As much as I love the concept of it I don't think I'm ever going to be a bikepacker.
That said there are a couple of of-road rides that I would like to try this spring/summer that would probably need a stay over (B&B rather than BIVI ... )
I have tried a couple of ways carrying weight on the bike and with the exception of a frame bag haven't really gotten on with any.
I have a nice pair of Ortlieb rear "gravel" panniers attached to a Salsa rack on my town bike which is fine for running to the shops but is horrible when laden as, to me, it creates a horribly harsh ride and thats on tarmac. I wouldn't be keen to try them off road for any distance. I have also had a few uncontrolled wheelies that Danny MacAskill would have been proud of.
I have a SH Revelate(?) seat tube/saddle mounted bag that I've used a few times on longer days out but even when fully fastened and not over filled it swayed around and whilst not quite as obvious as the panniers seemed to disproportionately unweight the front wheel and dulled the ride.
[ you'll have to use your imagination here as to what my Solaris looks like with said bag as I cannot (seemingly) insert a photo]
Frame bags - I have a couple of half frame bags that work well but are no where near big enough for what I would ideally want to a nights stay. I had considered a full frame bag but then carrying water becomes an issue.
I'd also rather not wear a backpack/Camelbak.
I've not tried a front mount bag beyond a handlebar canister type bike when riding with drops. I can't work out if trying a small rack and bag set up might be what I'm after. I appreciate it would make lifting the front wheel a tad harder and presumably make the steering more prone to "flop" but the bike I'm planning on using is a long relaxed 29er plus bike that is pretty stable and the routes wouldn't be technical.
Something like this:
Image from https://bikepacking.com/
I'd be keen to hear thoughts on which porridge is likely to be best 🙂
I've got a Tailfin half frame bag which is big enough for a rolled up T-shirt and shorts for evening wear around a hotel/B&B. Plus charging cables and a few other essentials.
Cycling kit washed in the shower and hung up to dry then worn again next day. Tools in a small saddle bag. Food, a mix of stuff in jersey pockets and buying more substantial meals in cafes etc en route.
It works but it's not exactly luxury choice of evening clothing or any spare capacity!
I'd be keen to hear thoughts on which porridge is likely to be best
I really enjoyed the porridge from https://tentmeals.co.uk/collections/breakfasts - they're light and high energy. I'm aware you could probably make your own for less money.
Best bargain in the very pricey top loading handlebar bag category is the Carradice Odyssey with a Bagman Bar Rack that it just slots onto. And it doesn't even look like its from 1955, unlike the rest of their range!
I commute with a rear pannier and the same bags are on three different bikes.
I've bought rack to stabilise the front bar bag.
the bike I'm planning on using is a long relaxed 29er plus bike that is pretty stable and the routes wouldn't be technical.
The only one ideal location for a load on a bike is central, if you can get it all in a frame bag. If not I think the weight should always be evenly distributed. A bike like that ^ will handle well loaded up as long as you're not putting too much on the bars (as you say, exacerbating the flop in a slacker bike's steereing). If all your kit is in rear panniers or a front bag the bike will feel odd or prone to shimmy etc, something will be off.
Seatpacks can be waggy but good ones aren't and eitehr way ime are best packed with ight but bulky stuff.
A half frame bag like an Alpkit Possum is great for havier dneser items, and a bar roll for clothes and other soft stuff.
My opinion on this somewhat goes against the grain.
Anything attached to the frame feels horrible, it makes the bike heavy and hard to move around. It's OK on the road, acceptable on gravel, but 'off-road' it just ruins it. If you're taking a mountain bike to do mountain bike things then a backpack is worth the perceived drawbacks.
but are no where near big enough for what I would ideally want to a nights stay
TBH the trick here is to pick the bag first then only take what fits inside it. Don't pack for more than one eventuality. If there's a bird hide, bothy, shelter, or the weather is just plain nice then just take a sleeping bag and mat. Will you be more than ~15 miles from a cafe? If not then why carry food and cooking gear, you'll get a nicer breakfast there. Apply that to every packing decision. Why agonize over a titanium tin opener when that implies you're carrying a tin, pot, stove, utensils, washing up soap and whatever else. I love a brew, but am pragmatic enough to weigh it against just going to a cafe on a 1 night trip.
For the ultimate idea, look at what Continental Divide racers take, it's usually just a quilt and 3/4 of a Z-lite mat.
It's tempting to look at all your kit and think "this is easily worth the weight penalty". The trouble is you'll do that 50x and end up with an entire extra bag of stuff you could have managed without.
I've not tried a front mount bag beyond a handlebar canister type bike when riding with drops. I can't work out if trying a small rack and bag set up might be what I'm after. I appreciate it would make lifting the front wheel a tad harder and presumably make the steering more prone to "flop" but the bike I'm planning on using is a long relaxed 29er plus bike that is pretty stable and the routes wouldn't be technical.
IMO it actually has the least impact on handling because it's closest to your hands and therefore natural to control it. My preferred setup is a bar bag, then a saddle bag, and then a small frame bag. If it doesn't fit in those three then it's not coming regardless of the trip length.
I'd be keen to hear thoughts on which porridge is likely to be best
Learn to like it with water.
I used to make a DIY instant porridge, take oats, blitz ~1/3 of them in a blender to make flour, add in the right proportion of dried milk powder and some brown sugar (grind it up to an icing sugar consistency, that way it stays dispersed in the mix better) and you have basically the same mix as any instant porridge. Add dried fruit, cinnamon etc.
