Restrap Hike-a-Bike Harness Review: More Than a Gimmick

At first, it felt like a marketing gimmick. Both online and in person. Jon, Restrap’s marketing manager, was walking around the sea of shiny things begging for attention and media coverage at Sea Otter. He had a new bike strapped to his back—its 29+ wheels smacking passersby—and was handing out Restrap flyers to whoever stopped to ask. He said to come to the booth. I obliged. 

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I hate a marketing gimmick. I think bikepacking is awash with it today, with companies vying for clicks and more money, making things that won’t make your life better but, on the surface, claiming to do so. So, when I went to the Restrap booth and chatted with Jon and he shrugged off the bike and handed it over, I was immediately and pleasantly surprised. The thing made sense. It was comfortable. You could move easily under the bike. I could see how it would help on a technical and long hike. Jon even said people are keen on getting them for the walk to their fourth-story apartment. I liked it. I put it in my roundup. I moved on. 

And then Ricky planted that seed about bikepacking Kilimanjaro. And when that seed began to sprout, I reached back out to Restrap, thinking this goofy collection of fabric could actually make my life easier. They sent one down. I carried it for weeks of touring around Tanzania. It disappeared in my panniers. And then it was go time. 

The Restrap Hike-A-Bike Harness is simple, small, light, and easy. At about $90, it’s also definitely expensive for what it is. But it’s handmade in the UK (mine by Laura) and comes with a lifetime warranty. Restrap claims it weighs 235 grams, and I was too busy and forgot to corroborate that, although I can certify that it is both light and small. It is about the size and weight of a good sandwich. 

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Restrap includes a tag with a QR code and a link to a YouTube setup tutorial. It’s eight minutes long, and after four, you can quickly figure the thing out. Two of the included three straps serve as anchors on both the down tube or chainstay. The third is to keep the wheel from flopping around. The anchors are easy to set up, but you have to do it a few times, try the bike on, and see how the weight balances (remember here to load the bike in the way it will be used when balancing the straps). It took me a few runs, and once they were in the right place, you cut off the excess, tie them up, and forget about the anchors. They don’t move or rub or bother you at all. Chill.

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The harness itself stays attached to the back of the top tube. It’s an area I don’t otherwise use, so it feels like a good application of the space. It’s narrow, so it didn’t rub on my legs either. But sometimes, while climbing out of the saddle, it would flop over to the side and hit my legs. Then you have to just push it back to the center. No big deal, but occasionally a little annoying. 

Once the anchors are in place and the harness is strapped to the top tube, it’s a quick 30 seconds to deploy/put away. And this means you can actually use it pretty often if you want. Velcro strap, unfurl, slide the clips in, strap the front wheel, shimmy it on, and go hike. The backpack straps are comfortable for long hikes, although when the bike is loaded heavily (mine at ~40 pounds), it’s not super comfortable for a long time. I would routinely pull on the straps to adjust the weight left and right. Once, I even ran a small towel under the straps after an hour.  

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While climbing Kilimanjaro, I admittedly had to hike a ton. Sometimes, I would push, using the handlebars to brace some of my exhausted weight. But up a few steep stretches on day two, and especially on the final push, the near-vertical boulder scramble up the rim of the volcano in the dark through soft sand, I was super glad to have the harness to put the bike on my back and free my hands for holding onto the rocks. A porter was pushing the guides’ bikes. Both were professionals and had climbed the peak dozens of times. And all night long, we had to wait for Rafaeli, the porter, to labor and carry and push the bike over the boulders. 

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We found a routine going up that climb. I would put the bike on my back, hike for 20 minutes, sit down to unweight it, and wait for Rafaeli to catch up. Finally, exhausted and dealing with altitude sickness, he turned back. I put the bike on my back and just kept going. I won’t go into the gruesome details, though you can read about it here. 

But that morning, one of the most exciting days of my entire life, that beautiful morning under the Milky Way and the shooting stars and the volcano and the glaciers, was undoubtedly made easier by this little collection of fabric. The bike carried many times easier on my back with my hands free. Yes, I probably could have done the hike without the harness, but I’m very glad I had it. Good products can make our lives easier, even if we choose to make our lives temporarily much more difficult. So, to me, the only question is, how much technical hiking will your bikepacking trip actually include? 

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I honestly liked the harness so much and found it so useful for that wild day of bikepacking that I gifted it to the guiding company to use on their future trips back up the mountain. It came off my bike in two minutes and was strapped onto theirs in another five. I was happy to pass it down to a good group of people who will certainly use it much more than I will in the future. And I’m sure it will help them guide more riders up the tallest mountain in Africa. And hopefully more people will get to experience that incredible explosion of relief and joy and satisfaction of flying back down the tallest freestanding mountain in the world! 

• Model/Size Tested: Restrap Hike-A-Bike Harness
• Claimed Weight: 235 grams
• Place of Manufacture: United Kingdom
• Price: $89.99
• Manufacturer’s Details: Restrap

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