Appearance of Bike Bag Fabrics
Appearance is our #3 ranked bike bag fabric property in terms of our estimate of its importance to the majority of bikepackers and cycle tourists. Appearance matters, for more reasons than you might first think…
In this guide, we will be examining four dimensions that contribute to a fabric’s appearance, color, reflection, texture and structure. We’ll be looking into methods with which these appearance dimensions are categorized and compared. Overall, we’ll consider the range of fabric choices bicycle bag manufacturers can make to fine-tune the appearance of their bag designs.
A bike bag’s appearance is a marriage of two aspects, the one we are discussing in this guide, the fabric’s appearance, intertwined with the bicycle bag’s design. A bag design can be described as the coming together of its curves, lines, shapes, pockets, lids, flaps, hardware and more. Fabric is the substance through which the design finds its form. Together, design and fabric create the bag’s appearance.
Reasons Fabric Appearance Matters
Aesthetics
Without a doubt, a set of bikepacking or bicycle touring bags will have a dramatic impact on the look of a bicycle. The aesthetic quality of a bicycle setup for travel is very much a collaboration between the bicycle and the bags. Bikepackers and cycle tourist who prioritize aesthetics, will often put quite a bit of thought into choosing bags that compliment and personalize their bicycle. We get to see some great examples of Campfire customers inspired bike + bag choices through our Make-It-Mine bicycle configurator.
Visibility & Safety
A bike bag’s fabric can increase visibility and safety for cycling around automobiles. Prominently positioned bike bags such as panniers and handlebar bags do the most for dramatically increasing a cyclist’s visibility. In this guide we’ll consider fabrics that improve visibility during daytime, nighttime and both.
But wait, there are more reasons…
Other factors, that cyclist might consider in the appearance aspect of their bike bag’s fabric are heat reflection and stain concealment. For international travel, certain fabric color might be objectionable in certain areas and subdued, neutral colors are a safer option. For all types of travel, weighing the upsides and downsides of how one presents oneself and one’s gear can be very important. Or put simply, shabby looking bike bag fabric is less likely to lead to a stolen bike, but you might not gain entrance at the gates of the local royals.
The Dimensions of Fabric Appearance
A fabric’s appearance is a multi-dimensional congruence of color, light reflection, texture and structure. Considering each of these dimension on their own makes them more measurable. For example, consider the range of colors ballistic nylon is available in. It is much more challenging to define and explain the myriad of ways that these four dimensions merge together to create the appearance of a given fabric.
Color, including Patterns and Symbols
The color, pattern and symbol options available to bag designers has grown substantially in recent years. For some bicycle bag designers, color and pattern are so important that it will guide their fabric choice. While other bag designers, guided by prioritizing other fabric properties, may need to work within the constraint of a narrow range of colors, possibly without pattern options.
Color is the most powerful dimension of a fabric’s appearance. Color has a deep hold on our psychology, working on our emotional and communicative states at conscious and subconscious levels. We describe colors, with evocative words such as vibrant, muted, earthy, pastel and bold. The colors we choose for our bike bags communicate who we are and how we choose to present ourselves while out adventuring.
When we talk about color we’re also including the symbols and patterns that emerge when there is more than one color at play. Symbols on bicycle bags are typically brand names and logos as well as shapes and words imbued with artistic expression. We also include functional safety symbols mostly in the form of reflective stripes and shapes designed for night time safety. Patterned fabric can merge color psychology and symbology and take on an emotional presence of its own. Popular pattern styles such as, geometric, floral, abstract, striped, plaid and camouflage can all create their own powerful emotional resonance when deployed in bike bags.
Color’s Function in Fabrics, Beyond Aesthetic Expression
Fabric color can serve the functional purposes of increasing day-time visibility to drivers, aiding in heat-reflection and reducing the visibility of stains or fading.
Day-time visibility is all about displaying contrasting colors against the dark, dull and muted colors of the road and roadway surroundings. Neon colors like fluorescent yellow, orange, green or pink are great colors for standing out on a roadway. Bright and bold versions of yellows, reds and oranges are also excellent for creating contrast. Patterns of bright colors are sometimes used to increase visibility even further. Reflective fabric, while essential for night-time visibility as discussed in the light reflection dimension below, also can aid in increasing visibility during the day in combination with bright and bold colors.
For bicycle travel in hot climates, the ability for a bag to reflect heat can be an important factor with lighter colors reflecting the sunlight helping to keep the bag cooler. When it comes to avoiding staining, darker colors will do a better job. But when it comes to avoiding fading, lighter colors again win the day.
Processes for Applying Colors, Patterns and Symbols
Color, patterns and designs are achieved on fabrics through a variety of processes, dependent on the fabric type. For each of our fabric type guides, we detail out the color range, print capacity, multi-color weaves and whether the fabric is suitable for embroidery.
- Dying Processes: Processes can include solution dyeing (dope dyeing) for excellent color fastness and UV resistance, disperse dyeing for vibrant, durable colors and pigment dyeing for versatile surface coloration, although it may be less durable.
