This product was selected for our Editors’ Choice Awards 2022, as published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 146
Benji: “This Rail 4L from Thule was the first bumbag that I didn’t begrudge wearing. It remains the one and only bumbag that I reach for when I’m heading out on longer than typical rides or rides in changeable weather. Somehow it strikes the balance of being light, but stable and super comfortable. It doesn’t slip or slide around. Nor does it have to be tightened up to 11 to do so. Everything falls to hand really easily; you can operate/access its features ‘blind’ while it’s on your back. On the rare occasions I’ve used it with its bladder as a hydration system, it’s been impressively free of faff too. A really well-designed and executed item.”
- Price: £89.99
- Capacity: 4L
- Bladder: Yes (1.5L)
- From: Freewheel, freewheel.co.uk
- Colours: Slate
Holy Toledo this is going to be a hard sell. What can I say? I think this is the best mountain biking hip pack I’ve ever used. Sorry! I wish it didn’t cost ninety quid too. Like a lot of things that are supremely well designed, the design is not visible before purchase. But after having used the Thule Rail 4L a LOT, I feel the design team’s wages are worth paying. It works really well with a bladder too. The hose is one-hand usable; the ‘ReTrakt’ magnetic landing strip system is brilliant. The storage is broken down into a useful number – and size – of compartments. I will unashamedly admit that I love the smartphone storage pouch; I can fish my phone out and put it back again while always knowing it’s going in and out of there properly. Phones are essential. And expensive.
I mostly used the pack without the bladder, which doesn’t leave it feeling like it’s too big. It’s a great size bag for pretty much all rides, though proper big mountain rides still need backpacks. The zips are great, the fabric itself is strangely tactile and just nice to feel(!). The waistband with its large overlap hook-and-loop looks like overkill, but in practice the Rail 4 is supremely comfy and impressively stable.
Overall
This is the hip pack that does it better than any other here. Sometimes expensive things are ace. Soz!
