Test: Widefoot CargoMount – Little Big Carrier

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been outages in subcontractors and Widefoot is forced to offer its products only in a limited color range. On their website, you may come across information: Mint, Orange, and Purple have been discontinued. Fortunately, Widefoot promises that once the situation improves, all products will again be available in colors other than just the current silver and black. It would be a great shame if we lost our colors, as this variability is one of the things that characterizes Widefoot. But back to what this test should be about.

Here you will find the previous test, including a small company info: Widefoot LiterCage

This time, we present a versatile bicycle cargo carrier, Widefoot CargoMount. As the title suggests, this is a very practical addition not only for bikepacking rigs, but everyday use as well. The CargoMount is a small carrier that can be fitted with a waterproof bag (dry bag) and also works reliably in the role of a spare bottle cage. There are no limits to what can be attached to CargoMount. Just look at the manufacturer’s Instagram and you’ll be surprised at what can be attached to this carrier. CargoMount is made of aluminum and therefore also weighs exactly 68 g (weighed without straps). That’s 100 g. less than the stainless steel LiterCage weighs.

If we compare CargoMount to the available competitors, we’ll find very quickly that it surpasses them in several ways. It is not only its minimalist dimensions (width 7.3 cm, length 17.6cm, length of the lower back 4 cm) but also the great variability in the mounting options. But this is somehow typical for Widefoot. Just look at the available Salsa Anything Cage HD carrier (material: nylon, max weight capacity: 3 kg, weight: 149 g.) or Blackburn Outpost Cargo Cage (material: aluminum, max weight capacity: 4 kg, weight: 157 g – without straps) and you’ll see it is unmatched.

The 7-slot mounting configuration allows six mounting positions on the frame using two screws and three positions using three screws. What this means in practice can be seen in the following photographs. For example, it is possible to fit a CargoMount with a dry bag and a large-capacity LiterCage inside a HUNT frame (size M). The carrier is further fitted with slots that can be used with hose clamps. Personally, I’m glad the manufacturer thought of it. The use of hose clamps also allows CargoMount installation in places where attachment points are lacking. I carry it most often on the left leg of my suspension fork. The weight limit for the CargoMount is not set by the manufacturer, but information is circulating on social media that there is no problem with four kilograms. I have not tested the weight limit, personally.

CargoMount also has a few drawbacks. The first is the higher price, which is $48. But of course, it is because you are supporting a small cottage manufacturer. In addition, you have confidence that each product has passed through the hands of the manufacturer. But also you need to buy cargo straps, separately. So, you will pay a few more bucks. The ski-based Voile Straps® are ideal. These straps are offered by Widefoot in lengths of 15” (38,1 cm), 20” (50,8 cm) and 25”(63,5 cm). For CargoMount in particular, I recommend having longer straps, because you might want to carry a Nalgene bottle or dry bag. Next, the carrier base seems short (only 4cm long). The base length is optimized to support the base of a full range of bottles, and no longer, in order to reduce footprint and prevent contact with objects while riding. It might be a promising idea to have a bit longer support for cargo. In practice, however, it hasn’t been a problem for me personally yet. The last slight deficiency can also be seen as the carrier itself being quite narrow (7.3 cm). Again, I haven’t encountered a problem while I’ve been using here either. In theory, this could be a problem for a bulk load. Time will tell. Consider the small size being offset by its light weight and ability to position it comfortably pretty much anywhere on your rig.

In conclusion, Widefoot designed an amazing product. In my judgment, even though its price is higher, buying a CargoMount is worth it. There are more positives than negatives in favor of buying. I note that unfortunately there is no dealer in the Czech Republic yet for Widefoot products and it is necessary to purchase directly from Widefoot with international shipping, or from dealers in other European countries. You can find more information about the product and local dealers on the manufacturer’s website.