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Doing a multi day Lakes ride and after a 25ish litre bag for it to carry change of clothes etc (staying in B&Bs so no need for loads of gear). Any suggestions? Might get a smallish bar bag as well...
I prefer to keep the load off my back and use frame bags, bar bag and seat pack.
You could easily get a change of clothes in a bar bag.
I'm in a similar situation - I could use a smallish rucksack - only two nights, so lightweight trainers for the evening with shorts and a t-shirt should be sufficient - four of us are doing some of the Pennine Bridleway, and most of us are opting for full sus with lightweight XC tyres. Could do it on my CX bike but the constant bashing of 40 miles a day...
I'd just go to a local Millets/Cotswold/Blacks TBH. They always have a decent choice of sizes and prices so your're not buying unseen. Also seem to have permanent sales recently so likely to get a good deal.
Heavy backpack= sore bum for me.
I'd get a dry bag and bungee cord it onto the handle bars.
Or a big bar bag.
https://alpkit.com/products/deluge-handlebar-bag-20l
I have one of these, a great small bag and easy to.quiclky get stuff like snacks
https://alpkit.com/products/gravel-handlebar-bag
I find a backpack with overnight stuff, whilst sat on the bike for multiple days, just pulls on my lower back and causes real issues. If you are staying in BnBs you don’t need much stuff, so generally I find a can manage with a bar bag/seat pack (depending on the bike) and smallish frame bag for the other bits (charging cables etc).
I'd 2nd a bar bag (I'd avoid a frame bag if it's not needed, they tend to make bikes 'feel' heavy). If all you need is a t-shirt, some light trousers and a down jacket for warmth if sat outside, then that'll easily pack into a 5-10l bag.
The trouble with a 25l rucksack, is you'll fill it with 25l of stuff, and that'll be heavy.
I'd also recommend one of these:
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/foldable-backpack-10l-travel/_/R-p-309861?mc=8560403&c=BLACK
I've got the older version and it's fantastic for long days out and bikepacking as it's plenty big enough to take snacks, or grab lunch from a shop before riding a bit further to eat it, or picking up beers for the evening, or all those other scenarios where you thing "that's a good idea but I've nowhere to carry it". It only weighs 45g, and packs into a bag smaller than a mars bar for the 75% of the ride that it's empty for.
Small backpack and a drybag bungeed to the bars is a great and cheap way of carrying minimal overnight kit.
My set up included an old pair of aero bars to bungee the drybag to:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/1740/41637487904_5a16e1fa42_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/1740/41637487904_5a16e1fa42_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/26rn1wu ]IMG_20180525_105244669[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
My son has a rack:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/1733/42360040161_82edf09697_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/1733/42360040161_82edf09697_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/27xdh92 ]IMG_20180525_132756994[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/matt_outandabout/ ]Matt[/url], on Flickr
i use an 11 litre Evoc one, combined with an 11 litre Ortlieb seat bag. That works for multi day bnb trips on gravel or mtb.
I don't like bar bags and find frame bags compromise water bottles.
the backpack has light clothing, easily accessible tools etc - seems to work well for me. When I have used a bigger/heavier pack i have found it a bit fatiguing, esp on the gravel bike.
A wing nut or similar design helps with cutting down on a sweaty back. For more conventional rucksack styles my new Evoc Trail 26 is great and they're heavily discounted at Merlin currently.
find frame bags compromise water bottles.
Not a cheap solution but that’s why I have a custom restrap. I love a frame bag - find the weight is far better distributed. Horses for courses and all that.
Can thoroughly recommend a Restrap Saddle bag, it's a 14l (or a bigger 18L) drybag in a holster, you can just take the bag into the B&B with you, leave the holster on the bike.
No backpack for me, I have an Osprey Seral bumbag which holds a fair bit, rest goes on the bike, mainly on the bars. If you've got no tent/sleeping bag then it should be manageable.
I'd always go ultralight for something I'm riding with. OMM are a good brand to look at if you want 25 litre size. I've done a couple of bikepacking trips with a 25L rucksack, felt fine and didn't die. There are some routes where I simply prefer to have an unladen full-sus with dropper and carrying luggage on the bike is limited/limiting.
20l Alpkit Gourdon (the 30l one lacks the structure to carry more in a comfortable manner). My Gourdon is nine years old, still used regularly. Strap a small drybag with bulky/squishy stuff under your saddle rails if you need a bit more space (or a half frame bag if funds/bike design permit).
