Zefal Z Adventure R11

The Zefal Z Adventure R11 is a hardwearing, waterproof saddle bag that is easy to load onto the bike and perfect for fast and light forays into the wild.

If you're interested in the Z Adventure R11, check out other options in our guide to the best bikepacking bags.

This single-compartment pack offers an impressive 11-litre volume and could easily accommodate my overnight setup: a lightweight sleeping bag, Gore-Tex bivvy, luxury inflatable mat and a few well-chosen extras. Zefal says it has a 5kg load limit, but I think you'd struggle to hit that.

If you're carrying less, the roll-top closure means you can tighten it right up to the 5-litre end section that is protected by reinforced panels on the top and either side.

It is designed with long-distance, gravel and adventure riding in mind, so durability is a key requirement. You'll find reinforced material at the mounting points, where you are likely to see lots of wear, and there is a panel of tough 'anti-tear' fabric on the underside that copes well with the general grot and grime that is likely to be thrown up from the roads.

I've used it for almost 1,000km of road riding and I can see a hint of abrasion on the seatpost strap, but that seems to be mostly cosmetic. I am pretty sure this will give years of good service.

And it's all delivered in an impressively waterproof package. The fabric is heat-sealed to keep the rain out, and it comes with an extra waterproof inner that really does do the job. I first tested this under a garden hose – on a tropical monsoon setting for a good 10 minutes – and didn't see any evidence of ingress.

Then on a 300km ride I found myself out in an hour-long deluge and again not a drop of water got in. That was until I opened the bag and started to dig around for a spare inner tube with my wet mitts. And for that reason, I'd definitely advise you to wrap anything like sleeping bags and insulated jackets in an additional protective layer.

First impressions

Pulling it out of the box, it felt a little heavier than I was expecting. But at 520g, it's comparable with other models out there (the 10-litre Topeak Backloader is 502g and the 14-litre Restrap Saddle Bag comes in at 535g).

There's a neat 90-second video on the Zefal website that will guide you through the packing process. It advises you to load heavier items first. This keeps weight close to the saddle, which helps to improve stability as you ride.

I found it best to pack the Adventure R11 off the bike, where it's easier to tighten the roll-top closure and cinch in the straps to get an even shape to the bag.

Loading it onto the bike requires at least 20cm clearance between your saddle and the tyre. A wide, 17cm-long Velcro strap attaches to the seatpost and then two smaller straps thread through the saddle rails and clip into place.

These can be easily tightened to make sure the whole pack is really stable and secure. And all the straps are neatly held down with Velcro tabs, so you won't be troubled by the ends flailing around in the wind.

Setting it up on the bike takes around two minutes and it's easy to move from one bike to another. As someone who normally uses a Carradice and metal bag support, this is a real selling point. It has allowed me to test it on a range of geared and fixed road bikes.

Out on the road

With just a single compartment, you do have to think carefully about how you pack it. The reinforced panels mean that space at the bottom of the bag is actually quite restricted. Loading bulky items first doesn't always feel like the best use of space.

My first big ride with the bag was a 200km route across Somerset and onto Exmoor, in search of two of the UK's rarest butterflies, the large blue and heath fritillary (you'll be pleased to know that I saw both). That meant that the heaviest thing I was planning to pack was a pair of binoculars that needed to be easily accessible. So I didn't want to shove them into the bottom of the bag.

And there are no side-pockets for things you might need to access quickly at the side of the road, such as an inner tube, headtorch or bonk rations. So you need to pack these last or store them elsewhere.

None of this is a massive chore, but it does mean you need to think about your packing strategy to get the most from the space available.

The elastic webbing on the top is a feature you'll find on some – but not all – saddle bags of this nature. I think it's a really important extra. It makes it easy to stash light, bulky items like sandals and it allowed me to stash clothing and keep soggy rain jackets out of the main compartment.

A series of grommets at the back allow you to thread a rear light for night sections of your ride and to position it depending on the load you are carrying. There's plenty of reflective detailing here too. I lent the bag to a friend for a late night ride and it was great to see them light up way ahead of me on the road, as cars approached.