- Printing Processes: Processes can include sublimation printing (ideal for polyester), which transfers dye into the fabric using heat to provide vibrant and durable colors, screen printing, which applies ink through a stencil to create detailed patterns and is versatile for various fabric types but less durable than sublimation., digital printing, which uses inkjet technology to produce high-definition, customizable designs directly on the fabric, suitable for short runs and intricate patterns across multiple fabric types.
- Multi-Color Thread Weaves: These various weaving pattern utilize multiple thread colors generating patterns that both offer appealing aesthetics, increased durability and texture. Depending on the fabric type, these weaves can include Jacquard weaving, which offers an array of complex patterns and designs, ripstop, a grid pattern popular for its durability, and dobby weaving, which produces small geometric patterns.
- Embroidery: A very durable way to apply logos to fabric, embroidery is commonly used with nylon and polyester. It is less commonly used with X-Pac and EcoPak. It is almost never used with UHMWPE fabrics due to the unique characteristics of this fabric.
Reflection
The way that light interacts with the surface of a fabric is what we are defining as its dimension of reflectivity. Bike bag fabrics exist along a spectrum from non-reflective to highly reflective. We’ll lean on the terminology used to define the reflectivity of paint to define this spectrum in fabric; matte, satin, semi-gloss, glossy and highly reflective.
A fabric’s reflective level merges with its color, texture and structure to converge upon its overall appearance. A fabric’s reflective level is a very important part of its appearance. Consider words for describing a matte fabric, discreet, rugged, subtle, urban, professional and subdued. Now consider words describing glossy or highly reflective fabrics. Flashy, dynamic, electric, sleek, vibrant, modern, polished and vivid capture the feeling. Contrast two fabrics with the same color but one with a matte finish and the other a high gloss finish. This starkly contrasting difference in reflectively will make these fabrics appear very different from each other and hardly even feel like the same color.
For cyclists looking to be obscured, whether it is to not call attention to themselves in potentially dangerous situations or to make their gear less attractive to thieves, the dull and muted resonance of matte and satin surfaced fabrics can assist. On the other hand, for cyclists looking to be visible to automobile drivers, glossy reflectivity combined with bright colors is ideal during the day. For nighttime and in-climate weather visibility, highly reflective fabrics are utilized. And fabrics that combine bright colors with high reflection are best for both day and night visibility.
Fabric Finishing Processes
The reflective levels of fabrics can be altered towards greater or less reflectivity through a variety of coating, laminates and texture altering processes. Additionally, some highly reflective fabrics are produced by weaving in reflective threads.
- Reflective Coatings: Coatings that incorporate glass beads, micro-prismatic elements and metallic particles are applied to fabrics to creating a reflective finish, most commonly nylon and polyester.
- Reflective Printing: Inks or paints containing materials such as glass beads or micro-prisms are digitally or screen printed. This is most commonly used for reflective designs, patterns, and logos. This process is commonly used on nylon, polyester, X-Pak and EcoPak. It is not common with UHMWPE.
- Reflective Laminates: A reflective film, which incorporates reflective elements like glass beads or prismatic materials, is laminated onto UHMWPE and X-Pac fabrics.
- Reflective Weaves: Reflective thread is commonly sewn into nylon and polyester fabric by integrating it into the fabric’s weave or using it in stitching patterns. This involves either weaving the reflective thread directly into the fabric during the manufacturing process or sewing it as part of the stitching in finished products, such as seams, logos, or decorative patterns.
- Matte Coatings: Most commonly applied to nylon and polyester fabrics by using specialized matte finish chemicals or resins that reduce the fabric’s glossiness. Coatings are applied through dipping, spraying, or padding processes, and then cured to ensure the coating adheres properly. This process can also enhance the fabric’s water and environmental resistance.
- Matte Laminates: Used on UHMWPE, X-Pac, and EcoPak, laminates are applied by bonding a thin, non-reflective film onto the fabric surface. The application process involves heat, adhesive or ultrasonic bonding to ensure the laminate adheres securely to the fabric. The matte laminate also improves durability against abrasions and increases water resistance.
- Matte Surface Texturing: Used on Nylon, Polyester, and UHMWPE, matte finishes are achieved through calendering, which involves passing the fabric through heated rollers; sanding, which lightly abrades the surface; and embossing, which uses patterned rollers to imprint a textured finish. Chemical treatments can also be applied to reduce gloss and create a matte appearance.
Texture
A fabric’s texture is the interplay of its fiber composition, weave structure, and surface finishing. How this interplay looks is the third dimension of a fabric’s appearance.
It is important that we clarify the difference between the texture and reflection dimensions. Both dimensions contribute to the overall look of the fabric, but they do so in different ways. The reflection dimension is focused in on how light plays off of the fabric. Texture can include this reflectivity but goes beyond to encompass the full 3D nature of the shapes and contours along a fabric’s surface, or lack thereof.