I tend to stick stuff on teh bike, but sometimes I need a rucksack and when I do I use this:
It's light and has decent hip belt to take the weight (rather than your shoulders).
You want a wing nut hyper 3.0, if you can get one. It sits low on the back, the wing pockets are massive, and the bungee cords are good for jackets etc. But there’s a lot to be said for putting weight on the bike. I used one with a 8ltr bar bag when doing the 4 passes over 2 days staying in a bothy. I’ve got one going, but it needs a new zip.<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">
posting a picture is obviously impossible.</span>
Cheers everyone - I'll take a look through the suggestions
Riding with a heavy backpack really takes the fun out of riding IMO.
Also if you go with a bar bag, I’ve found it’s best to err on the side of going smaller not larger.
Heavy backpack= sore bum for me.
Yes, this. I've just used an old man mountain rack with a Robert axle hub mount on my bike packing bike. It's not designed for a rack but this works very well.
A couple of alpkit bags strapped to it and a seat post clamp with mounts.
It made a huge difference, arse didn't feel sore and I didn't feel beat up at the end of the day. Also no swaying from my saddle bag was nice. For smaller trips I don't even need a bar bag.
But a backpack doesn't have to be heavy. Sounds like the OP is only taking some clothes, toiletries and maybe a change of footwear. I managed round 300km of the Cairngorms Loop carrying a bivvy bag, quilt food etc. and that has some really rough parts. My advice on several bikepacking threads has been to invest in doog, lightweight overnight kit so that luggage options are both simplified and many.
He's not asking to ride with a heavy backpack, he's asking to ride with a light one.
If he's not camping he can easily ride with a backpack, and it's far less faff than strapping it all over your bike. Plus, your bike handles like it should instead of like a slab of lead. I know it's not fashionable to ride with a backpack but when it's below say 4-5kg it's really not noticeable for me, and it can be preferable. It helps to make the shoulder and waist straps really loose - much more so than if you were walking - then it sits low on your back
Riding with a heavy backpack really takes the fun out of riding IMO.
You can actually shred trails and get air and so on if you're wearing a rucksack, which is a lot harder when your bike is weighed down.
I did my last bikepacking weekend with one of these: https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15909935/montane-trailblazer-30-rucksack-15909935 - it was great. Pretty light although not a true ultralight job, but it's really nice to use. I didn't pay that much for it mind, but I'm not sure how.
The trouble with a 25l rucksack, is you’ll fill it with 25l of stuff,
Why would you? If you're concerned with weight, then you stay concerned with weight and you don't fill the backpack. It's not like heavy camping gear is addictive - the opposite could be true though.
I agree with the last two. Whilst my natural reaction is to get kit off me and on to the bike, especially on road, there are times when a backpack makes sense. You only have to think back a few years and every mountain biker who wanted to look even vaguely seriously had the kitchen sink on their back for a pootle out the door.
My only thought....25l is actually quite a lot. A full set of bikepacking bike mounted bags comes to about that and with a bit of thinking most can camp and only have that much. If you are b&bing and in the lakes that has actual shops for stocking up supplies I reckon the OP could embrace their inner scank and cut that down a bit.
For that amount, I’d split between bar bag seat pack and smaller backpack.
I personally don’t like the feeling of lots of weight/bulk in one place.
I’d also recommend having the lightest stuff in your backpack, it may feel fine at first, but it wears you down over the course of a day.
https://alpkit.com/products/deluge-handlebar-bag-3l
when I go out with a rucksack I take this
https://alpkit.com/products/gourdon-25-dry-bag-backpack
it's really light, waterproof, and hugs your back, I got mine in red, love it for hiking and travelling too 👍
It helps to make the shoulder and waist straps really loose – much more so than if you were walking – then it sits low on your back
It's possibly better to choose a pack designed to sit low on your back in the first place rather than leaving straps 'really loose' so the pack can potentially swing around more easily.
Anyway, I've found the Osprey Escapist a decent sort of middle ground option. It sits nicely, has various useful compartments and is designed for riding a bike. I'm sure there are plenty of other viable - and maybe cheaper - options out there too.
Edit: used to have a Wingnut and that was good. I didn't realise they still existed.
