TEST: With a volume of only 3 L, the Raceface Stash 3L hip bag is one of the smaller bags in the test field. However, it seems spacious. You can find out how the hipbag performs on the trail here.
Raceface Stash 3L hip bag in the test
The Raceface Stash 3L hip bag breaks out of the usual design - everything is a little narrower, but higher. The hip bag comes with an included hydration bladder, but also has a bottle holder. This makes Raceface one of the few manufacturers that offer customers both options. The hip belt made of rubber seems a bit loose, but it is nice and wide and padded with a soft fabric coating. The hip bag is available in three colors and, at €79 including a hydration bladder, is one of the cheaper models in the test.
Facts & figures
Compartment layout & inner workings
The compartment layout of the Raceface Stash 3L hip bag seems a bit unusual at first and you don't really know where to put what things. However, with a little experimentation you can find a sensible packing system. It turns out that despite the rather small volume of 3 L, the hip bag can easily accommodate two items of clothing in addition to things like a large pump and a spare tube. This can be stored in the main compartment, which can be opened completely and also contains the hydration bladder in a mesh pocket. So the content is quite accessible. An attached lid compartment is suitable for your wallet, but it would also fit in the large smartphone pocket directly on the back with your smartphone. The only disadvantage is that in this position the smartphone is of course only partially accessible if you don't want to remove the hip pocket.
The pocket for the bottle is well positioned and reliably holds even large 1L bottles in place.
Strap & adjustment options
The soft rubber strap is quite comfortable to wear, but the rubber could have a little more pulling power. You have to apply a lot of tension here so that the hip bag sits securely. The strap itself can be tensioned on the right side and is also suitable for narrower hips.
The Raceface Stash 3L hip bag has compression straps that do their job quite well when the bag is full. However, they sit quite high up and therefore cannot really hold the contents that collect at the bottom when there is little filling.
In action & on the trail
Unfortunately, the Raceface Stash 3L hip bag tends to wobble a bit on the trail. As mentioned, the integrated elastic band is a little too weak to reliably hold the hip bag in position. For example, on hard landings it can slide down a bit. Otherwise the seat is quite comfortable. The structure and arrangement of the compartments takes some getting used to at first and did not completely convince our test drivers even after the familiarization phase. The latter, however, is largely a matter of taste.
