DIY Bikepacking Kit V2

[dream4est]

Well I just finished most of my version 2 bike bags. To recap I made a set of bags on a whim in November. I used the Jerry W design for a seat bag "holster" and made a front harness system that in effect sandwiched the cables between drybags. I used silnylon, cheap polyester, 1/4" foam, 1/32" plastic stiffeners, some 500d Cordura for abrasion, cheap zippers and Babyville PUL fabric for drysacks. They turned out decent, but were fragile IMO. Stable but prone to fabric failure.

So fast forward to this month. I researched fabric, mounting points and designs for 2 months or so. I came up with an all X-Pac design that weighs less than my silnylon attempt, is stable, limits the velcro and strapping to a bare minimum and has enough volume to ride no backpack. TX-07 and VX-21, YKK water resist #8 zips, no foam, very few stiffeners, some ripstop liners but not much, Molle webbing and shock cord mounting, a zippered seatbag like the drybags models that weighs 5oz, Molle water bottle holders for low center of gravity water carry of 5-6 liters. All bags easily dismount from bike. All bags are easily accessible. The cue sheet handlebar bag has a clear top for cues , spot and my iphone solar charger. The gas tank has velcro to hold my phone for talking to girlfriend while riding (that rules).

I hope to ride the AZT 750 with this setup. And if they hold up I plan to sell them as race level bags (1 pound lighter than a full kit from Revelate/Porcelain/Etc.). We will see how it goes.

[fotooutdoors]

So the extra silver x-pac around the downtube is to slide water bottles in, or is it the blue fabric nearer the bottom bracket?   Either way, that is a great idea.  I have a Fargo, and while fork-mounted bottles are great for dirt road routes because they keep the bottles accessible, they aren't so great when you need to loft your front wheel to clear a log.  Well-executed!

[dream4est]

So the extra silver x-pac around the downtube is to slide water bottles in, or is it the blue fabric nearer the bottom bracket?   Either way, that is a great idea.  I have a Fargo, and while fork-mounted bottles are great for dirt road routes because they keep the bottles accessible, they aren't so great when you need to loft your front wheel to clear a log.  Well-executed!

The blue fabric is a bag for a spare tube. In front of that is a 32oz steel water bottle in blue cozy.The 2 silver xpac bottle holders (for the long Smart Water bottle only) kind of "sit" on the steel bottle on each side, with Molle attached to velcro to the frame. I wanted more water carry down low but hate the concept of fork mounted water.

My legs barely clear it all but I end up with a super wide frame bag(4") that holds 3 liters water, tube tools filter food etc. AND i get 3 liters water and a tube below the downtube. All my heavy weight stuff is low center of gravity. I only have to load items in the bottom of the wide frame bag with fixed width to avoid crank arm rub (my tube and tools perform this task- the bladder sits on top of that).

There was really no way to take full advantage of all the space available between the legs down low with standard offerings. I had to make my own if I wanted super wide frame and top tube bags, bottle holders in new places, and simpler Molle style or shock cord style attachment methods.

[ascar_larkinyar]

that looks like a great "full" kit!!!!

[andyha]

They look great...

[dream4est]

Thanks!
I am gonna post some outdoor real world pix soon. The above pix are small and blurry. I just seam sealed all the bags and I just want to say seam sealing rocks! The seams are like super tight now. I had a little pull out going on on one MOLLE webbing seam at the most critical point (End of the webbing on the front harness stem attachment). Now its like steel braided thread! My pull out spot is fixed!!! And every bag is waterproof in the sink test!

I just mention it as IME sewing X-Pac is not that easy with old, small Singers- and I had a little trouble mastering stitch tension at first. The sealant really helps with a strong bond.

