Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

Fuck me that's a ride on a fixed - seriously impressive/mental.

That's insane! Fair play.

I've just ordered a Topeak Frontloader and Backloaded (15L) as reviews seem favourable and were really cheap. Will have to see whether that means cheerful or nasty.

<3

I've got the Midloader and I'm really happy with it for the price. I'm ordering the 6ltr or 10ltr Backloader as well.

My setup from this weekends trip.

I have to still source some pedals for this bike, but flats are surprisingly convenient if you decide the sun might melt you and you want to go for a quiet ramble amongst the trees to cool off...

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Nice bike. What's with this trend for tin mugs hanging off your seatpack? Doesn't it rattle like fuck and drive you mad?!

Try and cram it in a compression sack, it probably can be done but wouldn’t want to do that every day trying to make sure it’s well compressed without taking too much room.

Shouldn’t rattle if secure well,

Yes, a 15L backpack as well
Now into Latvia and Robert has joined the tour

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Big up to the LFGSS Hivemind™ for sorting out my sweaty back with the carradice suggestions. I went with the SQR Tour in the end and it looks spot on for my commuting needs.

Just fitted it on Day 1 of my 2 weeks of paternity leave so it won't get used in anger for awhile.

In the meantime here's some shitty phone pics. I find it bloody hard to get a decent pic of this bike. It's really not that ugly in real life.

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Any good recommendations for pillows? Cant do clothes in a dry bag anymore.

Packable down jackets are light and comfy to sleep on. And good emergency layer if it's colder than you think. Alternatively, my gf has an Exped air pillow that's tiny and rather decent.

I really rate this, use it at home all the time as well.
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5046-842/Deluxe-Pillow

Not used extensively, like maybe 2 nights but happy with the sea to summit aeros

my gf has an Exped air pillow that's tiny and rather decent

I also have one of these, by far the best part of my sleep kit in terms of weight/cost/pack size to comfort ratio.

Has anyone tried an empty dry-bag with air in it? Guessing it'd leak air in most cases?

Thought they were water-tight?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt_qHKsz4k0

https://www.tripsavvy.com/surprising-uses-for-a-dry-bag-3260198

Yeah, they're water-tight, but if I fill mine up with air they're usually well-sealed enough to puff up with air. I've never tried putting the weight of my head on one though and I feel like at higher pressures (due to more weight resting on it) it won't stay air tight. A pillow that you have to reinflate 6 times through the night is more annoying than no pillow. Also it needs to be pretty sturdy to not pop, which would leave you pillow-less and with no dry bag for your clothes or whatever

The advantage of a dry-bag would be that it's dual purpose so doesn't waste weight/pack space, and you wouldn't have to blow it up with lung power, which I guess isn't that big a deal for a tiny pillow that's only about one lungful in volume anyway

I tried it just now with a Lomo bag I've got, it doesn't immediately deflate but who knows how long it'd retain air. I'd have to sleep on the floor to find out I suppose.

PS. general thread comment, big mistake that people often make with air pillows is over-inflating them I think, they're much more comfy when they're what I would describe as "half" full. Same for sleeping pads.

A pillow that you have to reinflate 6 times through the night is more annoying than no pillow

Not quite true. Like the airbeds of old, if it helps you fall asleep and you stay asleep it doesn't matter. We'd always wake up with completely flat airbeds when camping, it's just what they did. I never reinflated one during the night so guess I never noticed them go flat.

I never noticed them go flat.

Like the mighty blue whale, you've got metres of blubber cushioning and insulating you from the ground. A personal waterbed wherever you lay

Jokes aside I get what you mean, and it's like a 10 second job to reinflate a drybag. I might try it next time I feel like sleeping on the floor (not as rare as one might hope)

I wish. Even with 111% body fat my stupid bones always find some way to be painful, the fuckers.

Time for a bonectomy. Crowdfund it on here, I'll chip in

Edit: or we can replace them with carbon fibre ones? Turn you into a sort of cycling Wolverine thing. You could speed around, engaging in vigilante justice and saving us from car drivers and stuff

I already look like Wolverine's fat cousin and I would love to flip cars onto their roofs for justice..

Cheap, light, small packsize, works fine.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-basic-pillow-grey-id_8055369.html

my gf has an Exped air pillow that's tiny and rather decent

Another recommendation for the exped pillow, very small and perfectly comfortable.

I think I want to add a spork to my kit.

Anyone with experience care to comment on foldable spork vs. longer dual-ended ones?

ie.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/snapwire-foon
vs.
https://www.pannier.cc/shop/category/camping-stoves-cookware-water/titanium-spork