Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

Bon Jon Pass? Holding up ok so far?

A bit of adventure porn for you all.

http://adventure-journal.com/2016/03/across-america-on-two-wheels-in-the-dirt/?utm_content=buffer990c8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Yup, very nice too.

Good to know. Collecting some from the post office tomorrow :)

I'm only 30 pages through re-reading the thread. What's the current verdict on riding carbon?

Lightweight tour, the Swindon-Berlin thing - will be away a whole month, up to 3 weeks is cycling. All road, packing as light as possible. KTM saddle bag with minimal clothes, jungle bag and bivvy.

Bike choice is either the Koga Miyata Fullpro Oval (2000? 2001?), or the Cannondale Synapse Carbon (2010 maybe?).

Cannondale has done a half-loaded 100 miler no problem, Swindon-London with a change of clothes and stuff in the saddle bag, but I haven't tried loaded with an extra couple kg.

When climbing hard in training, the Koga's started creaking, and I can feel the flex in the steerer/stem. A little worried about this. Seems to be related to the front end somewhere.

Then again, the Cannondale is carbon...so...

It will be fine

Got out for a quick S24O this weekend. Good to get away from the crowds.

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My surly has gone back to my parents for summer in favour of a road bike, so I want to make my fixed gear a bit more suitable for taking on mini camping trips.

I have drybags but I want to get both a seatback and handlebar harness to help secure them a little better to the bike. What's my cheapest option? Alpkit? Their drybags seem good value but the harnesses are less cheap.

Alpkit? Their drybags seem good value but the harnesses are less cheap.

Cheap:

https://www.alpkit.com/products/joey

Yeah I just saw that! Thanks. If I'm strict with money for a month or so I'll stretch to a seatpack then should be sorted

Nice one, enjoy.

https://www.ortlieb.com/en/produkte/bikepacking/

loaded by David Martin, on Flickr

That's a pretty good sleeping mat. Much better than Thermarest.

Thanks for posting.... although it's made me start lusting after adventure again... long time till I can do anything like that again.

Certainly not sacrificing comfort...

Anyone have the Bike Pack Doubletwist. Am wondering how well it fits over the TT behind the handle bar. Hope to use it on a Fat Boy. It's the larger section that's behind the bars right?

http://bikepack.pl/en/bikepack-bags/13-doubletwist-c.html

No it will all sit in below your bars/in front of headtube.

Any cool bar bags that are easy to access that will work nicely with aerobars fitted?

Thanks, just having problems imagining it, despite helpful images on their site.

Are you implying that you'd like to be able to access them whilst in motion?

Yeah, like a bigger version of a top tube bag, that's not on or near the top tube.

I have one already but it's for touring and can't be mounted when aerobars are fitted so I was thinking of something that could go in-between or under the aerobars?

Kinda, but not quite.

I see what you mean.

Something like that would foul with a handlebar roll.

My best bet would be to go with a torpedo style bottle holder and then just molish a bar/banana sling to fit under it. How far apart do you usually have your bars?

Check out Bike Bag Dudes facebook page, he made a bar bag that fits in the space of a Jones H-bar...just turn it around so the tapered edge faces the wind. You could get him to do a little clever resizing to the width you need and it'll suspend perfectly off the aerobars, and be aero too!!
Edit to add: his garage top tube bag is one of the largest in the business too, if not the largest.