Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

I had phone, one of those credit card wallets and couple of snickers innit. Snug fit and worked like a charm, didn't flop much around. That said i don't have experience about other gas tank packs, so can't compare to anything. For the price (10-ish euros) i like it.

Dies anyone have any experience of the Alpkit Possum or Stingray.

It looks like the Large Possum would be close to an ideal fit for my bike. However, the large is £60.

For £65, Alpkit offer the Stingray which is tailor-made to your specifications. It seems worth £5 extra.

Are there any other differences that anyone knows of?

Also very interested. Looking forward to the verdict :)

Anyone use the White Box Stove? Any good?

Description is trying a bit too hard sell

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=221147751428&alt=web

Bear bones also has a similar one

I've built a couple of similar double wall stoves. Seem to work fine, but I can't really say how they fare against anything else.

I camped with a guy who used one. It's nice and all, but my guinness can was better (faster on the same amount of fuel, lighter) except if I stand on it, it'll probably break. Then I'd make a new one for free though..

I tried a lot of different designs: pseudo pressure stoves, penny stoves, inverted types, spiral types. All were more effort than they were worth and required stands. This is by far the best design i've come across:
https://vimeo.com/64726512

Although I didn't try any of this guys (amazing) ones:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkW-fhQAZjE

Just a quick thumbs up for the KTM 18L saddle pack. Both @santino and I used one for the London-Paris-London. To be safe we attached extra straps to secure it to the bike a lot stronger, possibly to the point of overkill, but we could ride out the saddle no problem. It is a very low cost option. I used a Karrimor drysack for convenience, but it wasn't really necessary

@Paradroid @7Üp spookily both of those are what I currently use (i was making new can stoves last night infact), was considering an n+1 especially as this has a windshield that I could then use in combo with bearbones & diy stoves.

+

= windshield (and potlid)

I can relate to the n+1, very much true also with diy-ing. Free or cheap materials, endless variations. And burning stuff. The last thing I made (pic below) seems to work perfectly fine, but I feel it's a bit too large for the pot I'm using. So, maybe I'll need another...

Which would you rate more. Apidura or reveleate?

Revelates for innovation, Apidura for quality clone.

Not sure apidura will work actually. Don't see how I'll connect it.

Do want something better than alpkit though.

That type of bag cries spacers?

Yeah and I have none.

I've seen some innovative top tube bags from XLAB. No idea if they actually are any good or if they are available in Europe.

http://xlab-usa.com/products/bags-and-pods.html

Not strictly bike-packing but most of the talk of drybags, etc seems to be on here.
Any suggestions on where to get drybags? Looking for one or two for camera equipment, etc and also for sleeping bag with some form of mounting points so I can attach to a rucksack.

Cheers

After 3 years of planning, fiddling, building, breaking, developing, riding, binning, etc etc the @Restrap bike pack stuff finally set to launch within next week or 2.

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aggi, drybags.

Pretty much any outdoorsy shop will sell them.
Tesco have been doing a cheap 3bag pack by Summit.

I use some from http://www.alpkit.com you deal direct hence low prices, and Karrimor these are at the lower end of the price scale as well and can be picked up in sport direct shops.

Big brand names from high street retailers will cost more.

@skinny @mishmash11 @Machine...

Revelate gas tank was fine, the double zip seems easier to open/close when stuffed with a rain jacket or something bulky and overall it seems slightly larger than than the Apidura version (might just be because you can open it up all the way...)

The Revelate head-tube fastning velcro is adjustable so you can run the attachment real low, or put two loops of velcro on if you've got mega spacers I guess! Not hugely keen on the top-tube attachment though, the velcro/plastic loop seems overkill compared with the neat little velcro flaps on the Apidura.

Either way, both are pretty sweet and have a some decent foam/stuff in the sides to stiffen them up and the "wide" attachment at the top-tube (rather than the narrow molle-style fixing on the Alpkit version) seems to keep things steady there. As long as the velcro straps are done up, I haven't experienced either flapping around when full or empty!

Thanks. I've bought from alpkit before so knew that was somewhere to look but was wondering if I was missing anywhere else obvious.

On one have some, but you have to trawl the site to find them

Sea to summit, Ultrasil. Most outdoors shops stock.

Cheers for reporting back!

I think I've taken the plunge on a BikeBagDude frame bag, handlebar roll, and TT tank too, all custom specs. Seatbag will be Oveja Negra. This would be going on my FS bike...will have to put up a few pics soon.

Are you british? Check out wildcat. http://www.wildcatgear.co.uk/

haha not quite. Lived in London for a bit, now in Perth Australia.

Edit: the "tomcat" bag for the touring bars looks ace!