Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

Looks great. That in 10l with ultra lightweight shoulder straps that could be zipped away would be perfect.

I’ve put a 20l dry bag on top of a rack before and it’s just a tad too unstable for me off road. Might work for you.

Rec Alpkit Dual 13 or 20, you can easily attach to a rack and it's definitely waterproof.

This might be too small but will last...https://bigxtop.com/products/saddle-roll

I don't like saddle bags.

Revelate saddle bags rock my world

I've had no issues with my Viscachas. I also don't understand this pack/unpack thing - you ram everything in, then when you want something you put the back wheel between legs or lean the bike, unwrap and throw your hand in to grab the thing the other hand can hold up and open the bag to make sure nothing falls out, put on saddle, roll up. I can't believe I'm explaining how to use a bag... then again I did see something in the meme thread that showed a 20yo person didn't realise you could wait for the shower to warm up before getting in.

Oh, I thought of an issue - on the MTB I previously use a Wolftooth Valais to protect the shaft (ooh nurse) but my new 27.2 dropper doesn't work with Wolftooth Valais so I'm not sure what I'll do (tape probs but I'd by another one if Wolftooth made on in 27.2)

Who on earth uses a knife roll that protects the handles but not the blades?

Lomo if you want cheaper than Ortlieb
https://www.lomo.co.uk/product-category/dry-bags-boxes/dry-bag-rucksacks/

or maybe Upso but not quite as waterproof
https://upsobags.co.uk/product-category/backpacks/

I don't want something heavy/bulky like leather. I wonder what the lightest but most abrassion resistant material is?

tricky question; there's some super-light cuben fibre/Dyneema/aramid-fibre stuff which is technically highly abrasion resistant, but prone to punctures. Plus it's so light, anything dense jiggles about, and needs securing. I'd say you need a mix of a fabric with a bit of body to it, the durability, plus stability.

Skinny has a good point too about something big enough (and light coloured!) to lay parts/equipment on while fixing, so you don't leave anything behind.

Insane idea would be a dynema wallet thing with inflatable section; lash the roll onto the bike, few pumps and it makes it super secure and stops tools rattling....

so you don't leave anything behind.

I've never left anything behind, except, ironically, my glasses :)
Oh, and that one time my Gore shorts blew off a balcony in TransAm (I suspect).

What about courier bag material, 1000D Cordura or similar? That's pretty tough and can be all kinds of colours. Actually, I just remembered I have a PAC tool bag from one of my courier bags I've never used. I think it's a bit big but might be a nice starting point.

After some help please with a steer towards some kit to convert my old 26er into a part time bikepacker. I'm a.seasomed camper but never by bike so a bit overwhelmed as i know virtually nothing of any bike related gear or termimology so bear with me, here goes....

See pics of current mtb set up, Ideally looking for kit that's quickly and easily removable so I can thrash around mtb single-track trails when not loaded.

Bike only has 1 bottle mount and I going to remove cage and fit frame bag there, something like a revelate ranger. Water is going in camelback in ruksack along with a few kg of stuff. As front dérailleurs are a thing of the past it seems, will these modern frame bags work OK and taper down enough at crank side to not interfere with FD and 3 rings? or is there a bags with little cuts I need to get?

Does anyone make something so i can fit a bottle or slim dry bag or two to the underside of the downtube? Thinking of some kind of flat bracket to use in the frame bottle bosses that I can still fit a full size.frame bag over, with straps/loops to a bracket umder the downtube i can attach stuff to? Any recommendations/alternatives for this space?

Onto the rear end, as I have a dropper I thinking of just getting a tiny.saddle bag for multi tool/ levers/tubes/patches.

Is there some kind of skinny rack I can fit using those mudguard bosses on the rear monostay? with maybe a support bracket on the seat tube beneath the seatpost collar?.
Obvs not thinking this can take much weight, but something like a sleeping bag. Other thought is maybe just try and fit a dry bag direct to the monostsy somehow, any.funky bracket I can get for that space that will avoid a bodge that risks things sliding into the rear wheel? Open to any other suggestions for packing at the rear end of this? Maybe another begind the stem bar bag can go here?

And finally onto the front. With hydro brakes and levers, FD and RD gear cables and dropper levers and cables it's already an utter shitshow up there. And I've got a Wahoo and a Gopro for time-lapsey still to be fitte to the bars, so the traditional un-aero loaf of bread style handlebar bag up against the bars is not going to work.

Is there some kind long skinny rack similar to what i wanted for the rear, that could positiom a loaf of bread size light luggage, in the aero position below and in front of the cabling shambles? I've got a spacer of a few cm under the stem so thinking maybe a bracket there and then maybe an extra support looped over the stem near the bars. Does anything like this exist? Any other suggestions for storage out front when there s a jutting outcrop of cables?

If I cant use a big bar bag or get a front rack, then maybe get something like bar mounted pouch/dry.bag to hang either side of the stem?

