Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

I was looking at that just yesterday as a way to take enough stuff on the Dunwich to sleep comfy, warm and dry on the beach, but for the Serotta and it's "no rack eyelets" frame and fork.

I think it looks really nice. Going to measure up tonight and maybe order one.

Have I missed chatter around this? Looks good...

https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/cargo/the-bindle-rack

Seatpost clamp looks like it'll rub a hole in your shorts.

Next thing you'll know, someone invents a rack that can be attached to dropouts and you can put bags there...

So, I cut down one of the Karrimor mats and it just about fits between my drops but it still seems bulky as fuck and is likely to mess with my hands unless I can strap it in such a way as to hold it away from the bars. Tempted to chuck the towel in with foam mats and just get an inflatable one or leave it out altogether but maybe with a little more trimming and on the other bike it might actually fit ok?

Tried a Revelate framebag which I didn't like as it interfered with my legs. Looks like I'll stick with the smaller Deuter framebag.

Got a Revelate Gas Tank top tube bag and it's pretty big compared to my others but why don't they give enough velcro to actually go around the head tube properly?! They clearly don't expect people with slammed stems and no excess steerer. I'll probably move the velcro up to the top position and it should hook around the bit of steerer I have sitting proud.

On a very different level of extremity, I've been touring with one of these and they're so comfortable, light and pack down so small I can't see why I'd choose anything else. It takes 2 mins to inflate, which surely isn't that much of a penalty? Never feel the floor through them (even when basically lying on logs/bricks) and get a great night's sleep. Yoga mats/self-inflating mats never give me that level of comfort, which I value over the two mins of inflation... I guess potential problem is they could puncture, but if you have a repair kit there's no massive risk and they seem pretty sturdy...

I went for one of these: http://www.klymit.com/insulated-static-v.html

But there are some insane superlight ones available: http://www.klymit.com/inertia-x-frame.html which is only 258gms and yet full length inflatable.

Sounds like a cheaper version of the NeoAir XLite I was looking into a while back:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thermarest-Therm-a-Rest-NeoAir-Xlite-Mattress/dp/B00BP64P1I

230g for the Small. 23 x 9 (cm) pack size.

Are you planning a trip or something?

Aye, I was buying on budget and convenience (I was already on the alpkit website buying a bivvy!) but to my mind they knock yoga mats/self-inflating options out of the park on comfort and convenience...

I have a Karrimor, a yoga mat, a Therm-A-Rest 3/4 self-inflating and I'll probably buy an inflatable now just because I don't have enough shit in my flat already....

Yep, I'm sure you can spend more and save grams, just wanted to shout out for the comfort and convenience/packability...

Just solo touring and camping. No events.

It's ridiculous perhaps, but I want more time on the bike, and slowness of nights outside.

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I've got the slightly heavier duty version of that one. You can get a small light pump for it that runs off a single AA battery which is pretty handy. Leave it for a couple of minutes while you're sorting other stuff out and it's pretty much ready to go. Combined they pack down smaller and lighter than a foam roll.

Where'd you get your Klymit from? Used anything else to compare it with?

Yeah, for £40 it's a bargain. It looks pretty small packed in the pics too. But if I'm going to buy ANOTHER one, I'll buy the most expensive, lightest, smallest I can :)

The yoga mat that someone recommended rolls/folds easier so is more compact when packed than the Karrimor but the blue foam Karrimor is more than twice as thick and someone else said it was way better than yoga mat for warmth/weight.

I'm just going to burn all this stuff and stay in hotels..

My foam roll is about 80g cut down I think. The yoga mat is less cut down but more like 300g.

Ordered from Amazon.com US website.

I'd slept on straight tube inflatable ones, but found them uncomfortable... the air moves around too much and I'd wake with the sides being firm but me feeling the floor.

The Klymit was the first design I thought would fix that, it's weird chevron tubes means any air loss still results in an even distribution. It remains comfortable all night.

I chose the insulated one simply because I was buying my wife one at the same time and she feels the cold quite badly. His 'n' Hers. I maybe would've gone for the second one I linked above if I were not trying to just buy identical stuff to avoid the "How come you get the better one?" type debates. That said, I love the one I did buy, it's pretty light at 700gms but not ultralight.

I reckon you could buy a few packs of these and cover both mattress and nutrition...

Think that's why the NeoAir has the tubes going side-to-side, rather than length-ways.

Second trip with a new S2S Ultralight inflatable mat and it is leaking. On a -6C night no less. Couldn't find the leak, so had to resort to using an emergency blanket to get through the night. If it was a puncture it went through a Tyvek groundsheet and a tent bathtub floor.

How prone are inflatable mats to punctures? I have a date with a bath tub tomorrow to try and find where my leak is coming from to fix it. Is the Thermarest NeoAir XLite fairly durable?

http://www.bikepacking.com/gear/sleeping-pads-for-bikepacking/

No experience but reviews here.

Cheers