The spectrum of texture in outdoor fabric ranges from smooth to rough. On the smoother side of fabric, we use words like sleek, silky, soft, velvety and supple. On the rougher side of fabric, we use words like: coarse, rugged, grainy, textured, gritty and abrasive.
Unlike color and reflection, texture is all about appearances. We’ll be hard pressed to attribute any functionality to texture. That said, it is an important dimension to the appearance of fabrics, giving it life through its form. Speedy bicycle tourists with sleek panniers express themselves as readily through the textures of their bike bag’s fabric as do rugged bikepackers with coarse textured bags and a scrappy personal demeanor.
Types of Fabric Textures
- Smoother Textures: Characterized by their even, sleek surfaces, often soft to the touch and sometimes reflective. The refined look conjures up the feeling of the technical and aerodynamic. Fabrics can be made smoother through some of the same processes used to increase their reflectivity(see above), through coating and laminating processes.
- Rougher Textures: Uneven, coarse surfaces that can feel abrasive or coarse. Their rugged look emphasize durability and resistance to wear and tear. Fabrics can be made rougher through some of the same processes used to decrease their reflectivity(see above), primarily through surface texturing but also through matte coatings and laminates.
- Patterned Textures: Created through weaving or printing designs into or onto the fabric, adding visual and tactile depth. Ribbed, Jacquard, Dobby, and embossed textures fall into this category of textures that add interest and complexity to a fabric’s surface.
- Specialty Textures: Produced with treatments or processes that alter the fabric’s surface. Brushed, sandwashed, crinkled, and nubby textures are examples.
Structure
Structure is our 4th and final dimension of a fabric’s appearance. Like color, reflection and texture, structure plays a crucial role in the aesthetic appearance of a bike bag’s fabric. Structure is one of our fabric properties. Here we define the spectrum of fabric structure types, present how manufacturing processes impact structure and examine how the functionality of bike bags are impacted by their fabric structure.
In this appearance guide, we are focusing in on how a fabric’s structure contributes to its appearance. The form, drape, flexibility and stretch of fabric flow together to generate the fabric’s appearance.
To consider the appearance of fabric structure as a concept lets conjure up some extremes. On one extreme imagine a pannier made from t-shirt fabric. On the other extreme imagine a pannier made from ballistic nylon. The t-shirt fabric pannier would appear to be almost totally unstructured, flowing and stretching in any direction the bikes motion, wind or gear inside pressured it. The ballistic nylon pannier, will hold the form of the design against these pressures, appearing as almost box-like. Even if these two fabrics had identical color, reflection and texture, the very different nature of their structure would have a dramatic effect on the overall appearance of the bag.
The Appearance of Different Types of Fabric Structures
- Flexible: Leads to a highly pliable, adaptable and softened appearance. These fabrics have a lightweight, compressible look that can bend and curve without losing integrity, often showing a smooth finish with potential for subtle wrinkles or folds. In bike bags, flexible fabrics like ripstop nylon, nylon taffeta and lightweight Cordura nylon enhance visual appeal in the pockets, expandable compartments, liners and other bag sections where extra flexibility and softness are helpful.
- Semi-Flexible: Results in a slightly more structured look compared to highly flexible fabrics, with fewer wrinkles and a smoother, more orderly surface. In bike bags, semi-flexible fabrics like polyester and EcoPak enhance the visual appeal of the main body, reinforcement panels, and roll-top closures.
- Semi-Rigid: Exhibits a strong, supportive appearance while retaining enough flexibility for practical use in various bag functions. These fabrics maintain their shape under load, resulting in a durable, structured look with minimal flexibility, ideal for key structural components. In bike bags, semi-rigid fabrics like X-Pac and Cordura enhance the visual stability and durability of the main body, reinforcement panels, back panels, and internal frames.
- Rigid: Provides a firm, robust appearance, maintaining their shape consistently and exhibiting a taut, structured look. Their rigidity gives bike bags a solid, defined form, ideal for the base, frame, and high-impact zones. Fabrics like ballistic nylon and UHMWPE showcase a noticeably rigid and unyielding appearance, leading to a sleek and rugged look.
Use Factors Altering a Fabric’s Appearance
A new bicycle bag will rarely maintain its new look for long. The life of a bike bag is a rough one, with exposure to natural forces and the grit and grime of the road. Usage could almost be considered as a fifth dimension of the appearance property as it evolves the look of bike bag fabrics into something new.
Usage can have a variety of impacts depending on the specifics of the fabric and type of usage. The appearance of many bike bag fabrics will evolve into an appealing weathered look over-time. Other fabrics do not age so gracefully looking ragged and worn dependent on how the use-factor ages them. Meanwhile, some fabrics are excellent at maintaining their new look for a very long time despite what bicycle adventures throw at it.
***How a fabric looks when Wet & Dirty is a 6th dimension: (Temporary Condition or Permanent condition)
Wear & Tear (#bikepackinglife, #biketouringlife)
Reference Durability Property Abrasion, Flexing and Stretching
Fading (UV Exposure)
Stains (Moisture, Dirt & Chemicals)
Mildew/Mold, Dirt/Oils, Chemicals