But TBH just oats + boiling water is simpler and easier. But^2 as above, if you try and carry even a days worth of food it's heavy and bulky. Consider those oats, they're pretty energy dense, you would need a 1kg bag every day to get ~3900 calories.
If it has to be in packet form, quaker instant sachets that are supposed to be made with milk are decent enough with water. Fairly low calorie though when made with water, you'll want at least 2 packets for a decent breakfast.
My own breakfast mix is as follows.
Porridge - 60g / 226 kcal
Nuts - 20g / 131 kcal
Dried fruit - 40g / 120 kcal
Milk powder - 15g / 50 kcal
Totals 135g / 527 kcal
I blitz the whole lot in a food processor then it goes into a Pour'n'store bag. Rehydrate with boiling water. For best results, make a pouch out of that bubble foil insulating material to keep it warm whilst rehydrating.
Just out of interest how is a half frame bag, a seat pack and a bar roll not enough capacity for 1 or 2 nights using BnBs? No sleeping gear.. no need for cooking / hot water for coffee? Basically you're packing long XC day ride kit plus a washbag and some civvies for the evening and you have at least 12 litres of space there.
Breakfast - coffee and Soreen or cereal bars with some trail mix or similar, easy. Porridge needs more fuel and water to heat and more water to clean up, it's a pita to clean out of a pot. Warm food is great if it's cold but for 3 seasons trips I didn't think it was worth the faff.
Porridge needs more fuel and water to heat and more water to clean up, it's a pita to clean out of a pot
Hence my PnS bags.
I use a bar bag for the heavy/solid stuff and a revelate saddle bag which takes soft/light stuff. Between the two of them, it's fairly balanced. That said, it's touring of sorts, so i rarely get out of the saddle, or hoon it down the side of a mountain. (I mean, i don't hang about, but it's certainly less intense than a luggage free ride!)
I should clarify ... the porridge reference was too much at the rear, too much at the front type rather than actual porridge recommendations.
I will go and sit in the corner now and think about my use of humour moving forward.
Thank you for all the responses, luggage and porridge.
Porridge needs more fuel and water to heat and more water to clean up, it's a pita to clean out of a pot
I sort of agree.
But for 99% of the British Isles water is not hard to come across, especially water that only has to be clean enough to rinse out a pot.
Unless it's absolutely freezing cold then all it needs is boiling water, it'll cook happily enough in that heat, although a bearbones meths stove IME times it just about perfectly simmering until it's thick enough that you'd not want to risk it catching.
Warm food is great if it's cold but for 3 seasons trips I didn't think it was worth the faff.
But in general, I agree with that.
Especially if staying in B&B's
This is why I prefer starting with the bags and then seeing what fits. That way you're starting from a decision over how luxurious the trip will be.
Survival:
Puncture repair kit and multitool, maybe some cloth tape and zipties.
Foil blanket / bivi bag.
Bear minimum to sleep comfortably:
3/4 Z-mat (lighter than an inflatable mat, but bulky)
Quilt / bag
Shelter (tent, bivi, tarp) if you're not planning to find some.
Luxuries
Cooking kit
Clothes
It's very hard to justify a need to take cooking kit, but equally it's one of bikepackings little pleasures to brew up somewhere nice. Same with clothes, they end up surprisingly heavy and bulky.
Food
Buy it on the go. There's no good reason not to. It's no more self sufficient to buy several kilos of ready meals in Tesco before you go and slog across the countryside with them, than it is to pop into a village shop as you pass them a couple of times a day, and you'll probably get better food, local cakes, etc.
Personally I loathe the feeling of weight on tbe steering. Its just horrible and ruins handling. I also never take a backpack . Extra fatigue and discomfort.
If you can keep the weight and bulk down enough then bike packing bags with a max of 1kg on tbe bars.
If not then a bob trailer is far the best handling and most aero but with 2 or 3 kilo weight penalty. Weight down low and narrow
Ive ridden many thousands off ofroad miles with one. The other advantage of a trailer is easy packing with one big bag. Just remember you still need to keep the weight down. Dont be tempted to fill it.
My big ride i had a trailer and a base weight of well under 10 kilos iirc
I am not going without a good coffee in the morning. Any fool can be uncomfortable in a field 🤣 
Its all about which compromises you want to make. The more kit you carry the better the camping and the worse the cycling. I met a couple carrying 50kg between them. Tbey had done 25000km in the last year. I also met a chap with 5kgs.
You will find your own sweet spot.
For me the best is around 10kg of kit in a trailer for long rides. One night out i reduce that to around 7kg
PnS bags, that'd be ok for a night or 3 if you want a warm breakfast. Clean out when you get back. Still, time and fuel/water to prepare but that's just my balance of priorites.
I should clarify ... the porridge reference was too much at the rear, too much at the front type rather than actual porridge recommendations.
Oh, the Goldilocks reference.. 'woosh'. Ha.
But for 99% of the British Isles water is not hard to come across, especially water that only has to be clean enough to rinse out a pot.
Sure, I just mean that if I have 1.8 to 2l water capacity on my bike and in the evening I ride to a bivi spot on a hillside it's enough to drink and make brews but not for food too and/or washing stuff, or not much inclination to go looking for a stream etc to rinse off - no big deal to resolve any of that oc, it's just how I ride. YMMV, my MMV too as I move away from the long distance mentality and more into the touring and taking my time way of doing it.
Its all about which compromises you want to make.
Exactly.
Mostly round my waist but a fair bit in the arse of my trousers as well, or have I got the wrong end of the stick?
I like small panniers spread evenly across the bike. 4x front rollers and make sure they don’t rattle/vibrate provides lots of options.