Riding into a headwind across the Somerset Levels, there was a reassuringly aerodynamic feel to the bag. I didn't experience any rubbing against my leg, and on the flat I totally forgot it was there.

And as I slowly started to grind up some preposterous climbs onto Exmoor, the Adventure R11 felt impressively stable.

There were occasions, when I was carrying bigger loads and attacking a hill at speed, that I did experience a bit of a wobble. It's an odd gyroscopic oscillation that can interfere with your cadence on a hill, and it was particularly noticeable on my fixed gear bike.

It does make climbing a little more tricky at times, but it was a pretty minor encumbrance and a little work on tightening straps improved the situation.

Getting the tension right really helps stability, and I used stops as an opportunity to tighten straps that might have loosened slightly and make sure everything was as secure as possible.

The roll-top closure is a great feature for keeping the weather out but isn't as convenient as my Carradice. It's harder to locate items in the pack, and when you've found what you want, it does take a little extra time to seal everything up again.

Bikepacking adventures

Swapping to my touring bike (a Surly Long Haul Trucker) for an overnight adventure, I decided to ditch my usual voluminous panniers and use the Adventure R11 instead. With just a fraction of the space available, this required a very different packing ethic.

This bag might not be great for bulkier items, but it really excels with fabric kit. Lighter items like insulated jackets, sleeping bags and bivvies can be compressed easily as you tighten the straps to get the most from the space available.

I really value warmth and comfort on a night out, but a bikepacking setup means you have to make some smart choices and decide what to sacrifice. That meant less weight on the bike, which I am sure translated into an easier ride to and from my bivvy spot.

The Adventure R11 really comes into its own on this kind of trip, where everything you are carrying needs to be unpacked when you arrive at camp. You can take the bag off and empty everything in one go. You just need a degree of genius to repack the following morning when your tarp is damp and nothing seems to roll up quite as well as it did the previous evening.

> How to go bikepacking: A beginner’s guide to getting started

So while I had to forgo a few luxuries, the Zefal Adventure R11, along with a handlebar and frame bag, did manage to carry an impressive kit list that included stove and food as well as swimming kit for a morning dip. It wasn't as luxurious as my usual touring setup, but it was a whole lot lighter and faster on the trip home.

Value for money

The bikepacking market has really exploded and there are plenty of options out there.

At the top end of the market you'll find products like the Restrap Saddle Bag – a holster setup that does offer a little more flexibility with your packing. The 14-litre model comes in at a very pricey £119.99.

In similarly prestige territory, the 14L Apidura Expedition Saddle Pack costs £133. It benefits from two straps around the seatpost that our tester back in 2016 felt really aided stability. It's a similar design to the Zefal.

Ortlieb sets the standards for waterproof kit and its Seat-Pack 11L scored well in a test on our sister site off-road.cc in 2019, but it's gone up to £150. Jon was impressed with the really heavy-duty build but would like to have seen bungee straps for extra load-carrying flexibility.

If you are in the market for something cheaper then Alpkit's Deluge Saddle Pack 12L costs just £44.99 and boasts many of the same features as this model. I am a big fan of Alpkit equipment. I haven't tested this one, but product shots show it jutting out directly from the seatpost, and that must have an impact on stability.

Compared with the others, though, Zefal's Z Adventure R11 offers very good value for money. Its rrp of £67.99 is certainly justifiable and it doesn't take a lot of digging around online to find pretty hefty discounts.

Conclusion

I still prefer the flexibility of my Carradice on day rides, with its side-pockets and wide lid that make everything accessible and easier to organise. But the Zefal Z Adventure R11 does work perfectly well on long days of road riding, especially if you combine it with a bar bag and rear pockets for those items you need to access quickly, and it really comes into its own on bikepacking and multi-day endurance rides.

It's well priced, durable and the design offers more than many more expensive options. And because you can swap it easily between various bikes, it should see a lot of use. This pack is definitely worth investigating if you're in the market for a saddle bag of this nature.

Verdict

Impressive pack that is hardwearing, waterproof, easy to load onto a bike and super stable on the road