Miss Grape Cluster 7 Waterproof Seatpost Bag review

Part of Miss Grape's road cycling bag line-up, the Cluster 7 is the smallest of their seat packs, designed with road and gravel bikes in mind. We've been putting this waterproof bag to the test on short rides and bikepacking trips to see how it stacks up.

Features

The Cluster 7 fits to the bike in a pretty standard way; with a single long velcro strap around the seat post and non-slip plastic buckles on green webbing straps through the saddle rails. This single strap design means that it's compatible with gravel bikes and road bikes that have less exposed seat post (like the cyclocross build pictured), which is particularly handy for smaller riders.

At these points, the bag is constructed from a rubberised material, which helps to prevent damage to the bike as well as keep the bag securely in place, gripped against the seat post.

You'll find the Miss Grape logo at the base of the bag in a reflective print, which is a great way to enhance side visibility in low light conditions.

The main fabric of the Cluster bag is made predominantly from a nylon/polyester fabric, dotted with a water-repellent resin coating. Miss Grape claim that its totally waterproof.

The bag's opening at the end is secured by rolling down the excess fabric and clipping the buckles from left and right together, before passing the signature green webbing from underneath to the buckle at the top and pulling tight. You can also pass this through the loop you've made with the closure.

There's a number of webbing loops on the top which you could clip equipment to or even pass a bungee through for extra storage for items like waterproof jackets.

The ride

The first time I used this bag, I was heading out for a two day bikepacking trip in Wales, so strapped on the Cluster seatpack along with Miss Grape's Tendril handlebar bag, Bud stem bag and Internode 40.6 frame bag. In it I packed a change of clothes, my little MSR Pocket Rocket Stove Kit, a hip flask and a bag of bits (toothbrush/paste, lights, water purification tablets, first aid, cables etc). Sleeping kit went between the bars and other snacks and my hammock in the frame bag.

Although I really can't fault the design in terms of how well it attaches and how secure and sway-free it is, this trip made me realise how this little 7 litre capacity bag would be better suited to day trips than multi-day bikepacking trips. I'd really maxxed out on capacity, which meant that after a while I was experiencing some 'bag sag', despite how tight I pulled on the retaining green strap.

I was really impressed by the waterproof qualities of this bag, which stood up to Storm Ellen and its downpour overnight, leaving the inside and my spare set of clothes totally dry. Phew!

Using a small carabiner and some paracord, I used one of the loops to secure my shovel (see pictured), although if I were to use this on a trip again I'd definitely weave some elastic between the webbing loops on the top of the bag for extra storage. I secured my waterproof jacket under the green webbing strap several times which was pretty handy, but not quite as easy as elastic.

One final adjustment I feel could improve this bag would be the closure system. Rather than the left and right sides of the opening attaching to each other, I think the bag could be made better by these securing back toward the base, just like the design on the two larger models (13L and 20L). Again, if used for smaller loads like tools and spare layers for a day ride, I don't think this would have been as much of an issue.

Value

Totally waterproof bags cost more to produce; that's a simple fact, so I was relieved when put to the test that this seatpost bag is as waterproof as Miss Grape claims. The Italian brand's seat post bags aren't cheap, but they are very well constructed, with particular attention paid to the shape around the seat post to prevent leg chafing and stop the dreaded bag sway.

Attention to detail like this comes at a price, and this might feel pretty steep for a bag that's best used for day trips, for extra layers, snacks and tools. However, if that's something that you do a lot of, this could represent great value for you.