7Roads OCT Bag & Nest Rack: A Setup for the Rando-Curious

I'm not exactly sure when my style turned into “rando monster gravel,” but it wasn't a conscious shift. It happened gradually, more of a gentle drift than a deliberate choice. I'm a 47-year-old dad of two, and maybe this is just the natural progression at this stage of life. Over the past few years, my wardrobe has moved from tight jerseys to loose, natural fiber button-downs pulled from thrift stores. At the same time, my bikes have followed suit, evolving from high-tech race machines to handmade steel with a timeless feel. The loud, neon-accented color schemes are gone too, replaced by the earthy tones of browns and greens. If you looked at my kit today, you'd assume I was a full-blown randonneur. But really, the style change came from slowing down, looking around, and embracing the adventure side of riding.

Subconscious style evolutions aside, I've definitely found myself drawn to that rando look more and more lately. Subtle colors, well-cut clothes, tanwalls, lugged frames, shiny chrome bits, and—square bags. They hit the right note. So when 7Roads reached out about doing a review, I didn't hesitate, and was even more excited when they suggested their OCT bag paired with the Nest rack.

Lately, my riding has started to mirror that rando mindset too. I've been gravitating toward longer, flatter gravel routes where I can zone out and just keep turning the pedals. There's a 60-kilometre out-and-back I try to ride four or five times a week. It's become my way of mentally recovering from long days at the computer. This is probably a good time to admit that this review is about six months late. It was originally planned for winter, which is why I was especially keen to try the OCT Bag with its waterproof cover, and the Nest rack with its built-in light mount—both features that really matter during the wet, dark winters here on Vancouver Island. Now that summer has arrived in the northern hemisphere and the conditions have shifted, it's time to see how this setup holds up in dry and dusty terrain.

7Roads: Real Gear, Real People

7Roads is an indie-bikepacking company based in Kovel, northwest Ukraine. Founded in 2016 by Elena Semchenko and Stanislav Kostak, the company took shape years earlier, when the pair started making bags for themselves and friends around 2010. Their designs are shaped by the terrain they ride daily, and their focus is clear: durability, waterproofing, and versatility that holds up in real-world conditions. Every product is tested by the founders themselves, which, given everything their country is currently facing, adds a deep layer of respect to the process.

On a personal level, Elena and Stanislav are some of the warmest and most responsive people I've ever dealt with. We had honest back-and-forth conversations during testing, and to my surprise, it was the first time a brand has ever actively asked me for feedback. That kind of openness means a lot. Their motto, “ride your bikes where even wolves are scared to shit” tells you everything you need to know.

Square Bag, Sharp Details

The bag and rack arrived in a simple cardboard box. Inside were 7Roads stickers, freedom-themed keychains, and a handwritten note from the team. During the ordering process, we had agreed on a black and coyote color combo to match my Neuhaus BigLeaf and the rest of my bikepacking kit. It turned out to be a perfect choice. The look and feel of the bag were exactly what I had hoped for. It had that boxy, structured vibe that is synonymous with randonneuring aesthetics. It felt light but substantial at around 380 grams, built from ECOPAK EPX200 (with other options like ULTRA 200X or X-Pac available). What caught me off guard was the size. With dimensions of 26 by 18 by 13 centimetres, this would be my first time running a 6L bag up front, and I remember thinking it looked surprisingly big.

Looking deeper into the bag, I was blown away by the level of detail. Every surface, inside and out, seemed to reveal something new. The external layout includes a zippered pocket on the top flap, a flat pocket up front, and two side pockets with shock-cord closures. Inside, there's a zip pocket with a key loop, a roomy pocket with a cord cinch, and a flat open pocket on the opposite wall. There's an aluminum lath at the handlebar attachment point, which adds a welcome bit of extra stability when things get rough.

Mount Up: Installation & Setup

OCT stands for Old Crow's Treasure, which makes the pairing with the Nest Rack feel especially fitting. The rack was developed in collaboration with Sergey Romanov from Ridegood Rack, and comes in a few finishes, including black, lilac, raw, and a color-shifting Chameleon. In hindsight, I kind of wish I had gone with the Chameleon. The Nest mounts to a 1-1/8” steerer tube using a ring system, with the rack platform bolting directly into that ring. If you're running a 1” steerer, it comes with a 3D-printed shim to make that work too.

When I first sized up the ring, I was a little concerned. I've got a habit of cutting my steerer tubes short, and on this bike, I had just 10 millimetres of space between the headset and stem. That left me with very little room to play with. After talking with the 7Roads team, they clarified that the Nest requires a minimum of 2 centimetres of available steerer tube for a proper fit. This is not a flaw in the design, but something to be aware of before you commit. In my case, I was able to make it work with a 5mm spacer and some creativity. Getting the bars off and the ring in place was straightforward enough.

One of my long-standing gripes with front racks is how hard they are to remove. Once they're on, they tend to stay on. I had a Nitto rack on an old Surly for over five years simply because I couldn't be bothered to take it off. The Nest rack, though, completely changes that. It bolts into the ring mount from the front using two 5mm hex bolts, which means you can easily remove the rack while leaving the ring in place. This allows you to pop it on and off as needed, without committing to having a permanent front rack. I can't overstate how great this is.