I also plan to get a largish behind the stem top tube bag, that magnetic flippy one looks good, forgotten the name of it. Is there any really long amd slim draught excluder type top tube bags that run full length of top tube?

Any pointers gratefully received, thanks.

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I wouldn't put stuff in a backpack unless absolutely necessary.

Revelate do Joey bags and there's a downtube bag named after me from Beer Biker that's designed for tent poles but she'll do other custom stuff. There's also plenty of band-on bottle cage mounts that can allow you to put cages everywhere.

Dunno about aero, you're on an MTB, just stick a front roll on it.

Yes, there are full top tube length bags. Just have a look at Ortlieb, Revelate, Restrap and Apidura sites and you'll see many options.

On an MTB, I prefer full frame bags with tools and bladder paired with front roll for sleep kit, stem bag for batteries and nick nacks and a couple of feed bags. If I need more capacity I'll then add a Restrap Race saddle bag although I try to avoid this for dropper reasons. Hydro pack if I need it is the last thing I'll add - weight on body is the last thing I want.

weight on body is the last thing I want.

👀

You could get a salsa anything cradle (or similar) that moves the bag away from your bars.

How many days you bikepacking for?
What's your budget for kit?

I set 'em up...

Thanks a lot for this, I'll investigate those. Reckon that's frame and top tube bag and some band on bottle cage mounts sorted.

I'm used to riding all day with a 4-5kg ruksak so thought I might as well use the donkey rider as a beast of burden for some lugging, with the bladder and few things in backpack.

I'm only going to be exploring Wales, Scotland and Northern England, not crossing continents in a few days like you and @skinny so overheating isn't going to be a problem.

And ha I didn't mean mean a pointy loaf front rack for the aeroz, more that a pointy loaf would fit better in the gap between bar cables. Tho surely it is more aeroz even on a mtb. Has XavD and the Aerocoach crew not been 'dragged' into the backpacking realm yet for you country crushing riders?

I had thought rolls would be a problem up front as again the bulgy outty cables would be in the way, but yes as @cheekysnaker (thanks!) suggests the salsa or some other sort of bracket that pushes bracket out from bars 3-4 inches looks the way to go, so thanks for that, and i can srrap a drag bag/sleeping bag to that. Something like that might work on the rear monostay too.

And @skinny just thinking up to a week but more often 2-4 days. I like light but not slumming it in a ditch style, have decent tent, want at least 2 rings for cooking, thinking 2 of those firebox nanos as love the design and tiny pack size, probs ti for full tart light weight tart option. And just ordered a lofi cup cooker with powerbank fan to test for quick morning tea and variable heat and aa a 3rd ring option. (#gastrotwat) Have airmattress, chair , and down sleeping bag so got most of the camp kit.

I love good design so don't I'd paying for something genuinely great, but happy to bodge gaffer tape and ziptie if they the best solutioms.

That's given me more googling so thanks all.

You could probably borrow some stuff too. I seem to have more front rolls (hippyisfat) than bikes now for some reason.

If you want to bring a chair and cook on three stoves I suspect you might need a big rear rack! Which is a good thing, smallish panniers bring a lot of capacity.
Jack the bike rack or that thing from carradice is nice for bags on bars too.
There are lowriders for suspension forks I think, if you want more than cages/small bags on your forks.

Thanks, they look pretty quick and easy to fit/remove too, and still might be able to thread tho my front bar cable mess.

Looks like similar for the back would work tho my monostay is way fatter than any handlebar adaptors they show, so may need a bodge to fit that at the back.

Would still prefer a rear rack that most of rack detaches with a clip, leaving only minimal clamp on frame. The less attachments I can break myself on in mtb stacks the better I think :)

Chair etc does sound like you want to be carrying quite a bit. Though I do love having a chair.

The Ortlieb Quick-rack may fit your bike?

The chair actually packs up with the tent ok, and is of those things I always regret not bringing so it's defo coming.

As ever with camping you never quite know how much space you need until you start packing all the shit together, so we'll see, but thimk i ok. My upcoming trip has car campers coming along so I can always throw some bulky stuff in their car this time out, but will surely refine what I take over the coming months.

And cheers for rack suggestion, like the look of that, they on sale in Condor too so actually have a shop I can go and see if it actually fits frame, which seems pretty rare. There's nowhere in London I can see that does Revelate designs stuff for example so I can rock up and test stuff.

If anyone is looking for these locally, you can find mesh document pouches in Great Art in Shoreditch - https://www.greatart.co.uk/rumold-transparent-mesh-bags.html

They've got a range of sizes and they're fairly robust.

The Quick Rack is really good, you need to get the adapter kit for a frame without eyelets and they feel very secure when riding.

I have an unused Quick Rack - it didn't reach the axle mounts and I didn't want to use a frame kit.

So, I might still try and extend the legs using OMM adapters and then I'll get another axle for my Scott or something and have double rackage.