Our road video lead, Felix Smith, brings you his favourite bikepacking gear he used on an incredible month long cycle tour through France.
From a lightweight 1 person tent to a free t-shirt hack, Felix racked up close to 1000 miles putting his latest kit to the test.
What’s your favourite kit? And what adventures have you been on? Get stuck into the comments!
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7 Comments
If you’re credit card touring you should be able to get all you need in an (ortlieb) 11l saddle bag. 3kg. Ziploc bags for organisation. Electrical tape around seat post. No aero penalty or knee bumping with a handlebar or frame bag.
its subjective you can taylor your pack option`s to what your trip needs and whatever you prefer, unnecessary shade getting thrown at the saddle bag lol we should be glad theirs option's to choose from
What you're really doing here is traditional cycle touring.
The bikepacking seatpacks etc are not really suited to that but they can work well for shorter trips especially with a lot of off road, single track, and lifting over gates and fences.
Panniers are better if you like to carry more stuff for greater comfort and practicality for longer trips.
Old fashioned horizontal saddle bags had the same problem. What's wrong with panniers? Easy to use, accessible…"oh, but AEROOO". You're touring, FFS
Brilliant "real world" stuff. We use rack top bags (Carradice) on a simple alloy rack. Easy packing & access, very stable….and a FRACTION of the cost of Tailfin stuff. 3 weeks across Spain off road, Lon Las Cymru, and 4 days mixed surface in Scottish highlands without a single problem…not camping though.
Those big cruise missiles on your saddle, I've never understood those damn things! Panniers and nothing else!
Panniers are good for Touring, that is for sure. But saddlebags are great for lightweight long distance riding. It also allows a better weight distribution on the bike. New ortlieb qr saddlebacks are also very well, dont sway a bit and doesnt touch the frame. Just did a 3 day tour in Belgium and it was 30 km crosswind everyday, saddlebag worked great.