Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

It's a good question r.e. bladder, I have a handful and the shape can be awkward, the Camelbak one while is a brilliant hydration pack, have a massive cap which need to be store vertical in a frame bag.

The one @cake recommended (Platypus) look idea to be stored in a frame and wish I have gone for that one.

A 1 litres bladder is recommended, max 2 litres as that's way more than 3 bottles worth!

Echoing's @laner a custom frame bag is only worth it if you're going full frame bag, half frame bag already work for nearly all of the road bike out there.

I have been touring in the last week with a 2 litres bladder, and it was great to be able to drink without being concern about rationing the water from the bottle.

I'm gonna do a lots more research on this, it would be great if a company produced a bikepacking hydration pack that sit neatly in the frame bag.

Platypus big zip.

Speaking of bikepacking, I really really want this;

I did want one too, but seeing them in use slightly put me off. Don't know if they had the wrong bags etc, but the racks didn't seem that effective in this video https://youtu.be/6oYA6_3Bjr8

Are we hoping 24 spoke wheels will carry all the extra weight without popping spokes?

I am carrying spare spokes and a wheelbuilder (cc/ @Klar ) plus I thought 24 spokes at that rim depth is quite a lot (?)

I am off chocolate and cheese so not mega heavy atm too :P

Im in a similar position having just sold 2 of my bikes, contemplating buying some 28 or 32's but may just chance it at 77kg's

Personally feel people worry too much about spoke counts, I've been touring on wheels with 18 radial spokes. Just bring a spoke key, worst case scenario you have to true them a few times until you get to a shop whence you buy a new set of cheap-ish 32 spokers and post your old ones home

Cheapish 32 spoke disc 11 speed road compatible (possibly thru axle) wheels...

Not sure you can apply your logic generally, especially not to @amey

Like plain old disc wheels in the £150-200 not-ultra-shit sweet spot. If one is touring on deep-section 24 spoke wheels one can probably afford the expense and clearly they fill a gap in one's wheel roster, or one would have chosen something else. That's what I'd do anyway, YMMV.

But yes @amey is an exception. Rather than buying just some new wheels he'd walk out with an electric cargo bike or something

could this work?

how useful is the hosing?

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@HatBeard @rj -- I've been eyeing the evernew for awhile, but i hate the idea of having to carry around a bottle of fuel.

how much use can you get out of one of the pocket rocket canisters? enough for a couple days?

The platypus is great. not that expensive, and also comes with a little clip for the hose, I tend to loop it and clip it to my bar bag.

I just weighed my unused canister at 198g
the canister I used on two overnights to boil about 4-5 pots of water (2-2.5l total) weighs 157g, base canister weight is about 100g i believe so it's just over half full still.

I wish they'd print the empty weights on the canisters. It would save me having to take two when I'm not sure how much gas I have left!

About bladders: I had to put a longer hose on mine.

Also second that the screw thing that camelback uses is not nice in a framebag. Plus line broke faster than the decathlon one I have now.

And a solution to attach the hose to bars is nice.

If you hang your mug from your bag I will personally hunt you down and steal your bike. You don’t deserve to ride bicycles if you do that.

What's your reasoning here?

Yeah, crabon wheels with internal nipples aint the best option

Because it’s try hard hipster. Like gold chains and spinners.

Each to their own though. But surely it’d fit IN the bag really.

Don’t mind me, I’m just not cool.

What if it’s done ironically?

Also, sorry to disappoint you, but you’re about as cool as Lfgss gets.

they are not internal

And there was me thinking you'd have some rational reasons, like #aeroiseverything, or it leaves the mug exposed to sheep shit getting thrown up from the trail!

They're very inconvenient to pack, being completely rigid and fairly bulky. And easy access for tea/lunch stops. But as you know better than any of us you could just pack less and squish it in the bag.

Frequency is 90% hipsters, 9% functional necessity, 1% ironicality (just @TM I guess)

Tea? Lunch stops?

What is this, retirement?

That’s where I’m going wrong!

If it’s done ironically you need a china mug. One of those huge ones for extra kudos.

Maybe I’ll do that this year...

One that says ‘I’m a mug’