What to take/How to pack?

[Jannepan]

Dear All,

A warm hello from Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I'm currently looking for more detailled information in preparation of a solo lightweight bikepacking trip. I'm planning on riding the TransAndalus in Southern Spain.
I've got experience in bikepacking, but those trips were on a fully loaded bike with Ortlieb panniers etc. It already seems like I've cut off all unnecessary stuff (taking only 15 kilo's) but, I guess all that stuff won't fit in my newly bought revelate design bags and backpack.

I'm planning on taking a seatpostbag and a handlebar bag (the viscacha and the Harness+drybag with extra pocket), a backpack (prob. the Osprey 22liter bag or something similar) and I guess I might need a framebag (but my frame is tiny, so I'm not sure what the value of this would be)...

I've seen a lot of lists of what people take, but some of those seem too minimalistic , i.e. I want to take a tent, since I'll probably be camping in the wild for about 80% of the time. + I would love to know the packing-system: what do you put in every bag? where to put the most heavy stuff etc.

If somebody could take time to reply in detail on these issues, much appreciated! :-D

+ Somebody wants to join me in Spain? ;-)

Best, Janneke


ps. I'm riding on a hardtail (Santos Travelmaster 2.6 alu, most robust bike for heavy loaded touring, but might be too much, and too heavy for lightweigh bikepacking...)

[annoying crack]

Well, I just came home from an overnighter and my bike is still packed. I'll document what's where as I unpack...

seatbag : spare clothes, rainjacket and personal hygiene stuff (lenses, toothpaste/brush,...)
gastank : snicker bars and camera
harness drybag : bivy bag, sleeping bag, down jacket and fleece hat.
harness pocket : legwarmers (oh, that's where they were), half litre bottle of water, battery light, headlamp, knife, piece of string, red blinky.
17 litre backpack : small thermarest mattress, cooking pot,nesbit stove, lighter, noodle soup, mp3-player, phone, money, more energy bars, half litre bottle of water, tools, pump, 1 spare tire (I usually take two but took only one this time as I was not going very far)
on bike : 2 x 75cl bottle of water.

I always seem to have some more weight in the front. That's not noticeable when biking, only when lifting the bike up over obstacles.
Remember that you will never be able to take as much as you would on a road tour with panniers. But less is better as it keeps the weight down which is always a good thing for mtbing.
If you use a framebag, keep the heavy items (tools,...) in there and as low as possible. It's also a good place to store water as it's heavy and centered over the bike when put in the framebag. Framebag might also be a good place to put the tentpoles, might or might not work depending on lenght of the poles and size of the frame.
Also, some people do not like to bike with a backpack but it does not bother me at all. Get one that's a good fit for mountainbiking, it should not hit you in the back of the head when getting behind the saddle on steep downhills. try to keep it as light as possible.
Get out and try some different setups. Go to the ardennes for an overnighter and see how the bike behaves on longer/steeper climbs and downhills. Alter your setup to get a better fit.
Also framebags/harness will rub the paint of your frame, protect it BEFORE your first ride with the bags on the bike. I use an old innertube to protect the toptube and a piece of rubber with lots of tape to protect the headtube.

When are you planning on going to Spain? Not during the hot season I hope.

Good luck with your trip.

[AndyAmick]

Crack, nice details on your setup.

I don't have a lot of details to add, but I would say that I try to keep similar items together.  I put all of my sleep system (tarp, quilt, sleeping mat, down booties, insulated vest, and insulated hat in my front handlebar bag.  It may not be the best distribution of weight, but at least I know where my sleep gear is located.  In the past, I have put items (clothes for example) in various locations but I could never remember where each piece was located.