As an avid dot watcher I decided to jump in to this discussion.  I?m assuming that JL and UB can see the trackleaders info on their opponent.  How much race strategy will we be seeing in the next couple of days?  How much sleep depredation can a body tolerate?  Can a person in extreme sleep depredation think clearly enough to plan strategy?  These are amazing times that we are seeing here.  WOW!

My son Justin Heckman’s dot isn’t showing up on trackleaders.  His wife reports that it is moving on the spot app.  It posted in yesterday on trackleaders.   Is there anything we can do to get it up and running?  Moms tend to worry and want to see that dot moving forward!

I use a product called "soft and stable".  It is a foam product produced for the quilting/sewing market and is used in purses, bags, etc.  This stuff is exactly what it says, pliable but adds great stability to your bag.  Where I want structure I use a layer of X-pac, a layer of soft and stable, and an inside layer of coated nylon fabric.

I got it done!  Tomorrow I plan on heading out to see how my bike will ride with a load.  I wound up not putting blocks in it, but instead threaded the webbing through the cables.  We'll see how it works.  I think I can still put the blocks back in at a later time.

Thank you for the reply.  I think I will dig out an old blue foam sleeping pad and see what happens if I cut blocks out of that.  Now I need to go in search of webbing and buckles... 

Okay, I've mastered top tube bags, feed bags, and frame bags.  Now moving on to harnesses...
I am impressed with the tutorial that was posted on the forum and plan to utilize this method.

http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/diy-make-your-own-gear-(myog)/diy-bar-harness-step-by-step-blog-instructions/msg60003/#msg60003

But these instructions don't include blocks to keep the harness out of the way of the cables like you see on the Revelate harness.  Has anyone one come up with a nifty way to do this?  I was thinking about the little blocks like are used on the sweet roll, but I don't know what material to use to make them.  Since I am more of a sewer than a handyman I thought maybe some of you had worked out this problem!

Since all of my family are cyclists this year they will be getting bike bags for Christmas.  Here is a bevy of bags waiting be distributed on the big day.

Hmmm, I always have to scratch my head a bit and think it through, but basically I make the liner like the bag, less the zipper top piece.  When I sew the liner I leave an unsewn seam in the bottom of the liner.  Then I turn the bag inside out and sew the liner to the top seam ( around where the zipper top piece was inserted) and then I pull the bag right side out through the gap in the liner seam.  Finish with a bit of hand sewing where the bottom liner is open and you are done.  Pretty slick, but you sort of have to think about it a bit. 
Next one I do I will take some pictures... May be awhile since I just finished up with bags for Christmas presents.  My family are cyclists and they get bags this year!

Nice work! I really dig that fold out liner, it makes for a nice tidy interior, but I'm having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around how to assemble something like that. Do you have any progress photos to help the feeble minded?

White Rim Trail in Canyonlands... how was that in four days?

Wonderful!  Four days made it easy with lots of time for lounging around camp and cooking great meals...

Nice looking.  How do you attach the "floor" to the inside of your bag?  I assume it rests just above the lower zipper?  Interesting concept.

I'm not a bike bag expert, but I've sewn for years and have some experience in making other types of bags.   It takes a bit of fiddling to get the corners right.  When working with heavy material I usually sew up to the corner, back stitch,and cut the thread.  Then I turn the bag, rearrange the layers and put the needle down at where the next side starts at the corner just sewn.  Then I tack the thread and sew the next side.  This usually gives me a nice corner.  I use a very light weight batting rather than stiffeners.  I suspect the weight is about the same and I like working with it better and the stability of the bag is excellent. 
And I understand liking to make your own stuff!

I ordered the mesh from Rockywoods and it is their 100 Denier 100% Polyester Porthole Mesh.  It seems to work for what I wanted.  It is very nice for stashing sticky wrappers.  I am surprised at how much this little bag holds.  There is a bar, a package of gel, a package of sport beans, chap stick,and my phone in there and there is still lots of room for more.  I made the interior loose so that it can pull out and shake out crumbs and wipe off sticky stuff.  Here are a few more photos.

I have been attempting to make a top tube gas tank bag using x pac.  My first attempt was a 9 inch bag that was pretty good, but was too big for my small mtb frame.  Here is a picture of the 7 inch bag which worked out perfectly.  I used a product called "soft and stable" to back the x pac and a yellow nylon for the interior.  The zipper is waterproof.  I used a daisy chained webbing to attach the straps which were made from bike tubing and Velcro.  This bag has two straps at the head tube to provide a bit more stability on rough terrain and in cornering.  A week ago it went on a four day trip on Canyonland's White Rim Trail and worked perfectly.  It was great to not have to dig in my Camelback for small items!

Thanks to all for this forum and the discussions on the race!  This has been an exciting watch.  It is wonderful to see cycle racing in it's pure form.  Pro cycling has become such a fiasco that it is heartening to see bicycle racing back to it's roots.  For those of us who have loved the sport for years it is refreshing.