UKC

I have bikepacking dreams.

Am I right in thinking that frame bags, big saddle packs and handlebar contraptions are good for off road but for on road, good old fashioned back rack and panniers are out of the way and less cumbersome? Where does the rucksack / Camel back fit into all this?

Has anyone experience of using both kinds of set up? I find that if I look at blogs etc. where folk have only used frame bags then they are full of praise for those, and if I look at blogs where folk have only used panniers then they are full of praise for those. Has anyone here actually had experience of both?

I confess, aesthetically I'm eyeing up the alpkit frame bag.

In reply to AlisonSmiles:


It doesn't look very roomy?

Where are you thinking of going and for how long? Are you thinking of camping and taking camping kit with you?

Are you planning to cycle on or off roads?

have you read those books by that woman who just leaves her house and goes off cycling? (it is josie dew?)

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

TobyA of this parish has done quite a bit of bike packing so he'll be along to advise on how he finds things.

Off-road you need things to be balanced front-rear for when you have to do a bit of hike a bike. Also you tend not to have as much stuff. On-road you still need things to be balanced but it's not as critical.

I've done on-road touring with both handlebar bag/seatpost bag setup and with panniers. The former is fine if you are using hostels and B&Bs. I've an earlier version of this - http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php?page_id=product&under=type&pro... which is roughly 15 litres in size and an Ortlieb handlebar bag. I'll be using this setup shortly for a trip to Orkney/Shetland.

As soon as you decide to camp then there's a whole lot of extra kit and panniers become the easier option. I know you can use the bike-tarp system but if you are camping then you might as well have some comfort especially if it's for more than one night. Using the frame bag in addition to the seat post bag is a possible half way house.

I wouldn't use a rucksack for touring - it puts extra weight higher on the bike and mostly you want the weight down near the centre of the wheels.

In reply to tlm:

Looking for the best of all worlds of course! I like to think LEJOG is in my future, but also Sarn Helen so on road and off road are both possibilities. I think for longer distances I'm a bit of a B&B girl, but haven't discounted the possibilities of weekends with a spot of bivvy/camping on the Saturday night.

In reply to AlisonSmiles:


Then you will need a full set of matching luggage in all possible permutations!

Louis-Vuitton must do something, don't they?

http://lettredeparis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Paris-Hilton-Louis-Vuit...

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I have done a lot of cycle touring and use a variety of systems, I now use a 'Y' frame small trailer http://www.carryfreedom.com/ basically because I can just strap a rucksack to it if I want, mostly I use a 60l holdall with it.

Using backpacks is really restrictive and your balance is all wrong. Panniers works well but are a fiddle to pack and you need a strong frame to take them also you cant get out of the saddle easily to 'honk' as the frame will twist, even a strong one. Single wheel trailers try to steer the bike on downhills in my experience, which is disconcerting!

The Carry freedom trailers work really well, are very simple and well made and you can use them with a lightweight bike, I tour with my standard road bike with no problems. You will get odd looks from 'proper' tourers, right up until they see you stuff everything into a holdall and head off 30mins before they have worked out which pannier is meant to have the tent in it. Picked up some shopping? just bungy it to the top!

Steve D

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

Hi Alison, I've never used a frame bag but I suspect if you need to use one with panniers as well then you're carrying too much stuff.

Bob is spot on, if camping with a proper tent, and maybe a stove, gas, pans etc, then you will probably need panniers, which are fine on a road tour but really cumbersome off road. There is a lot to be said for just getting in a very low gear and slowly spinning your way up long hills while admiring the view.

I did a great trip last year (all on road) with a large 15-20l saddlebag and a handlebar bag, staying in hotels and eating out so only spare clothing, civvies and a camera went with me. Riding the bike just felt like riding a heavier unladen bike. No notable handling issues, it still fet quite nimble.

Bikepacking seems to be the latest big thing, there are masses of blogs and sites about it, so no shortage of info. Let us know how you get on, I'm quite intrigued by the possibilties.

In reply to Removed User:

A friend is doing this http://www.highlandtrail.net/ in a couple of weeks. He's going pretty lightweight, which since he's expecting to do over 100 miles per day off-road isn't surprising. He's a frame pack but it's a shallow one rather than one that fills the full triangle, similar to this: http://fat-bike.com/2011/03/revelate-tangle-frame-bag/revelate-tangle-frame... . He's also a slim saddlebag, one of those that runs between seat stays and saddle rather than being wide - http://www.bikebagshop.com/revelate-designs-viscacha-seat-bag-p-2597.html , and a small handlebar bag for quick trail essentials.

I've found the main problem to be bulk rather than weight and this is where the expensive kit tends to win out.

In reply to Bob:


Part of the reason for using soft luggage off-road is to spread the load out, but also because (according to people who have done a lot more than me) the majority of hard racks will eventually break on any kind of interesting terrain!

On my first bikepacking experiment I took my usual camelbak rucksack, but with some extra stuff in it - this was a big mistake as the longer day and heavier weight wore a hole in my back and didn't help with comfort for wrists and the, ahem, saddle area. I wouldn't use a rucksack if at all possible to avoid it.

In reply to TimB:

On the interesting terrain I tend to eventually break!

I've a Cambelbak Hobo - there's enough room for the bladder, spare innertube, multi-tool, a lightweight waterproof and some trail snacks. Good for day rides but I wouldn't want it on my back day in, day out. Easier to use a water bottle, which is also easier to refill should you need to.

In reply to SteveD:
Have you tried bikepacking though Steve? Without any racks? I'm in the opposite position to you, I've never toured 'classic' style with panniers. All my overnight or longer trips have been bikepacking which I guess is the equivalent of ultra light backpacking - i.e. you don't take much in terms of luxuries so give it a couple of days and two types of honking will be involved.

Alison - my limited attempts at bikepacking (on a hybrid, on my MTB and the last few times on my CX bike) are all here: http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.fi/search/label/bikepacking (scroll down to the bottom and go to "older posts" to see the first ones - that's where I was trying to work out how to attach what to my bikes!).

Should add, when bikepacking with my MTB I've tended to take a small rucksack - mine is the little Alpkit one (20 ltrs I think) and have a bladder in there. On my CX I put temporary bottle holders on forks because the frame bag necessitates taking away the cages.

In reply to TimB:

Interesting about the rucksack. I commute daily with the Alpkit 20l thingy with macbook etc. in it, and hadn't really considered how that might feel over many hours in the saddle as it just feels part of me and the bike these days. The use of frame bags was leaving a possible water carrying dilemma I reckoned a small pack was the way forwards for.

I have a random week off work in June, and am toying with bike packing on the road or just getting me and the bike on the plane and heading off for Norway and the Atlantic Road based in a nice hotel ...

In reply to AlisonSmiles:

I've just done a 2-dayer in the Cairngorms and between us we tested Wildcat and Alpkit set-ups.

The Alpkit Kanga is great on the bars - especially if you use a few other pouches up there too. But I think my favourite was the Wildcat Tiger on the seat post and Mountain Lion on the bars. Then barely anything extra in our packs (balanced out by carrying less water than usual and filling up from springs/streams regularly).

We went mega lightweight though - bivi bags, alpine/summer weight sleeping bags/neo mats, jetboil, minimum food and spare clothing. And the bikes felt great up and down though we could feel the weight on steeper climbs and when pushing/lifting over obstacles etc.

My partner was suffering with food poisoning that she's picked up before we left. And it kept getting worse so by the end of the second day I was carrying everything but her usual riding kit and it still felt good enough to enjoy a few techie descents!