Off to the jungle – The 2023 Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts

Designed for adventure, the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts feature 4 pockets, a water-repellent outer fabric and high breathability. They’re available in four colour variations for € 255. We tested the cargo bibs in the Tuscan hinterland and the Alps to find out what they’re capable of.

For an overview of the test fleet head to the group test: Which are the best cargo bibs of 2023 – 13 cargo bib shorts in review.

The 2023 Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts | € 255

Specs & quality of Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts

You can feel the water-repellent material of the Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts; it doesn’t feel quite as soft as ordinary bibs. Nevertheless, they make a high-quality impression, looking robust and firm. The cuffs are quite narrow at about 3 cm, but they’re tight and don’t slip thanks to the rubberised coating. They have two pockets on the back, both measuring 13.5 x 13 cm, like a wide pocket on a jersey that’s been divided into two compartments. Combined with a 15 x 12.5 cm pocket on each leg, the Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts offer plenty of storage space (all measured in size M). The back pockets sit relatively high, which we generally dislike because they’re hard to reach while riding. However, Rapha offer matching shorts to wear over the bibs if you don’t want to ride in Lycra. In that case, the high back pockets make sense, as they would get covered if they were lower down. The workmanship of the bibs is good, matching the premium price point.

Cargo functionality of the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts

In direct comparison to the other women’s specific cargo bibs on test, the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts undoubtedly have the most storage capacity to offer. Thanks to the large leg pockets, which can accommodate everything in the “things I want to reach while riding” category, the two pockets on the back are reserved for items like your wallet, arm warmers or spare energy bars. The mesh and the slightly firmer hem at the top of the pockets keep your items securely in place. In addition, the mesh is very elastic, springing back to its original shape even after overloading it with a bulky rain jacket. The pockets are so large that you can feel their weight when they’re full. However, the bibs stay remarkably comfortable due to the tight mesh, which prevents the contents from moving around.
Our black test models don’t look like cargo bibs at first glance, but you can recognise them as such.

Post work ride in the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts.

Safety/visibility of the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts

The Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts have a wide reflective strip printed on the back, just below the pockets. However, it can easily get covered by a long top. In addition, there are reflective logos – which are red on our model – printed inside both leg pockets. This is a nice and useful element with the pockets empty, but the reflectors are no longer visible when you’ve got the pockets loaded – and so neither are you! Rapha should have taken an example from the men’s model and attached small reflective tabs behind the pockets.
These bibs aren’t advertised as having a particularly abrasion-resistant fabric, but the Rapha repair service also applies to the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts. We didn’t detect any signs of abrasion on the shorts during our tests.

Reflective prints in the leg pockets and on the back.

Comfort of the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts

If you unpack the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts at home, don’t let the first impression throw you off. The cut looks large, and the material looks unusual, but this impression will subside when you put them on. The fit is figure hugging, but not overly tight, making them comfortable to wear. The top section is cut like a swimsuit, covering a large part of the upper body with a zip down the front, and they’re made from breathable material, so you needn’t worry about heat built up. The Brevet chamois is designed for long-haul comfort and initially appears very large. It’s comfortable in use however, keeping Rapha’s promise. The chamois is marketed as quick drying, which proved to be true in our tests. When we washed them in the evening, the shorts were dry and ready for use the next morning – very practical on long bikepacking trips!

The chamois of Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts.

With plenty of storage space, a quick-drying and comfortable chamois for long, multi-day rides, the Rapha Women’s Cargo Bib Shorts are made for bikepacking and ultra-endurance rides. Thanks to their comfortable fit and pleasant swimsuit-like upper section, they could fare equally well as your every-day bibs.

Tops

comfortable cut for long days in the saddle
quick-drying and comfortable chamois
lots of storage capacity

Flops

cuffs somewhat stiff
fewer reflectors than the men’s version

For more info visit rapha.com.

The test field