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Any recommendations for reasonable quality but not earth shatteringly expensive bikepacking bags/racks? I've got shelters/bags/stoves etc, I'm just interested in maybe taking them on my bike (hardtail, with plenty of frame space fyi)
Love my Apidura stuff , but not cheap ! ... few years old now but been great 🙂 .... Id say the cheap goto bike packing stuff has to be from planet X
https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/bikepacking
Retrap stuff is incredibly good, functional, durable and made in the UK.
And it holds reasonable resale value should you want to sell it down the road
Planet X or eBay for cheap bags.
https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CCPDWSB/podsacs-waterproof-saddle-pack#CCPDWSB-BLK-SML
Not sure about expensive bags as if you properly ride them off road in the UK then they will get covered in crap. And will also rub when riding off-road (probably will also rub on-road as well) which wears holes in them.
Saddle bag
The one saddle bag that I really want is eye watering expensive in my opinion. But going by experience, Ortlieb bags are built solidly and last for ages, plus can buy spares for them when the inevitable clasp/buckle/fixing breaks or wears out.
https://www.firetrail.co.uk/racks-luggage/seat-saddle-packs/2022-ortlieb-seat-pack-qr-13l-black__1962
Another good cheap option and what I use is a cheap Alpkit bag and use Alpkit clips and Velcro to hold it in place. As it's not huge, it doesn't move too much
https://alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra-tapered
Bar bag
10 litre dry bag strapped to the bars using Alpkit straps and Joey to protect your bike.
https://alpkit.com/products/joey
Frame bag
Cheap AGU one has been fine for me. It lacks seperate compartments of some of the more expensive ones but was great on a tour of Mull last year.
https://agu.com/en/bike-bags
Some smaller feed bags are good for eating on the go or extra storage.
https://alpkit.com/products/fuel-pod-cradle
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/fabric-handlebar-bottle-cage/_/R-p-168751
These bar mounts are also great for help supporting your bar bag.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Multifunction-Flashlight-Accessories-Screwdriver-Speedometer/dp/B085C23N7L/ref=asc_df_B085C23N7L/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=430875813083&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17285551230457399652&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007406&hvtargid=pla-904442601822&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=101484058073&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=430875813083&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17285551230457399652&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007406&hvtargid=pla-904442601822
You can get bike bottle mount adjusters so you can fit your bottle lower down. You can get a bracket so you can fit your saddle bag to a dropper post.
There is now so much affordable choice that just wasn't there a few years ago which is great. But for simplicity, there is really nothing wrong with just strapping your current kit to your bike with basic straps or using a back pack. Yeah they're not ideal but they'll do until you can afford something better.
The last tip I'll give is protect your frame and forks as best as you can as the bags will rub. Best is proper frame protection tape but insulation tape works just fine as a temporary measure.
Rucksack.
And see if camping from your bike is something you fancy doing. I say this as someone who has a numebr of different bike packing set ups. Rucksacks are grim but its daft splashing on stuff you might never use.
I'll also add that it's better to spend your money on lighter weight, more compact camping stuff than to concentrate on the bike bags you are using.
I’ll also add that it’s better to spend your money on lighter weight, more compact camping stuff than to concentrate on the bike bags you are using.
Chances are unless you've bought some expensive kit it won't all fit on the bike in bags so you'll need a rucksack anyway. If you are just bike packing curious, just use a rucksack and see how you get on from there.
An alpkit joey (£13) is a very good and cheap way of mounting a tent to your handle bars.
Borrow panniers and rack for a HT first trip.
One day all the bike packers will "rediscover" panniers and cagoules and the circle will be complete
If you're anywhere near Coventry I've got an Ortelib saddle bag you could borrow.
Do trip in the pissy wet rain & wind.
Then sell everything.
I just bought the Ortlieb QR one linked above and it is indeed very nice. Stupid me forgot that I have a brand new version of the 11l non qr one, which I’d be happy to pass on at a bit under new price..
It can be had for £100, so will sell for £80 posted. It has never been used.
Apologies for stealth ad !
^£100+ for an 11litre bag.
Wow.
Definitely borrow / rucksack / pannier if that's the cost (X4 bags...).
I also just used a (free) set of tribars with a 20litre dry bag bungeed on, plus small rucksack and another drybag on top of a (free from neighbour) old rack when I first tried things out.
Lomo seatpack and a 10-12l tarp material bar bag/roll and a few sections of webbing and buckles for the bars should do the trick. Maybe some foam stand-off blocks to help with bar/shifter/cable clearances.
For frame bags I'd look at the Alpkit Possum bags.
All of this will sell on easily if you find you need bigger/smaller etc.
Depending on your frame size, the Lomo frame bag is a great value option.
It's quite small, but makes the most of the front triangle on my Inbred. A lot of other frame bags I looked at were either much smaller which wasted space or much larger so wouldn't fit.
As above though, it would be a good idea to use a rucksack or borrow a few bags to see how you get on before spending a bomb on fancy bags.
One day all the bike packers will “rediscover” panniers and cagoules and the circle will be complete
Bikepacking kit is a bit of a trend that has expanded beyond its original niche. It now seems to be the go-to method for anyone starting touring when traditional racks and panniers are more suitable for a lot of touring, offroad and on.
Pros of bikepacking kit are the fact that it can be made to work on virtually any bike and the (usually) improved handling off road.
Negatives are the faff of packing lots of different bags and the fact that lots of it doesn't actually work that well or only with certain bikes/set ups.
Something I find to be a good compromise is a largish drybag on a rear rack paired with a bikepacking style bar bag. Handles better offroad than panniers and offers a bigger capacity single bag so less packing faff. Cheap too, depending on the rack.
Bikepacking kit is a bit of a trend that has expanded beyond its original niche.
Apparently it includes a day out on a bike with no overnight.
Bikepacking kit is a bit of a trend that has expanded beyond its original niche. It now seems to be the go-to method for anyone starting touring when traditional racks and panniers are more suitable for a lot of touring, offroad and on.
Seems another negative is how bikepacking gear is great if you pack small and light, but there are a lot of riders who seem to try to cram a lot of kit into huge seatpacks and multiple bar and fork packs and end up with what might be the worst of both worlds. Panniers might work better if they fitted the bikes, it'd at least carry the load lower down and be more stable overall. The weight of 2 racks is nothing if you're already packing 10kgs or more. One other barrier to rear panniers on many bikes is probably the average chainstay length.
I’d suggest using a rucksack and dry bag strapped to the bars to start with and see if you like bikepacking first. If you do then get some good kit having learned a bit about bikepacking. The danger is buy cheap, buy twice or spend a load and never use it or find you got the wrong thing. As mentioned above decent lightweight kit is more important than the bags.
One day all the bike packers will “rediscover” panniers
... then I'll remember that my bike doesn't have rack mounting points, so panniers are useless to me.
That Ortleib QR seat bag looks lovely. I think I'll have to wait for the sales though.
Podsacs from PX are good. They're cheap compared to everything else and will do the job. As always with PX wait for the price to drop. I have the barrel handlebar bag and the smaller seat pack - no problems with either.
then I’ll remember that my bike doesn’t have rack mounting points, so panniers are useless to me.
If you have deep pockets I have a solution for you
One day all the bike packers will “rediscover” panniers
Already happening.
See Tristan Bogaard's set up - last pic in here
And
And
https://bikepacking.com/index/panniers-for-bikepacking/