budget bikepacking bags?

RyanP

RyanP

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Mar 1, 2015
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Does anyone here have any suggestions for bikepacking bags that I should buy if I want to carry 15-20 lbs or so on my bike (i.e., not on my back) for as low of a cost as possible? I've done a few backpacking trips where short (10-ish miles or so) bike rides enabled one-way routes that would normally require a vehicle shuttle. I loved those trips and would like to do more of them---but I think that kind of trip would probably be much safer and more enjoyable if I could strap some of my gear to my bike instead of having it all in my backpack. I'm anticipating that some of my riding for such trips will be on rough dirt roads (where I don't feel comfortable bringing my car), some will be on smooth roads (to enable a one-way trip), and some will be on singletrack. For the foreseeable future, I will continue to use my old beater bike (hardtail, no dropper post) for these adventures. At least at first, I only plan on using this setup for a couple of backpacking trips, so I would like to keep it to as inexpensive of a setup as possible---depending on how the experience goes, I may at some point really get into this and upgrade to a nicer setup, but for now I'd like to keep it as cheap as possible (less than $100 or so if possible, or at least less than $150 or so at the most). I don't know which bags will get me the most bang for my buck or where to start looking.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!
 
Hi, I can ask Rick to do a quick search, but generally speaking we have pannier bike packs, and more importantly you need the pannier bike rack. They aren’t too expensive.
If you backpack on the same trip, you could place heavy items in the pannier packs and tie down, strap your backpack on top (or bike with an almost empty backpack, heavy stuff in the pannier bags).
Maybe I misunderstood and you’re only doing biking….
 
We got another brand (exact model not available anymore), but essentially an affordable pannier could be something like this (you also need a bike pannier rack to attach it too, unless you already have that). Read reviews- maybe make sides of this pannier more rigid before your trip. Attach pannier as far as possible towards the rear of the bike rack, so your heels don't touch the bags when you bike.


Amazon.com : BV Bike Bag Bicycle Panniers with Adjustable Hooks, Carrying Handle, 3M Reflective Trim and Large Pockets : Bike Pack Accessories : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : BV Bike Bag Bicycle Panniers with Adjustable Hooks, Carrying Handle, 3M Reflective Trim and Large Pockets : Bike Pack Accessories : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com
 
If you (or someone you can bribe) has sewing skills, there also are a number of DIY custom bike luggage tutorials. I've also seen people use a dry bag and Voile straps for an inexpensive handlebar bag. You may either need to add spacers or a handlebar luggage hang bar depending on your bar/cable/shifter setup (e.g. the Rockgeist one).
 
Thanks all for the input. I'll look more into all of your replies when I get a chance at some point in the next week or so.
 
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