Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

^ looks snug between the drops, did that help stabilise it? Any cable rub?

new bag will have built in "safety features" for upcoming overnight ride:

I just got the 13L in the post, along with some small mesh sacks. Roll mat went in an XS mesh bag, bivvi went in an XXS and silk liner is tiny. But sleeping bag (cheap festival jobby) fills the whole 13L dry bag - I can't get the mesh bags in at all. It's a good fit but I wanted all the sleeping gear in there. Can you get much smaller sleeping bags cheaply? Or is that not worth looking at?

You can get a zero degree Snugpak one for less than £20, but only suitable for warmer climate.

But it'll pack smaller? With that, a liner, some clothes (maybe a base layer and wooly hat) and a bivvi, could you sleep in zero degrees in a windy spot?

Ratings are usually optimistic in my experience - that's the problem, everyone has different temps at which they are comfortable.

If you don't have anything to separate your bag from the ground (thermarest, inflatable mattress etc.), it'll be a very cold night.

Snugpak Travelpak pack the smaller in term of price.

Sleeping bag ratings are calculated assuming the use of an insulated mat.

http://www.welovemountains.net/

http://i1.wp.com/welovemountains.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/wpid-wp-14050575677303.jpeg

Finished bag. A few imperfections in stitching but perfectly functional and held my lunch plus work t-shirt on todays first outing.

The next one I make I may try to cut material so there are fewer panels/seams to sew. Still padded this one with bubblewrap rather than less flexy corex.

rhb - top work. Bag was slim enough for me to get my hands comfortably on the drops (where I ride most). Doesn't appear to be any cable rub, all in all I'm impressed.

^ nice one, and thanks.

Just seen this groovy diy space filler:

Andytk and I have been doing the Lakeland 200 over the past couple of days and my good Lord has it been gruelling! Full ride report to follow. However in brief, first day was great despite rain - lots of raining. Second day was 30km of pushing up unrideable mountains which consumed about 12 hours of our day. We rode for about 2 - all in the blistering heat. Today we left camp at 5am and made it to Keswick. We aren't going to finish the 200km loop, so are going to ride over to Penrith via the C2C bike path and then get the train back to Oxenholme.

Stellar work Jibbeh and TK. Sounds awesome and terrible.

Stellar work Jibbeh and TK. Sounds awesome and then more awesome.

ftfy :)

It wasn't awesome. Neither of us had much fun for the 12 hours of hiking. Not just hills - mountains. The Pillar is an utter bastard. As was pushing up Honister - though the descent was absolutely brilliant.

Also andy has gone home to Manc but I've got to hang around and camp another night until tomorrow - virgin wanted £233 to change my train ticket to tomorrow. Lolnothnx

Oh and lastly, until the full report - huge props to andy for doing it on his SS Karate Monkey. Unbelievable effort. My ECR also performed admirably.

It wasn't awesome. Neither of us had much fun for the 12 hours of hiking. Not just hills - mountains. The Pillar is an utter bastard. As was pushing up Honister - though the descent was absolutely brilliant.

Sounds like type 3 fun, which will grow to be awesome in memory with the passing of time.

This is exactly how andy described the pillar. We've done it and will certainly never do it again!

Sounds like type 3 fun, which will grow to be awesome in memory with the passing of time.

You are correct, now I've had a shower and a beer, looking back I'd have a little chuckle about the whole thing...

This is exactly how andy described the pillar. We've done it and will certainly never do it again!

Never say never...

A few brief points...

1. If you're crossing bogs, rivers or generally getting wet feet, shoes with ratchet straps are the devil - will be on the look out for an alternative fast-drying shoe with 3x velcro straps

2. Fuck Thermarest, managed 1 1/2 nights before it started leaking air... not looking forward to putting it in the bath and trying to find the leak...

3. Patagonia's Nano Puff jacket is the shit.

4. If you want breakfast in Keswick, don't arrive before 8am.

5. In the Lakes, no matter how un-ridable the terrain, how bad the weather is or if you dunk your dry socks, shoes and spare socks while endo-ing into a bog... you can just around you and everything is amazing.

1. was that a NeoAir?
   

^ no, Thermarest Venture. Going to take a proper look at it later in the week and try and figure out where the leak is coming from - couldn't see any obvious thorns and there wasn't any sharp rocks/twigs under the mat.

Hope it's not the valve...