Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

posted this on Functional, actually make more sense here:

now i've decided i don't need them myself i'll share these from ebay...

Jandd Mini mountain panniers... Guys seems to have 2 sets at a real good price..:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121182438345?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p398 4.m1423.l2649http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&mpt=7139988http://rover.ebay.com/roverimp/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?ff3=2&pub=5574889051&toolid=10001&campid=5336525415&item=121182438345&mpt=7139988

Does anyone have a recomendation for the best decent sized saddle bag and does anyone have a second hand one for sale?

Would you like to borrow a carradice and support? I have a Nelson long flap and a Super C as well as Bagman V1&2. You are welcome to any combination of them if you want them for a trip. PM me if interested.

NB. I'd really like them back though. I lent a cheap bike bag to someone on here a long time ago and the fucker never returned it. /rant /csb

Tested my road bike setup in yorkshire at the weekend, will probably add a bar bag to this for my 3 week tour in august.

Just added Altura click pannier clips to some £4 German gas mask pouches to make a set of front pods... total cost so far about £25. Still need to add stabilization bungees but they seem pretty sweet... FYI i fitted my sleeping bag and mat in a single pouch at the weekend... looking forward to finishing them and trying them out...

photo 2 by pixel_fiddler, on Flickr

Looking good dude! That the smaller of the saddlebags? Still haven't been into pick up a couple of those pouches!

yeah, the big was just too big... interfered with the rear cable hanger... that's the small compressed as much as it'll go i reckon... almost...

One thing i learned this weekend, don't leave a can of Carlsberg in a dry bag and go riding..... dry bags are dry BOTH ways..... ;)

13l alpkit arrived, way bigger than I was expecting. Also for those interested the double ended one comes with straps which makes it cheaper than the single ended one.

alpkit xtra(no straps) 13l - £8.50 - https://www.alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra
alpkit xtra dual(straps included) 13l - £10 - https://www.alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra-dual
alpkit straps - £5 - https://www.alpkit.com/products/dual-straps

Oh that's annoying, there were no 13s in stock when I ordered so I bought a 20.

Looks well made though and I'm sure I'll use it's full capacity at some point.

Looks like the perfect thread for this: me and a friend are climbing Snowdon the weekend after next in late evening, bivvi sleeping on top, then descending at sunrise. I've got an a Orange full-sus 29er and need to carry some gear. I was thinking backpack and Alpkit day bag on the bars. Sounds sensible? Would a 13L hold my bivvi with sleeping bag inside, and a small thermarest? And would that weight stop me having fun on the way down?

you would probs prefer a saddle bag so the weight stays more over the back wheel

I looked at that but when I drop my seatpost (Reverb) my silly-big wheels would probably touch it when the shock compresses. Plus I probably won't bikepack very often and the Alpkit option is a tenner...

Having said that, there's no point going if my ride down is ruined...

well I'd wait for ed to reply because he seems to have a fair clue about this stuff. Don't sacrifice riding position though, I had to move saddle 5mm for old saddle bag and the difference it made was astonishing. Having just changed bag and returned the saddle to the better position I have noticed a vast improvement

Yeah, I don't want to compromise riding position. If all else fails I'll put everything in a backpack and put up with the weight for the day.

I can measure my one when I get home if you like. Will be packing it for the DD and then riding it tomorrow to work and back loaded up to make sure it all feels good.

Looks like the perfect thread for this: me and a friend are climbing Snowdon the weekend after next in late evening, bivvi sleeping on top, then descending at sunrise. I've got an a Orange full-sus 29er and need to carry some gear. I was thinking backpack and Alpkit day bag on the bars. Sounds sensible? Would a 13L hold my bivvi with sleeping bag inside, and a small thermarest? And would that weight stop me having fun on the way down?

How big's your sleeping bag? I can fit mine (3 season, down) with bivvy and liner in an 8L alpkit bag. Reckon I could wrap the mat around it and slot it in the 13 with tarp and lines popped in on top.

Or just stuff it all in the 13L bag with room to spare

Sparky boy, if you have a dropper, I reckon it's worth swapping it out for a normal rigid seatpost for the duration.

Sparky boy, if you have a dropper, I reckon it's worth swapping it out for a normal rigid seatpost for the duration.

What's the point of riding up and down Snowdon if you're going to do that? This isn't a tour, it's a slog uphill so that I can shred it (to the best of my limited abilities) downhill.

13l should be fine so long as you can secure it well enough on the bars, see my bodge from a few pages back to allow extra bungee to hold it in place:

On bike:

Not best pic but 2 alpkit compression straps plus 1 bungee with that bodge and it was v.stable didn't affect handling. Contents were bivvy, sleeping bag & neoair xlite mat.

What's the point of riding up and down Snowdon if you're going to do that? This isn't a tour, it's a slog uphill so that I can shred it (to the best of my limited abilities) downhill.

Then rucksack and no luggage swinging/bouncing etc around.

Started making a custom frame bag for my Kaffenback, pics once done.

Had some issues with the 13l alpkit, the 2 straps aren't really enough for the handlebars. Strapped it to the pannier thing I have like a top bag instead and it was ok.

^ see the bodge up page for 13l and handlebar stability.

Just had an email telling me that they couldn't deliver my Alpkit stuff. At work. At a national newspaper with 600 staff. They don't really pull that "you weren't in" shit with offices do they?

Cycled home with my 20L Alpkit the other night, very impressed.

Next up will be to try it on the mountain bike...

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