There are a few rules when it comes to loading. On a bigger bike packing adventure, put your heavier kit within a frame-fit bag and lighter stuff in the seat and bar bags, so everything’s evenly distributed and correctly balanced. Bike packing seat packs have a tendency for slight sway and some of the bigger (10 litre) models can be prone to very enthused Samba dancing, even when heavier items are placed at the bottom i.e. closest to the seat post. 

 

The Back Loader’s bob came as a surprise, given the modest size but I partially attributed this to the lightweight, relatively compliant fabrics. I also wondered if the 27.0 post diameter, coupled with single strap might be contributing factors. I bound some old butyl inner tube where the strap held the post to bulk it out, protect the anodised finish and prove some added grip.  

 

This improved matters, but exceeding 2 kilos resulted in some definite swing-particularly when accelerating or climbing out of the saddle, though also seated along gravel roads and less technical sections of singletrack and bridlepath. Oh, and I can confirm it will swallow the claimed 5 kilos. This didn’t compromise handling, even when I was weary, but I was conscious of the bag gently nudging my inner thighs/buttocks.  Topeak produces an aftermarket stabiliser that attaches to the saddle rails with dropped sides. These also feature drillings for bottle cages. 

 

However, I spotted a pattern design on a well-known auction site for less than a tenner and was curious to see how well it would tame said bob n’ sway. These do tend to drop the bags a little lower, which is another consideration if you’re running a smaller frame or have less post showing.  Though it didn’t eliminate the sway completely, and provided you’ve not rammed the Back loader full reversing the stabiliser (so it was upside down did).