Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

I am looking to do this with my Cross Check, I have the 2013 frame with the eyelets. So I need a front rack to attach too. I looked at the Monkii system, and I get what you are suggesting @andy_k but if I have eyelets the rack is a better option, perhaps.

I'd just rather not have weight on my forks. Carry less and pack better.

Agreed, it is more as an overflow area where I can stick food and other bits and pieces. I am going from having 2x20L panniers to a 18L saddle bag and a 8L handlebar bag. So trying to make up the capacity. (I find climbing on the CC a pain when it is fully loaded at the rear. I have found having weight on the front actually helps climbing - maybe just a mental thing.)

I am pretty much sold on the alpkit luggage system, going to get the saddle bag and 2x8L dry bags for the front. I have decided not to bother with a frame bag, the capacity just doesn't seem useful. Off course I will be keeping my Ortlieb handlebar bag.

UPDATED: Ok, the monkii clip + gorrilla cage is pretty awesome. But at £60 for a pair, its a little steep compared to front rack + bungie co-ords.

Sorry, I meant triple-eyelets on the fork for those cages (see ECR/Ogre/Troll forks, or Salsa Fargo...)

If you don't have the 8L bags, I can take a quick snap and show you what they'd look like on the fork vertically (without a rack though), not really sure how it'll work, I'd have thought a low rider rack and smaller panniers would make more sense e.g.

Dam. Nice salsa setup that.
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If I had the right eyelet setup I would go for the Gorilla cages, they look ideal for what I want. But the clips at £20 to the equation. Looking at low-rider racks now, even with those I would have to come up with some way of securing the bags to the rack.

The attachment points look big enough to loop a velcro strap through, what do you reckon @andy_k?

Just attach stuff with those metal pipe clamp things and some inner tube. They're super strong.

I meant go with low rider + panniers, rather than dry bags. I don't know how your set up will work, yes there are attachment points and they're fairly robust but I wouldn't use just those to attach a bag to the fork alone. If you've got a rack there already and there's two points of attachment you might be ok... it really depends on the rack you're putting on I guess...

@skinny - I could use those to secure the Gorilla cages to the forks - but it won't be neat.

Looking for an alternative, still thinking the low-rider rack modified in some fashion.

I have a couple of the Alpkit drybags with the loops and I've been meaning to look at attaching them to my Outpost rack somehow. I figured it'd be handy to have a lighter alternative to my Ortlieb panniers.

^My thoughts exactly. You do need velcro straps like the gorrila cage, but they need to be secured to the vertical bar on the rack some how. I have a couple of ideas, just need to get an appropriate low rider front rack first.

My thought was that it might have less effect on the suspension,on the bottom of the forks, what do people think of that?

You'll increase the unsprung weight, which won't improve the suspension.

Quite like this set up...

Nice. $?

p.s. Some of the picture frames look like they could do with straightening.

part of the aesthetic...

But would increasing the sprung weight make the suspension worse?

No, just softer/increased sag. When my bike's fully loaded, I either add a little air to stiffen slightly, or rotate the compression lockout adjuster a couple of notches. Works fine.

Hello Khornight2 (waves)... ^Yep, decreasing unsprung weight is what motorbike teams spend zillions on. Suss is your springy friend, to be gaily abused.

They're around £800 frame and fork...

I think it's just the triple bottles and relatively clean luggage set up that I like, need to find someone with a Revelate Pika to borrow for a weekend...

I wanted a revelate bag for the rear, but couldn't justify the cost, so used a dry bag strapped to a carradice bagman support, that I already had....it worked perfectly, to be fair!

And @rickster

Thanks, this whole suspension thing is (in case it's not obvious) new to me.

I carry more than that on my commute?!

( nice looking setup though)

That is a really good idea. What bars are those? Plus could not help but notice the 2 sets of grips, really?

Its amazing how much less you take when you do nothing but cycle from one bed to another!

I was going to say packing less is hardly an alternative to racks and panniers... But I guess it is.