Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

@skinny thanks

ha ha ha ha ha ha!

10/10 troll

Anyone have any experience with the sleeping bags that PlanetX sell under the brand name ‘Zastrugi’? This one here https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/SBZAD400/zastrugi-darksky-400-down-sleeping-bag

Seems decent, claimed 800g, responsibly sourced down, and comfortable at 3 degrees apparently… There’s only a couple reviews so just wondering if anyone has used them

I got a decathlon down sleeping back for that price recently. They had one colourway as their 'first price' so it was cheaper than normal. Have only used indoors once so far but seems decent quality and lightweight. Had good reviews.

Fork bags without any fork mounts, what's best to do? Some sort of pclip or is there a better option.?
Thanks

Have a scan through here: https://bikepacking.com/index/cargo-cages-anything-bags/

I think Ortlibe Fork bags come with alternative mounting as standard.

Tailfin ones design for no fork mounts are worth a look

It may not need saying, but be careful that you don't overload any fork legs not designed for the extra weight.

@chiroshi @King_Saxlingham @jackbepablo thankyou

I've used Topeak Versacage mounts in Badlands (with 1L of water on each cage) and also a 2 week bikepacking tour with tent/sleeping bag on them. They were solid.
A bit of a faff to put on, but other than that, I would recommend.

I don't think any forks are designed for the extra weight as such - the brazeons are what potentially weaken a fork , and any reinforcement and load testing is to make up for that.

Carbon and crushing forces might be a different story though, especially with a band-on mount.

Maybe not extra weight, but certainly mass attached to the fork legs. Any fork designed with having a rack or cages attached will (or should according to ISO) be tested with different load cases than a normal fork.

Any strap-on system won't cause too high crushing forces on carbon. P-clips or hose clamp type things may.

Yeah but that's because of the mounts interfering with the structure of the fork and having extra mass on those small points. That's why I wouldn't worry about weight if you're just strapping stuff to your regular fork. It can handle the weight as long as you aren't crushing anything. /pedant

I'd worry more about stuff falling into the wheel with a diy solution.

@cjr they look like a good option thanks

Interested in whether anyone has one of these in London? Would love the chance to see if it fits my sleeping bag

https://www.ortlieb.com/uk_en/fork-pack

Just getting by setup dialled in. Currently I have a full frame bag, saddle pack mad bar bag. How would I best distribute my gear?

Bar bag:
Sleeping bag, hammock, jacket

Saddle bag:
Tarp, clothes, crocs

Frame bag:
Tools, tubes

Waist pack:
Wallet, snacks

2x bottle bags on the stem

If I end up taking the tent this will take up most of the saddle pack.

General rules of thumb:
1) Keep things that may get wet (shelter) apart from things you need to keep dry (sleeping bag, insulation).
2) Think about what you may need to access during the ride, e.g jacket. Once packed, I tend to leave my seat pack as something that doesn't get opened during the day (depends on style of bag).
3) Weight low down, bulky but less dense up high (so tools and tubes in frame bag looks like a good idea).

My view (and depends on the gear as some “wiggle” less the others”) is to keep sleep gear together in a bag I won’t open so it stays dry and together. This is often the set pack as sleep gear is soft so compressed well limiting sag and most of my bags are tapered at the nose.

Mat and tarp/bivy rolled up in the bar bag as a nice narrow tube (either long and thin for mtb, short and fat for road)

Then heavy stuff in the frame bag and food in cockpit bags. I don’t like having much on the front of the bike as (imho) it makes the bikes steering feel sloppy so I try and have as little on the forks as possible.

Crocs on feet surely!

However you organise this, expect it to have to change. You won't wanna put a wet tarp in with dry clothes, for example. Or a wet jacket in with a down bag.

This is why bikepacking is shite.

For me, 2 seasons:
Frame bag: food, tools, raincoat, electronics, 750ml bottle, collapsible extra water bottle
Saddle bag: sleeping bag, warm layer, sleeping mat, bivvy bag
Top tube bag: camera, wallet, keys, route notes

3 seasons:
Frame bag: food, tools, raincoat, electronics, 750ml bottle, collapsible extra water bottle
Saddle bag: warm layers, extra clothing
Bar bag: sleeping bag, sleeping mat, shelter
Top tube bag: camera, wallet, keys, route notes

All bags are ancient Revelate and work great. I have an old large 29er so decent frame triangle space. I focus more on reducing number of things, than any individual weight or size.

I've done my last two mini tours in £5 croc ripoffs. I've gone all in and bought some shimano spd sandals.

Nice. I went on a trip around France with a fella who swears by them. Didn't bring any other shoes at all.

Used to swear by them as well untill i lost balance in a muddy field in France. The strap broke and i slid out of my crocs, making me immediately go down. Bent my derailleur and broke my chain. Still my favorite camp shoes though.