Bicycle Bags for light touring

[Too Tall]

Perfect Dustin. Relevate saddlebag?

I've got a "Gas tank" inbound. My setup is looking more and more minimal (gas tank, saddlebag (similar to Dustin), small backpack (12 liters / 732 cu inches) and two empty legs.

Hmmm, we need a VSalon Bikepacking thread in the Mtn. bike forum. You start it!

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

Just ordered a set of these guys. Salsa Anything Cage Bags | Custom Bicycle Bags - The Porcelain Rocket

In conjunction with my Baileyworks front rack bag I'll be good for all commuting and short camp trips.

I might end up with a seat pack in the near future depending on how my grand plans of bicycle camping turn out.

Pic of the Anything Cage with shoes on my ride home the other day.
image.jpg

[lukasz]

How does that mount onto your fork, Justin?

[dgaddis]

Perfect Dustin. Relevate saddlebag?

I've got a "Gas tank" inbound. My setup is looking more and more minimal (gas tank, saddlebag (similar to Dustin), small backpack (12 liters / 732 cu inches) and two empty legs.

Hmmm, we need a VSalon Bikepacking thread in the Mtn. bike forum. You start it!

Yep, Revelate Tangle frame bag and Vischawhatever saddle bag. Plain ol' dry bag stapped to the bars.

I'll start a thread after the weekend. So far I've only ever done 1 overnight ride, several years ago. Set up worked okay on the bike, but I froze my butt off all night and didn't get hardly any sleep. 43*F overnight low, bag rated to be comfy down to 36*F, but I was in a hammock, and it was was not warm enough.

Don't expect to have any problems with cold this weekend haha.

EDIT: Oh yeah, the bike weights a touch under 33lbs as pictured, with a full bottle. That's not the full load of stuff, but it's most of it, and all the big stuff.

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

How does that mount onto your fork, Justin?

I drilled and installed rivnuts (bottle cage bosses)

[lukasz]

That's a step too far for my fork. Darn! Guess if I want to put less than a pound on a leg I can just use some strong zip ties or something.

[blasdelf]

I'll start a thread after the weekend. So far I've only ever done 1 overnight ride, several years ago. Set up worked okay on the bike, but I froze my butt off all night and didn't get hardly any sleep. 43*F overnight low, bag rated to be comfy down to 36*F, but I was in a hammock, and it was was not warm enough.

you can't just use a sleeping bag in a hammock unless it's really warm

you need incompressible insulation underneath, convection with the outside air will suck the heat out of you faster than the cold hard ground


that means using a sleeping pad inside (extra awkwardness), or buying a baller down underquilt ($$$)

[blasdelf]

image.jpg

people have some hangup about the traditional boxy rando bag

but that looks like one of those nashbar rack trunks you see on every kitted-up hybrid

(but smaller so as not to hold much more than jersey pockets)

[EricKeller]

people have some hangup about the traditional boxy rando bag

well, a decent one costs at least $200 whereas a trunk bag costs $40. Of course, you get what you pay for

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

people have some hangup about the traditional boxy rando bag

but that looks like one of those nashbar rack trunks you see on every kitted-up hybrid

(but smaller so as not to hold much more than jersey pockets)

For reference, it isn't a Nashbar trunk bag, it is a very nice Baileyworks bag. Made by a company and contirbuting member of this here forum.

I like it and it is a nice size for when your just bringing a few things. I do have plans for a more traditional boxy rando bag for when I need more capacity.

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

That's a step too far for my fork. Darn! Guess if I want to put less than a pound on a leg I can just use some strong zip ties or something.

It seems that some folks use hose clamps to attach too. Wrap up the legs with old tube and mount it that way, not too pretty but for a temporary solution it could work.

[dgaddis]

you can't just use a sleeping bag in a hammock unless it's really warm

you need incompressible insulation underneath, convection with the outside air will suck the heat out of you faster than the cold hard ground

that means using a sleeping pad inside (extra awkwardness), or buying a baller down underquilt ($$$)

Yep, I knew that hammocks slept cold going into it. Didn't realize how cold. Hennesy (sp?) makes a reflective pad that's cut to fit that's supposed to work pretty well. Basically a cut to fit windsheild reflector.

For the ride this weekend I'm torn on what to bring. I am bringing the hammock again, and it's gonna be hot as balls during the day (95*F + augusta humidity), and temps will drop down around 70 at night. I know when I first go to bed it's still gonna be warm out, but I may end up waking up cold later in the night. I've got two bags at my disposal - a warm weather synthetic bag rated to 65 or 70, and a down bag rated to 36.

Advice?

[blasdelf]

For the ride this weekend I'm torn on what to bring. I am bringing the hammock again, and it's gonna be hot as balls during the day (95*F + augusta humidity), and temps will drop down around 70 at night. I know when I first go to bed it's still gonna be warm out, but I may end up waking up cold later in the night. I've got two bags at my disposal - a warm weather synthetic bag rated to 65 or 70, and a down bag rated to 36.

that's going to be tough, you're really not going to want to get inside either bag when you go to bed, but with just the hammock skin underneath you're guaranteed to wake up from getting cold

you could just plan on that happening and bring the down bag so you'll warm back up to a sleepable temperature

ideally you'd rig up some outside insulation and be able to sleep with nothing or just a light bag as a quilt on top

[blasdelf]

For reference, it isn't a Nashbar trunk bag, it is a very nice Baileyworks bag. Made by a company and contirbuting member of this here forum.

Artisanal manufacturing and the best of intentions don't outweigh mis-design (see also: Serotta)

Rivendell also makes high quality bags like this (in reenactment materials) and has done so for much longer -- but just because they aren't cheap black nylon don't make them functionally advanced over a nashbar product


The traditional rando setup is highly evolved as a whole, trying to pick out some features and 'modernize' others will get you a homercar if you don't intimately understand the inter-dependencies of the battle-tested setup.

I'll give you a hint: zippers are extremely inappropriate for a front bag application

[Too Tall]

OMG Fred. Go ride your bike or something.

Everyone is digging watching Justin work out a very unique setup and it's working.

[Justin@BlackOakVelo]

Everything is dependent on use. I don't need to open my bag while I'm riding therefore a zipper is fine for me. And nothing is done or settled, more to come. The same way everyone told me how terrible of an idea it was to build a 650B road bike out of Ti. Just wait oh ye of little faith.

Also Serotta had nothing to do with mis-design but mismanagement. :)

[72gmc]

It was a terrible idea! Because now I want one!

[Matthew Strongin]

It was a terrible idea! Because now I want one!

+1. That terrible idea turned into one of the coolest bikes I've ever seen.

[blasdelf]

I don't need to open my bag while I'm riding therefore a zipper is fine for me

why are you putting it right in front of you then?

horse-and-carrot.jpg

Your Kink Is Not My Kink But Your Kink Is Okay

[dgaddis]

that's going to be tough, you're really not going to want to get inside either bag when you go to bed, but with just the hammock skin underneath you're guaranteed to wake up from getting cold

you could just plan on that happening and bring the down bag so you'll warm back up to a sleepable temperature

ideally you'd rig up some outside insulation and be able to sleep with nothing or just a light bag as a quilt on top

That sounds like a plan. The two bags weigh about the same and pack down about the same size, might as well bring the warmer one.

Yeah an underquilt would be sweet, but like you said...$$$$. If I used it more I'd get one though.