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Interesting to read but there's a problem with his conclusions - he was riding at not far off 20mph, a speed you're unlikely to be going on a loaded touring bike unless you've a nice tailwind.
And because of the exponential relationship between speed & drag, if he was going at a more realisitic speed/ power level the aerodynamic impact would be quite significantly reduced making the difference between the set ups much less important.
Would be curious to see the results if he was putting out less power, going at a more normal touring pace.
Potential repost, but hopefully not. Interesting speed test here comparing various bikepacking set-ups: http://www.cyclingabout.com/speed-difference-between-panniers-bikepacking-bags-aerodynamic-testing-results/