The rack itself is built from 10mm steel tubing with additional reinforcements and rated for 3 to 4 kilogram loads depending on terrain, but I get the sense that's a conservative number. The Nest feels solid and sturdy, arguably more than any Nitto rack I've used in the past.

I've tested a handful of bag and rack combos over the years, but not many that were actually designed properly to work together. That's where the OCT bag and Nest rack pairing really shine. The most clever detail is how the bag attaches to the rack. There's a pocket on the bottom of the bag that slips over the lower rails of the Nest, and a chunky strip of velcro locks it down securely. Honestly, that alone almost keeps the bag in place. Out of habit, I initially used a couple of small Voile straps to secure the bag to my handlebars. That kicked off a great back-and-forth with the 7Roads team, who let me know that handlebar straps aren't necessary. Between the bottom pocket, a rear bungee underneath, and looping the top bungee around your stem, the bag stays exactly where it should. It's a smart, minimal system that keeps your cockpit clean. I love it.

Trail-Tested: Real-World Use

I've been doing my 60-kilometre day rides with a 3.5L bar bag. I always assumed that 6 litres up front would feel like too much, maybe even overkill. But that feeling disappeared the moment I started packing the OCT. For the first time, I didn't have to make any compromises about what to bring. I was able to fit a shell, tools, snacks, my camera with a 55mm prime lens, glasses, cables, batteries, keys, wallet, and even a small bike lock. The number of pockets and compartments meant everything had a place. It was the little touches that really got me, like the key bungee inside the inner pocket, which reaches beyond two centimetres. A small thing, but one of those details that makes the whole setup feel considered and complete.

There's a sweet spot in terms of how much you can pack into the OCT. Go beyond that ideal volume, and the bag starts to lose its shape. It begins to bulge in ways that take away from the clean, boxy rando look that makes it visually appealing in the first place. I imagine that original randonneuring bags held their form thanks to heavier materials like leather, which naturally resisted distortion. To help with this, the 7Roads team added a smart little feature, a strap that runs laterally across the bag, connecting two eyelets on either side. It cinches the bag inward and helps maintain that classic shape when pushing the storage limit.

If you've followed this site for a while, you'll know that an ongoing challenge is carrying my camera on the bike. I've tried everything… stuffing it in a framebag, using dedicated camera bags, even resorting to hip packs. I get it, keeping a camera on the bike isn't ideal, no matter how much padding you use, but some days it just has to be done. That's why I was especially curious to see how the OCT would perform as a camera bag. I added my own foam layer to the bottom and used the internal bungee to secure the camera in place. The result? Easily the best on-bike camera setup I've used to date. The inner strap pulls the camera down slightly, reducing bounce and helping it stay centred. I even brought up the idea of a dedicated camera insert with the 7Roads team, and they seemed genuinely interested. I'm excited to see where that conversation goes.

The OCT bag and Nest rack combo felt solid while out on the gravel. There was zero movement or jiggle, even on rough sections. The top lid has a pocket that faces the rider, for quick-access items like a physical map or mid-ride snack. Installation and removal are incredibly fast—a huge plus at coffee stops when you don't want to fumble with straps or hardware. The included shoulder strap makes it easy to carry around town, adding to its versatility. I also gave the front light mount and the waterproof cover a quick test, and both worked exactly as expected. I'm looking forward to revisiting this setup once winter hits again, to see how it handles the dark and wet conditions.

Wrap Up

I've been using the OCT bag and Nest rack combo for about a month now, and with every ride, I find myself impressed by its capacity and overall performance. Testing this setup made me realize something I hadn't expected—I needed more storage on the bike than I had been running. That realization alone felt like a breakthrough.

Looking at the bigger picture, the bag and rack nail that rando-inspired aesthetic while blending modern materials and clean, updated styling. Most boxy bags in this space still rely on traditional materials like canvas and leather. There's absolutely a place for those, but having a lighter, performance-oriented option like this fills a gap in the market, even if it's a bit niche.

I usually steer clear of giving hard yes-or-no verdicts in reviews. I prefer to share what I loved, what didn't work for me, and let the reader decide. That said, I fully intend to leave the OCT and Nest setup on my bike for a long time. Even with small quirks like the bag losing its shape when overstuffed, it's easily one of the best front-end setups I've ever used. It's not only ideal for day rides and camera carry, but has the potential as a front-loading option for longer bikepacking trips. With a full 6L of storage up front, I could easily stash most of my sleep kit and still have all the pockets left for quick-grab items.

If you're a rando-curious gravel rider or just want a modular, stylish way to carry more up front without cluttering your bars, this setup is absolutely worth considering. The OCT bag runs €150 and the Nest Rack €85, but what you get goes well beyond the gear. Stan and Elena are thoughtful, communicative, and genuinely open to feedback. That kind of relationship is rare—and honestly, it's tough to put a price on.