Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

Gel wrappers litter the countryside. They are everywhere. I see a few every ride. I don't know what goes through people's heads. I have a similar problem understanding the mentality of the dog walker who goes through the effort to collect their dog's shit in a plastic bag and then thinks it acceptable to tie it to a tree or throw it into the bushes. Psychologists help me understand what that is all about please.

Hanging's not good enough for them I say.....

Im going camping at the end of next month and fancy cycling there instead, it's only 2 nights so packing light (80 miles each way).

One concern is that my frame wont allow me to pack very much as it is a 48cm caad10

would like to fit a 5l alpkit drybag to the front for clothes but not sure if that would fit.

*edit sorry, replied to you scoble as I was going to mention if the Inertia X-Lite sleeping pad is any good for people who sleep on their sides.

5l is pretty small. I've been to look at the Apidura 12l and that would happily fit on pretty much all road bike bars.

Same mentality as to when people are in groups methinks. Common sense evaporates and becomes too complex.
I know booze is involved, but ever see the aftermath of one of those canal dinghy/boat parties in the summer? It's fucking depressing.

if the Inertia X-Lite sleeping pad is any good for people who sleep on their sides.

Think it is shaped to fit the lumpy bits on your back no? E.g. Shoulder blades etc?

Pondering, frame bags maybe not ideal for my bike it seems?

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Revelate Tangle Medium on my bike should fit about like on this bike ; with the assumed large distance to the down tube will it wobble?

Get a custom made one? Wildcat.

These Revelate look good. You think it might not work or should I order? Anybody got one in London I could try?

Apidura? Can return easy then.

Yep, the pharmacy store them I believe. Will give them a ring tomorrow.

Make your own?

http://www.pedalingnowhere.com/gear/how-to-make-a-bikepacking-framebag-krampus/

@fussballclub there's a Large Alpkit Possum on Bike & Bivvi group on Facebook, £50 might work for you?

Got home from a bikepacking trip from London to Copenhagen yesterday. Absolutely bloody brilliant trip - already planning the next one.
I chose bikepacking as I wanted to be as light as I could, and couldn't afford a touring bike anyway...so I used my commuter. Total cost of extra kit for the bike was around £100, including Alpkit bags, iphone mount for navigation and a basic bike computer.
It took 11 days to get there, of which 8 were on the road. Total distance 1075km. Daily distances ranged from 90 to 185km.
I had 2 days off in Amsterdam and 1 in Hamburg, staying at friends' houses in both. The rest of the time I was in cheap hotels.
Totally lucked out on the weather - no rain at all apart from the rest day in Hamburg!

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That's sounds like a good trip:) Is that a 20 liter drybag on the bars?

Yep. The 13l might have been a touch small, although would have forced me to carry even less weight.

Nice work! I'm moving to Copenhagen in September and considering so something similar when I pop back to the UK

Coming from mountain bike forums and more offroadie set up's the Alpkit 13l drybag up front on the handlebars is a very common set up choice, i would say many consider it an ideal size and less volume means more ruthless packing and equipment choice.

Posts like this is why I came to lfgss.

That worked better then I thought! Angel @pharmacy fitted this on the bike yesterday after work.

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I just recieved a 20l dry bag from Alpkit but it's a bit bigger than I expected. The straps are so far apart that they are exactly where my hands would be on the tops. How did you get along with this?

That looks almost bespoke for your bike - good find.

Coming from mountain bike forums and more offroadie set up's the Alpkit 13l drybag up front on the handlebars is a very common set up choice, i would say many consider it an ideal size and less volume means more ruthless packing and equipment choice.

Yeah it would definitely have been good to have a slightly smaller one, but I was away for over two weeks in all and needed enough clothes for all that, inc four days wandering around Copenhagen and I wanted to be able to dress like a normal person! I mostly had lighter, bulkier things like clothes in the front bag, and heavier smaller things in the seatpost bag.

I just recieved a 20l dry bag from Alpkit but it's a bit bigger than I expected. The straps are so far apart that they are exactly where my hands would be on the tops. How did you get along with this?

I managed to roll up each end to keep it as small as possible, depending on what I had inside it each day. The straps never seemed much of a problem, I just shoved them along or put my hands over the top of them. It's never going to be perfect, but for £13 it was bloody good!

Looks good. Frame bag like that is so useful.

The straps are so far apart that they are exactly where my hands would be on the tops.

Are the straps long enough that you can do them up to each other, rather than themselves? In a sort of cross formation.

This might take them away from your hand position on the flats.