Frame bags are great for bike-packing adventures, as they allow you to use an otherwise-unused area of your bike for storage. They're not without problems though, which you'll know if you've ever had to fight with zippers in the cold or had to ride with a bag that doesn't fit your bike properly.
Brothers Cody and Justin Greenwell were uhappy with the soft side frame bags that were available to buy, so they decided to create the AK CODEPACK hard frame box.
Made from aircraft grade aluminium or carbon fibre each box is designed and hand built in Anchorage, Alaska, to the buyer's specific frame model and sizing specifications. According to AK CODEPACK, the boxes use a frame's existing braze-ons and mounts to ensure a secure fit.
Both boxes rely on a unique latch design that pops open with the push of a button, but appears to be quite secure. For an extra US$25 you can get a lockable version, making the frame bags commuter friendly.
While we have concerns over the boxes' weight, stored items rattling around within them, excessive cross winds and the long-term durability of the frame bottle-cage rivnuts when holding such a load, there's no doubt that there's a market for an item like this.
There's about a month remaining in the AK CODEPACK Kickstarter campaign, and it has already raised nearly US$2,000 of its US$5,000 goal.
If funded, the frame boxes will retail for US$250 for the aluminium box, and US$350 for the carbon fibre version.