I have a bit of a group ride to go on next week, and I said I would bring some luggage capacity and be a mule if needed.

I’ve had an airlok taper for a while, but found it a bugger to keep in place last time I tried it, I don’t mean the swinging about, that I can live with, it simply migrated and got loose till it contacted the rear wheel…

Has anyone ever successfully fitted one without a harness and had it stay put?

And before anyone suggests it, I have no time or funds to buy a harness…

If your near Southampton I can lend you a wildcat seat harness to put your tapered bag in .
Otherwise one of the guys who rides with us uses a combo of Velcro straps and a bungee to attach to rear seat rails and post.

I used one a few times with no real issues. Just made sure it was pretty full and strapped in tight with the straps that came with it. Swayed about a fair bit but stayed in position.

I use an extra strap criss-crossed under the bag and through the saddle rails. That worked fine for me, it was the dual airlock on the handlebar that kept slipping down onto the front tyre.

Has anyone used an Alpkit Joey, does that make a bid difference to a handlebar bag slipping?

Otherwise one of the guys who rides with us uses a combo of Velcro straps and a bungee to attach to rear seat rails and post.

This was me. I bought a long reel of the double sided velcro (5m or 10m from John Lewis). Put two loops around the bag and one along its length effectively making a velcro cage. Then used other lengths around the saddle and seat post that attached to the ‘cage’. Added a bungee strap as back up. This was with a normal non tapered alpkit dry bag. I put a couple of very tight bits of velcro around the seat post to attach to as well as this help keep it stable.

Finally used a few off cuts of the velcro to strap my tarp to the frame.

where are you based? someone could lend you one

I used straps to secure mine basically but proper unit is better…in that you dont have to be as careful when packing and you can get the contents out – as you leave the harness in place and remove the bag so its less faffage to access but both are as good in use.

Has anyone used an Alpkit Joey, does that make a bid difference to a handlebar bag slipping?

I use one with a dual airlock on the bars and it’s been great, works really well for such a simple piece of kit.

Funnily enough I get on OK with a 20L dual mounted on the bars, my trick is to cinch up both straps tight and also clip both roll top closures round the bars…

I was planning to pack the dual inside the taper just in case we needed the extra volume, there’s going to be nine of us, and you can guarantee half of those will be removing layers as the day goes…

I have straps, velcro loops and bungees galore I guess I will have to give it another go this weekend…

Cheers for the offer richen but I will not be able to get to Southampton in the next week…

Just done a two day ride (road though) with the tapered one on the seatpost, just made sure it was tightly cinched down and had some vaguely squishy filling for the straps to dig into.

Doesn’t work. Spend £60 on the harness.

Harsh answer

richardthethird of this parish used a tapered airlok sans harness as a seat pack on last year’s TNR, IIRC. So it can be done..