What do people put in frame bags?

[Steve1127]

I have been thinking of making a frame bag. It would be approximately 4-5 inches wide. What generally do people put into these bags as they seem to be very narrow and limited in size? I have done much backpacking and some bike travel but with a trailer and panniers. Now I am thinking more off road, singletrack trails and see that most people are trying to get more weight (actually less weight) onto the bike and off their backs.

[Outsider]

I try to put the small and heavy items in the frame bag. E.g. Spare inner tube(s), bike tools, bike spare parts, stove, gas canister, thermos bottle, kettle, freeze dried food etc. Depending on you frame 5 inches of width might be too much, since a frame bag is flexible and might bulge out more than five inches. I made my frame bag for the Pugsley 9 cm wide and would not go much wider. The Fargo bag is 6 cm wide and could probably be slightly wider.

A frame bag places these heavy items low and centrally on the bike, which affects the handling of the bike a lot less than placing the load elsewhere would.

[6thElement]

I'm planning on filling mine with Jelly Beans and Fig Newtons

[Chad B]

Whiskey

[chrisx]

5 liters of water

[Steve1127]

Not having ever used one but  thinking of making one, are there any suggestions as to what fabric works best? Has anyone used silnylon? The reason I asked what goes in a frame bag is to determine what strength of fabric is needed. If clothing or soft stuff is all that goes in then a very light weight material could be used but if again water and tools are carried there I am assuming a heavier fabric is used. Any advice would be appreciated. I find the information on this site to be extremely useful and appreciate everyone's experience and the willingness to share with beginners such as myself.

[12wheels]

I carry an extra bladder of water, food, a silnylon rain jacket, arm and leg warmers, a headlight, and maps. 

As to what material to use, I prefer a heavier fabric like ripstop packcloth or one of the newer XPAC fabrics.   

[bartspedden]

My wife is making mine out of nylon salvaged from a schwag bag from a ski race.  Nothing fancy. But it should do.

[bumbler]

I've thought about making one from 1.9oz ripstop. Seems like it'd be strong enough, especially if sharp-ish objects (tools, etc) were wrapped in a stuff sack first. Doesn't seem like frame bags would see a lot of abrasion, so heavy cordura seems like overkill.

[wookieone]

I would stick with something beefier than ripstop or silnylon, it is a pretty big area, potentially, and it is just amazing how things get rubed, beat and shimmied all over while riding offroad. I use Dyneema, or some sort of packcloth, often lined with silnylon for water resistance and stiffness. If you want try some lighter stuff, but make sure you use the $h^y out of it first. I also agree. heavier stuff goes in the bottom, accesible stuff in the top. And it is amazing the stuff that can fit in there, in an 18" frame I can get a 3 liter bladder, most of my bike stuff(tubes, tools, lube) and still have room for a a bunch of food. That is alot more stuff than the usual couple water bottles!!! It in fact makes me choose some frames over others, just for that extra room. Plus it has alowwed me to do some stuff with no pack and that is worth a try if you haven't done so. Jefe

[bartspedden]

My wife and I made a prototype out of some tyvek scrapes just to learn what the challenges were  going to be.  While I don't think tyvek is strong enough as the primary material, I think it would be a great "liner" for an inexpensive nylon.  The whole reason why I went down the DIY path is because I'm planning on a new bike next year and will get a revelate frame bag for the new frame.  I had originally planned on using the VX 21 material, but decided that it was too much hassle to order material over the internet.  I figured some ripstop would be fine.  But then I couldn't find any ripstop at the local fabric stores... so I resigned to "reuse" the material from a little backpack that a race kit came in.  I'm a little concerned about the durability of the fabric, so I think I'll just stick the tyvek prototype inside!  I'll also place some thin foam on the bottom of the bag too to give it some structure and to protect the bag/frame from rubbing stuff.

[jhl99]

I have no immediate plans in going to a frame bag setup, but what I've wonder about is how secure is the load in a frame bag?  Does stuff rattle and shake around?  Does stuff belly out the bag?  What if the bag is only partially loaded?

The reason I ask is that with a pannier/rack system, the pannier has an internal stiffener and with correctly designed compression straps, the load is cinched down against the stiffener and rack stays... no shaking, rattling or abrasion on your frame.

On construction:  For DIY, I think making the thing a single fabric thickness without a liner is the way to go.  If you want to keep something dry, package it in the appropriate type of dry bag or zip-loc.  Packcloth or a lightweight Cordura are rugged and easy to work with.