[andyha]

Do you have any more pics of the seatbag construction process

[dream4est]

Do you have any more pics of the seatbag construction process

No more pix yet, but I will say that it is like building a huge gas tank with a fixed strap and a floating strap and a 1.5" webbing strap with MOLLEfor secure rail attachment. I have a front 3/4" webbing velcro strap as well right at the top of the post but that one is almost not needed. The only concern I have for the prototype is maybe I should have used 3/4" clear webbing for straps instead of nylon. The nylon has already left an imprint on the TX-07- no damage yet but leaves an imprint in the fabric that goes away after removal. I figure smoother webbing would be better than Cordura patches to keep the weight at an unworldy 5oz! Yes that is correct. The only downside is it designed specifically to hold only a Mountain Hardware 32degree phantom bag. So it is not a monster space bag like the big Revelate one. Once you get the sleeping bag inside there is a little room for some snacks or other small items but something even a bit bulky like leg warmers makes it hard to zip up. But the original plan was for a super stable sleeping bag carry at a super low weight, and that was acheived. Extra storage was going to be a hopeful bonus- but the zipper needs a little extra fabric to work smoothly.

[dream4est]

Made some new gear this weekend. TX-07 X-Pac Summer Rain Pogies!! This time I tried the TX-07 with the white side out, to see how that handles abrasions/elements. The grey side does okay, better than anything in its weight class, but I think the white side may be better for durability.

I also made some VX-21 waterproof shoe covers in dark grey. No pix yet. Still drying the seam sealant.

Going to do some more testing in the CTR next week. Still looking to market my designs but need more R+D.

[dream4est]

VX-21 shoe covers in dark grey. Better than anything I have bought. Fit perfect. Sealed and ready for CTR wetness.

[Eric]

FYI - if you run the film side of the TX-07 outwards it does not handle abrasion well at all. The ripstop side is not much better. It's tent fabric - light and disposable for bags.

[dream4est]

Tx07 made it through 23 days of racing. I think it has its place in ultralight bags- maybe only in certain panels/places though. I liked it. I did mangle a few things though- mainly user error.

With the exception of a stain and a hole that were my fault the tx07 bags all still work. A bit ugly but they work.

[dream4est]

I finished a new kit. It is so sweet. Thanks to 12Wheels for selling me such a great sewing machine. I made the front harness in September and used it on the Flagstone route. The seatbag, gas tank and frame bag are brand new and heading to AZT750 soon!

To update the thread on the TX-07 fabric, here are my results:

1. Non-coated side out (white) was a dismal failure in CTR. The hand pogies attracted dirt and debris immediately, and then the film on the inside failed quickly. Couldnt even clean them off. They only still worked as my hands got all hot like a sauna even though wet.
2. The coated side out (grey) bags I made all still worked even after the Flagstone ride I did in October. A small hole or two was developing. The coating was not working anymore. The all held at the seams though and were made with a crappy 70's machine.
3. Jesse Jakomait was using an all TX-07 framebag and basically all TX-07 front assembly from Bedrock Bags in the CTR. He happened to finish 2nd so I think the bags worked.
4. I decided to go with VX-07 now. TX-07 is race winner only type material for this application.

[dream4est]

Current bike and setup:

[dream4est]

Current setup for TD this year:





AZT 750 setup earlier this year:

[12wheels]

Great setup Mark.  Your top tube bag is really impressive.

[dream4est]

Thanks Greg. Its not really that nice- your Marshal tank is really what I am looking for but I couldnt retrofit this bag with a rainfly. I finally got it to stop moving and the zipper works really well. I had to ditch my third velcro mount and use a reusable zip tie to mount it to my gps mounting pad. And I velcroed about 2/3rds of a one liter juice bottle into the gas tank as a frame and phone mount. In the pic I had the insert mounted to the stem end. Now I have it the other way- butted to the other end. Its my new stiffener concept. Juice bottles. It worked great for my downtube bag. I also used one for my Feedbag- that one is a little noisy with food in it but the plastic makes it stable.

[dream4est]

Better view of the tank with plastic insert. I really like how it attaches to my gps mount, which is a simple foam/tape/reusable zip tie jobber.

[Lentamentalisk]

I absolutely love these bags you've made! I'm wondering if you'd be willing to share your patterns for me to make some of my own bags? I'm particularly interested in the fuel bag in image 2 of reply 12. I'm hoping to try my hand at making some of my own gear, as I have a really odd setup, but some templates based on your trials and learning experiences could really give me a leg up!

That said, I understand if you are trying to keep that all a secret, given your desires to possible sell these some day.

[dream4est]

I am making bags for sale this month. Look for some posted here soon. The name is Divide Bike Bags. Website will be up soon. I have some new designs I am working on right now.