Porteur bags are great on bikepacking and daypacking adventures, but they're just as useful for a run to the grocery store. The Sinkhole Container adds about 16 liters of contained cargo space when rolled up. The rolltop closure allows the bag 'to grow' with your cargo. When fully unrolled the bag will hold a whopping 37 liters!
It's safe to say that The Sinkhole Container will easily fit all the essentials for a daypacking adventure and then some: A down jacket, a pot, coffee supplies, all the food and snacks, small emergency and repair kit. The Sinkhole Container will also fit a complete sleep system easily: a sleeping bag, sleeping bag liner, sleeping mat, tarp and a bivvy bag.
The Sinkhole Container is made with 1000D Cordura, a bright orange polyester liner fabric and features a heavy duty reinforced bottom panel. It attaches to the rack with two 25" Voile straps to tie the bag down to the rack. After many many hours of testing this proved to be the best and most secure way of attaching the bag to the rack with the least amount of rattle off-road.
A thing to note is that unlike most bikepacking bags a Porteur bag needs a front rack for support. A (demi)porteur rack adds a lot of utility to your bike even when the bag is not mounted to the rack. There are several different types of front racks suited for a porteur bag:
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Porteur rack
The Porteur rack features the largest platform of all front racks and has the capability to bear the heaviest loads. They often have the ability to mount front panniers to the side of the rack.
Porteur racks: CETMA Half Rail, Soma Porteur (Deluxe), Velo Orange Porteur Rack, BLB Frontier, Specialized Pizza Rack -
Demi-porteur rack
The Demi-porteur rack often is a bit smaller compared to the full sized porteurs and mount halfway on the fork legs. This makes a perfect base for a lighter set-up on an offroad touring bike or a gravel bike.
Demi-Porteur racks: Crust mini rack, Soma Demi Porteur, Rawland Demi-Porteur, Velo Orange Flat Pack Rack, Surly 24-Pack Rack -
Randonneur front rack
A randonneur front rack has the smallest platfrom of the 3 racks and therefore is less suitable for a large porteur bag. It's still a very nice platform for a smaller sized porteur bag, a randonneur bag or a basket to fit a basket bag.
Randonneur front racks: Nitto Mini front 32F, Nitto Front M18, Velo Orange Randonneur Front, Velo Orange Constructeur front rack, Surly 8-Pack rack, Soma Champs Elysees
The Sinkhole Container is made in small batches with fixed sizes, but each bike's set-up and rider's wishes are different. I'm more than happy to make you a custom sized Sinkhole Carrier. We'll discuss the bike and rack, fabrics, colors, pockets, straps etc. When we've agreed on the features and specifications I'll need some dimensions of your front rack so it'll properly fit and the tie-down straps match with the rack. If that's all set I'll get to work to create your Sinkhole Container porteur bag! Please get in touch by filling out the contact form on the contact page or shoot me a private message on Instagram.
A little backstory about Porteuring: It's no coincidence that the word Porteur is derived from the old French 'Portour' since it all started in Paris. Portour means: Carrier or Bringer/Bearer. Porteur bikes were used during the 40's and 50's in the French capital to haul newspapers from the printing presses to the news stands in the city. You could say that they were the original bike messengers as most couriers were amateur racers.
