Hi, I think the main reasons some folk use a harness is to keep the bag away from the cables and to save anything from wearing a hole in it.  They're probably more secure too, although your Alpkit bag (if it's an XT model) may have loops for threading the straps through, a lot of other bags don't have those.
Give your current stuff a go and see how you get on.  If it looks like something is going wear through the bag, put a few layers of duct tape inbetween.

I can't get away with resin pads.  I find, between different brands, that they either don't last long or don't work very well in the wet.  I use sintered pads instead which are supposed to be noisier...the ones on my Formula brakes do squeal when wet.  The Shimano brakes (XTR 975)) on my other bike however, have always been silent.  Sometimes they lose a bit of power, usually when the trails are dusty (not very often here).  I pop the pads out and scuff them up with a bit of emery tape to remove the glaze.  Then they're as good as new again.

I use the brake manufacturers pads on both sets as I've found them to work well and last a decent length of time too.

P.S.  Looking at some of your pics, I think I need to start doing a spot of fishing on my trips!  

Have you got skinny ankles?  The problem I have with both type of socks is that they are too baggy on the ankles and water gets inside.  I've started wearing thick, merino wool socks instead...at least when they get wet, they still keep my feet warm.

Can you not just link the image, rather than uploading it?

Right-click the image and save image location.  Then click on the link image icon within the post toolbar and paste the address.

EDIT:  To do this your image will have to be hosted on the net already though...Flickr, Photobucket, etc.

Ah, it's better with a few photos.  Thanks for sharing, sort of...the pics of blue skies make me jealous.  Maybe I should stick to the UK forums?!?

Hi Bob, I'll say hello!  It's great your managing to get out...it's been that wet here in the UK, I haven't been out for a few months. 

I saw your post when you first posted it but wondered if you'd had trouble with the attachments?  Is there supposed to be some pictures within it?  It seems that there's titles but nothing else.  I've seen your pics in your other posts though, looks good.

Oh, and what's that stuck to your shoe. 

I thought that too.  For most folk on here, they'd be posting what they've posted before to answer the questions.

If you're wanting an insight into how folk have got into bikepacking, have a look through the introduction thread.  There's lot of explanations on there.  

I think the biggest collection of setups is over on MTBR too, that should give you plenty to look through.

I had a hard time finding out if it's all double-track and rough roads or if there is true singletrack on the route.

I wondered that too, when translating some of it, it mentions something about 2 metre wide roads and not being able to go a certain way.  I wonder if that's why the guide I know has left the area?  Some of the singletrack goes on for miles, that was staying below 6000ft too.  We couldn't go higher due to the snow (It was the New Year).
I wonder if the PDF's done by the tourist board are available in English, I've searched about but can't find anything.



When are we going? 

I think I might need to track it down too.  I don't know what the deal is with camping in the park?  I don't think you can just camp where you want, although when I've biked there I've hardly seen a soul.  A guide I know, who used to run his business out there has moved back to the UK due to increased problems with the park rangers too.

EDIT:  I've been looking into this and have found a Spanish website with details of the route.  The GPS file is on Wikiloc too.

I think one the hardest tasks would be deciding what kind of price point it would be aimed at.  You've only got to look at the setups on here to see the variation...from bikes costing a few hundred dollars to thousands and that's not even getting started on kit.  
Forgetting the budget for kit for a minute, how would you decide what to include?  Some folk take the bare minimum, others like a few creature comforts, there isn't such a thing as a perfect setup to cater to everyone.  Kit lists are weather dependant or seasonal too, with cold weather gear being especially bulky.  You say you think you could do away with a saddle bags.  I can't weigh up where you could create the same space they provide, elsewhere.  You've also got the problem of spreading and balancing the weight too.
Other issues would be that most folk would probably own some pieces of kit already, if not all, I don't think they'd be wanting to buy a full setup including the bike as well...whatever your pricepoint would be, it's not going to be cheap.  Is it going to be aimed at complete beginners, starting from scratch?  Another thing is that most, if not all bikes used are just that, normal bikes, with bags or panniers added to carry extra gear.  Most of the time those bikes won't even be used for bikepacking, they might only be used a handful of times throughout the year for that.  To have a stand-a-lone bike just for it would be quite a luxury and a waste of money for most.  
Sorry if I seem pessimistic, it's just it seems like a hard task you've set yourself.

Goodluck anyway!

First of all you can't get any suspension fork with bottle cage mounts...any you may have seen will have been fixed on by some kind of brackets or clamps.  There will probably be some info on here somewhere, showing how to do it.

I've always used Rock Shox Reba's on any hardtail bikes I've built.  That's has mainly been due to the fact that they're a good fork, available in lots of options and I can get them for a good price.  The pricing part is from a certain UK dealer though, for the price they sell them for, it's not worth buying second hand (they're OE models).  I don't know what the deals are like in the US?  There are quite a few models with the RL being the most basic, I think.
The specs you would have to make sure of would be:  For 26" wheels, 1-1/8th steerer tube, 100mm travel and 9mm quick-release drop-outs (if you don't want to buy a new wheel/hub).  A lock-out would be good for road sections too.  
Mechanical issues shouldn't be much of a worry if you get you fork serviced when you should.  This is something you can't really get away from, although it's fairly easy to do the basic services yourself (if you're that way inclined).

I'm sorry, I ended up voting for someone else!  Yours was a bit too short for me.  Who chose the final eight, Salsa?  There's a few that that aren't in the final that should be.

Good luck anyway.

Could you not just sew some straps on to a dry bag and put a few reinforcing patches on the high-wear areas?  Didn't Alpkit put a DIY seat bag article on their website?

P.S.  Did you get a sleeping bag sorted out?  The PHD sale starts at 10am on 4th September...they're going to be selling their Minim 300 in M1 fabric for £177 instead of £246.  They're ready-made too, so there's only up to a 10 day wait.  I had to wait a month for something similar. 

I don't think you would even have space for a water bottle with a tangle bag attached.   I've a Jandd frame pack on an 18" frame and my bottle still touches the bottom of it.  Check everything twice with a tape measure before you buy anything.

Great job!  Looks like it was well thought out.
Making a bar bag should be easy compared to what you've already made.  I bought mine but it's basically a double-ended, waterproof bag.  It then has Cordura reinforcing panels in high wear areas and a mesh pocket on the front.

Saddlebags can cause problems on steep descents.  You can't get behind the saddle because of the bag and you're lucky if you can drop it more than a few inches before the bag rubs the tyre.

Great write up!  Liking your website too, you've obviously put a lot of time and effort into it.
I was wondering if you've ever considered a handlebar bag?  I manage to get my tent, sleeping bag and air mat in mine.

I swear by Wingnut packs...I've got a couple of different sized ones, the 3.0 is the one I use for bikepacking though.  The side pockets are very handy as you can get stuff out without taking the pack off.  The mesh pockets are good for stashing things when you're off the bike too, things like gloves, gadgets, rubbish etc.
Another thing is that they are made of sail cloth, this means they are light and more or less waterproof.  The little xY pouches can come in useful too.  I keep a small camera in one and use another to hold a small toolkit when racing.

Have you seen the Scottish trip reports over on Bear Bones Bikepacking?  There may be some food for thought there?

I think I'll pass thanks...I did wonder what kind of bike you used when you'd put that you'd toured for a couple of years.  I'm a mountain biker through and through, so would probably hold you up on the smoother stuff.
I'd be coming from Cumbria too, it seems the logistics could be a nightmare for me!

Hope you find the best way to tackle it and a companion or two as well.