounting systems. The product range includes racks, mounts, and dry bags for adventures on short rides or long tours. At the heart of their offerings is the Spider Rack System: a lightweight, quick-mounting rack that can be individually adjusted thanks to modular "cradles" and securely carries gear even on challenging trails.

Spider Handlebar Cradle

With the Spider Handlebar Cradle, aeroe offers a flexible handlebar transport solution that's particularly well-suited for bikepacking setups. Assembly is intentionally simple: First, two clamps are placed around the handlebars, featuring rubberized grips to prevent scratches. Next, the main unit is attached and secured with screws. The actual cradle, which holds the bag, is then mounted to the cradle with four screws. The dry bag sits securely in the cradle and is fastened with two straps that thread through sturdy loops to prevent any lateral shifting. aeroe offers dry bags with 8L and 12L capacities – on our test ride, we used the 8-liter version at the front, but we could easily have attached the larger bag, or alternatively, a sleeping bag or tent. In use, the system was stable and secure, functioning reliably even on Level 2 trails.

Technical data:

Weight 464 g (without bag)
load: 5 kg
Materials: High-quality stainless steel, anodized aluminum, glass fiber reinforced nylon

Heavy Duty Drybags

Aeroe's Heavy Duty Drybags are clearly designed for the rigors of bikepacking. They are made of fully welded heavy-duty TPU, a robust, relatively thick material that makes the bags particularly durable and completely waterproof to IP65 standards. The construction is correspondingly sturdy and high-quality. Integrated eyelets or loops are a practical feature, theoretically allowing for the attachment of a carrying strap, although aeroe unfortunately does not offer one. Due to the thick, waterproof material, the bags are somewhat harder to compress than thinner drybags, requiring a bit more pressure when rolling them up. Overall, however, they fit perfectly into the system and are clearly designed for durability and weather protection.

Technical data:

Weight 8L: 233 gr
Weight 12L: 308 gr

Spider Rear Rack

The Spider Rear Rack forms the heart of the aeroe system and is designed as a lightweight, modular rack for bikes without traditional rack mounts. Constructed from robust fiberglass-reinforced nylon and aluminum components, the rack offers a good combination of stability, low weight, and trail-ready performance. It mounts directly to the rear triangle of the bike. Two straps with a silicone-coated inner surface are wrapped around the seat stays on each side and then secured with screws – similar to the handlebar mount. In practice, however, mounting it on our test bike proved somewhat fiddly, as precise alignment required a bit of patience. We also recommend applying frame protection film to the contact points. Once correctly mounted, however, the rack is rock solid.

The system offers several options for positioning the cradle: it can be mounted laterally – even two at once – or on top of the rack. The orientation can also be varied there, allowing the drybag to be positioned horizontally or vertically over the rear wheel. On our test ride, we had to mount the bag horizontally to fully utilize the rear suspension travel. We noticed that, despite the straps being tightened, the drybag can shift slightly to the side over time, which, depending on the weight, affects the balance. Using Velcro straps between the cradle and the bag can help in this regard. Aside from that, the system completely won us over; even on challenging Level 2 trails, the rack remains stable without any swaying or wobbling.