New to bikepacking/gear questions

[Hairylegs]

Hey all. Pretty experienced backpacker/cyclist but new to putting them together! I plan on utilizing most of my existing gear and am outfitting my old 2014 specialized awol for a 1/2 night trek on Catalina island.

I have an old rear rack and panniers. They are low end nashbar buys from a decade ago. Shall I go for it or invest in a saddle bag? My question is climbing. Easiest gear I’ve got is 34-42 unless I can find a smaller chainring (like a 32.) Catalina has sustained climbs at 5% or so which I can manage but might be pushing up the steep pitches anyway. Do panniers or saddlebags make a big difference here as far as weight distribution?

My other question is water. I’m tempted to wear my osprey daypack with a bladder so I can utilize a full frame pack. Does this sound right?

The bike is not light at 27lbs. I figure I’ll be lucky to keep my total bike weight below 50.

Would love thoughts from the wisdom here! Thanks much!


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[RonK]

The bikepacking ethos is to use what you have.  In open ground panniers are ok but in narrow singletrack they can be cumbersome.

The usual practice is to carry a water bladder in the top compartment of the framebag. Most framebags are designed with drinking tube ports specifically for this reason.
But it's up to you if you want a to wear a backpack. I prefer to be unencumbered.

[Hairylegs]

Thank you! This is helpful. I'll stick to my old panniers for now and look into the bladder in the frame pack.

Can't wait for my maiden voyage!

[Lentamentalisk]

FWIW, when possible, put the weight on your bike, instead of your back. If you don't have enough volume on your bike, put the bulky, but light stuff on your back, and the dense heavy stuff in the frame bag. With more technical terrain, panniers are less desirable, but can be OK, but you really need to keep the weight minimal. Again, put the dense stuff in the frame bag, and the bulky light stuff in your panniers.