[bartspedden]

Why would you go without a liner for a DIY bag? A tyvek liner weighs less than a mouthful of water and should help things stay together if my little bag fails. For the $7 for the thread and zipper, the tyvek "seems" like a good little idea to me. I'm not concerned about moisture, just durability. I'll give it a shot on many a  test run and report back if anyone is interested.  I'll be putting my entire repair kit in the frame bag:

- multiple tool
- leather man
- chain links
- spoke tool (mavic)
- tubes
- patch kit
- zip ties
- brake pads
- derailleur cable
- chain lube
- duct tape
- fabric tape
- pump
- hanger
- cleat
- rag

And my camping kit
- food bag rope
- towel
- soap
- bug repellant
- spoon
- tooth brush/paste
- headlamp
- compass
- stove/fuel
- lighter(2)
- batteries for gps and 2eos's

If I could of purchased a ripstop material that's the route I would of gone, but I did not feel like ordering off the web. We'll see if this is a wise choice after a few rides. I plan on just filling up the bag with the goods and leaving it on the bike for all my normal riding. If it makes it to the ctr Start line I'll have faith in it.  I'm not particularly easy on gear so I'll order from revelate by April if I have any durability concerns. Adding straps internally to secure stuff to a DIY bag is a great idea that I think I will add. Makes perfect sense to me jhl99!

[wdlandparker]

I have a revelate/epic designs tangle bag, and I keep my plastic egg container, maps, lights, random food, my stove(either a esbit or MSR whisperlite internationale), and other random stuff that is fairly compact.

[12wheels]

Do yourself a favor and use heavier material and forget the liner.  Rockywoods is just north of you in Loveland and sells over the internet, phone, or face to face at their facility.
http://www.rockywoods.com/
They have everything you need...fabric, zippers, webbing, and velcro.  Their ripstop pack cloth or xpac is reasonable priced and will stand up to more abuse than lightweight ripstop.
http://www.rockywoods.com/Fabrics-Kits/All-Ripstop-Nylon-Fabrics

[chrisx]

To stop the frame bag from bulging to much, I have a Velcro strap in the center.
un like everyone else, mine is a roll top.  I pull it over the top of the frame and Velcro it on the other side. I like this better because there is no zipper to fail. As far as water proof,  even the Ortlieb bags get wet inside after 4 days of constant rain.  Light weight and water proof is only a dream.

[jhl99]

bartspedden:
In my opinion, the effort (time) to put in a liner is not worth it, I also agree with 12Wheels, get decent material that will work in a single layer.  Sewing projects suck up a some time, especially if this is your first project.  The heavier materials are easy to mark and hold their shape when being cut and sewn.

If this a this is a sucessful project,  you will be liberated from buying 'store bought' bags.

[wookieone]

My personal take is that a liner keeps the water resistance up and keeps the stuff shaking around inside the bag from ripping up the material/water proof coating of the outside material. Yes it makes it more complicated, so get your design worked out well, but if you're gonna make a bag, make it well.

[bartspedden]

My wife is 9 days away from giving birth to our daughter, so I wanted to maximize my time with the seamstress  that being said, waiting for a web order of material felt like time wasted.  That's why we prototyped the bag in tyvek. This took around two hours. I did a quick cardboard cut out of the inside of the frame and the traced it on the tyvek. Next I cut it and handed it off to Huey. She did a quick sew and I stuffed it inside the frame.  We learned what we needed. Then we made the real bag, 6 hours. So adding the liner is of no real consequence since it's already built.  Maybe it will help, maybe it won't, time will tell.

It was a big time sink sewing the real bag and I would recommend using a better material if you want to keep to bag for many seasons. I wasn't trying to save money with this DIY bag, it just seemed like such a waste getting the revelate for 1 season. Eric earns his money and I wouldn't want to waste such an awes e bag!

Since I'm not putting a lot of weight in the bag, I'm hopeful that the double stitching combined with the liner makes it through a season. If not, no big deal, I'll send my order to revelate!

[Steve1127]

Chrisx,

Living in Portland you must have some familiarity with rain and wet. Do you have a pic of your bag as a roll top sounds like a great way to go. There is a reason I imagine why most lightweight waterproof bags are roll down types. I am experimenting with a large fanny pack with the weight being supported by a jury rigged support behind the seat. The weight is not fully on the bike and not fully on me. I put close to ten pounds of stuff in it yesterday and cruised some local singletrack and didn't even notice it was there. On the downhills, I sat way back and the pack just went where I went. It looks promising for future trips but still needs more tests.