I think I'll use a Decathlon backpack I have as its fairly low mounted with good waist straps, but not use the camelbak bladder as that will add upto 3kg. Just carry two bottles and expect to refil if hot.
There isnt much room inside the frame of my FS for a bag, also running a dropper.
What sort of riding?
If it’s all rideable stuff then a bag on the bars is ok. If it’s a tech fest then a rucksack with evening clothes would be easier
It’s possibly better to choose a pack designed to sit low on your back in the first place rather than leaving straps ‘really loose’ so the pack can potentially swing around more easily.
Yes, it is, but I'm not talking about miles of strap so it's dangling all over the place. That would be ridiculous, and I wouldn't ride like that. I just slacken mine off a bit from your normal position when walking, then your shoulders and waist take the slack and it's secure but lower down.
Have done many a trip with an OMM sack or an alpkit gourdon to haul my stuff. As others have said, I certainly had a nicer time on the trips where I thought carefully about weight - particularly true of the gourdon as it's quite minimalist in terms of padding/straps.
What sort of riding?
It definitely sounds like there's going to be hike-a-bike stuff involved so reluctant to strap much/anything to the bike itself.
Erring towards a 25l Alpkit Presta at the minute. Sensible price, 3L bladder compartment etc.
Slightly different criteria, but hear me out.
I've recently bought an Evoc FR Trail E-Ride 20 to carry a spare E-bike battery plus other stuff.
I was hesitant about the weight of the battery on my back, but I've recently done a 68k gravel fest and a 4hr tech fest both with spare battery, MT500 jacket, 2.5l water, 2 x spare tubes, 2 x phones, Go-pro and pack of 5 x batteries, tools etc - it was perfectly comfy and albeit I knew it was there, it wasn't intrusive.
Compared to a standard Camelbak Mule, with less than half the weight, it was surprisingly comfy - guess the big shoulder straps and substantial waist band help.
So, taking the battery out of the equation, I would imagine the standard FR Trail would be even better still
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52725638336_23c562a76a_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52725638336_23c562a76a_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://www.flickr.com/gp/85252658@N05/844u7382a9 ]20230304_093137~2[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr
I let the bike carry gear, not me.
Frame, bar and/or seat bags etc.
A rucksack is maybe ok for riser bars but certainly not on drops IME.
I did a three day / 2 night MTB tour in the Pyrenees *checks* 13 years ago!
That's a Camelback 'Cloud Walker' - comfortable, stable, not too sweaty and easily swallowed gear as we were staying in refuges not camping. Did some pretty full on trails with it and while you defo noticed the weight, it was all manageable.
I still have that riding top. Sadly the shorts have passed into the mists of time 😉
(now tho on my gravel bike, I use alpkit bags and have nothing on my back, but for MTB I'd defo dig out the CW again)
What sort of riding?
It definitely sounds like there’s going to be hike-a-bike stuff involved so reluctant to strap much/anything to the bike itself.
Erring towards a 25l Alpkit Presta at the minute. Sensible price, 3L bladder compartment etc.
In that case I'd be using a rucksack no question. I've done plenty of bikepacking trips with a rucksack on, although my normal preference is to carry everything on the bike. It's really not as big a deal as everyone is making out. It's everything you'd carry on a day ride plus a couple of extra bits. And it's totally faff free. You can always lob your tool kit or anything else small and heavy/dense in a tool bottle or strap that to the bike if you want less weight on your back
I use an osprey escapist when I want a backpack. My thoughts on the soft luggage v backpack thing depend on the technicality of the route and the amount of hikeabike. For routes with a lot of hikeabike and technical riding I prefer to split the weight over a backpack and limited on bike luggage (normally a bar bag/small seat pack) e.g. that's what I used for the HT550 and lakes 200 for example. Better to have the weight on your back to allow effective weight shifts on the bike, and it is easier to carry weight on your back when pushing the bike.
For less technical routes bike luggage wins easily and nothing on the back is best (e.g. torino-nice, montanas vacias)
Bought an Alpkit Presta. Seems to tick a fair few boxes and was decent vfm vs Evoc/Camelback/Osprey etc
I use an osprey escapist when I want a backpack. My thoughts on the soft luggage v backpack thing depend on the technicality of the route and the amount of hikeabike.
I agree with all of this! Including the choice of backpack! For me too much weight on the bike ruins the fun of riding 'proper' trails, but if you're going to be sitting and spinning all day a big backpack will hurt your arse.