ok so ...

[ghettodweller]

First time 'packer, am booked in to the T&B tho attendance still not certain!

Looking at carrying sleeping bag in an Army Bergen side pouch on the bears. Not as simple as it appears because:
* fouls suspension travel
* pressurises brake hoses
* if I lift it (how?), obstructs trail view (if I drop it, rubs on wheel)

Not a goer I think. (It's not hard to imagine a can't-see, can't-brake and bag rubs on front wheel scenario!)

Any suggestions folks? I'm not currently willing to buy special luggage just to do this. (And don't have endless hours to faff about with it either).

Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

[johnnystorm]

Will it fit under your seat?

[Charliecres]

Matt, lock the forks out and *maybe* change the angle of your levers and you'll be fine.

Oh, and you are definitely going

[Matt]

Put less gear up front and wear a rucksack

What I did before I bought the gear, works just not as 'optimal' but won't ruin your fun

[Ray Young]

I'm thinking that when you say obstructed trail view you mean your front wheel and maybe a little bit ahead. I have found that in practice this is not actually a problem and you get used to it. You know where your front wheel is and you stand up for technical bits giving a better view. An alternative to using a backpack mentioned above would be a rear rack, not ideal but as long as you don't overload it and only put stuff on the top as close to the frame/seat tube as possible then it won't upset handling to much. If you don't have rack mounts or the rack fouls the brake then p-clips are the way to go. Have fun.

[ghettodweller]

it's a non-starter, there's no point this bear trying to climb a tree that has no honey. sleeping bag has to go in rucksack.

thats now liberated the bars to bodge in a couple of inappropriately shaped bags I scrounged from a friend.

[ghettodweller]

johnny no I can't find a way to fit and stabilise it under the seat ta, it wobbles sideways, bangs my legs and sags on to the rear wheel (29er), the only answer is to buy a Koala thing, but I'm not doing that for this trip

ray good point about being stood up

ta both

[Matt]

Don't look at your front wheel look a head further down the trail

[Bearbonesnorm]

Would you like to borrow a Wildcat Tiger (rear harness) at weekend? It might give you some more options.

[ghettodweller]

Would you like to borrow a Wildcat Tiger (rear harness) at weekend? It might give you some more options.

tvm, I'll see how I go, may get away with it as is but will mail if needs be.

[greenmug]

Before I got an Alpkit y-front system I had a similar size bag at the front. The problems were mostly on the go and expenential when the bobbing effect of an un-thethered weight over rocky ground. The Y-front system sorted it. It, and other similar systems, not only create a solid platform to prevent movement but they can make the platform a bit 'proud' of all the wires meaning no rub, squashing etc.

I carried about 3KG of winter bag + tent + socks + pillow on the winter bivi with no issues.

I damaged a brake hose to level attachment the first time round so I'd avoid just a strap for a bulky/heavy front bag.

Equally, I wouldn't want to go back to having much weight on my back. Fine for the first few hours. After a while it is the only thing I think about.

[ghettodweller]

so you're saying excessive frontal bag bobbing is fixed with Y fronts?

[Dan_K]

Surely a true lightweight bikepacker would go commando?

[greenmug]

so you're saying excessive frontal bag bobbing is fixed with Y fronts?

Yes. the Y-front has rigid carbon rods through it so is kind of a plate to attach things to. In turn its attachments to bars and top-o-fork mean the whole thing is rigid.

Alpkit sell straps that fit into the permanent clips. This isn't requird but means you can attach bags back on with no faff. You can use your own straps too as the back has loads of loops to thread them through.

I'd add that I use Alpkit dry bag which adds to stability by having glued on strap loops. I found without them (straps just tensioned around a bag) caused sideways sliding after a while riding. So the combo of Alpkit Airlock and Alpkit Y-front works for me.

On niggle is that the bars are showing signs of wear from them. Would be the same for a lot of straps but maybe there is a solution such as taping initially.

I'm going this weekend with this if you want a look. I'll be at the start for an early departure (0830-0900). It is out of stock now so you would have to wait but you might get an idea of what other systems are like. However, I really like the rigidity that seems unique to this system.


edit: seems there has been a name change. now Kanga
https://www.alpkit.com/products/kanga

[ghettodweller]

ta, won't be there that early, coming up from darn sarf, at the end maybe.

[ghettodweller]

Would you like to borrow a Wildcat Tiger (rear harness) at weekend? It might give you some more options.

after a trial run last night, I may need to! Let me measure my suffer bag dimensions to see it it will fit ... the strategy of squishing it in my rucksack unstuffed (for easy shape conformity) didn't work, it just inflates and takes up 80% of the rucksack (no food for me then!)

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'll fetch it along

[ghettodweller]

my bag, super-stuff, is a sausage-cube about 25x21x21 (cm)