Has anyone tried to attach a alpkit gourdon 20 to a wildcat mountain lion handlebar harness for bike packing?
It is technically a bit big at 20l (the harness is designed for 12, but I know some people carry bigger).
I find the handlebar bag the biggest obstacle for proper technical riding, so being able to detach a drysac and put it on my back would be great for long technical descents (and hike-a-bike sections, too). the gourdon would fit the bill and be big enough that I wouldn't need a backpack in addition...
Cheers,
Ian
Good thinking Ian, I use a 12 on mine, it's find til a tech descent, as you say.
I find the handlebar bag the biggest obstacle for proper technical riding
Any reason why?
Never had any issues myself.
It certainly isn't terrible handling with a bar bag, but it obviously harder to unweight/loft the front (particularly when on steeper stuff) and the weight makes the steering different, for sure. For covering miles, I'd far rather the weight was on the bike, but for techy stuff, I'd rather the weight was on me as I've got control of where it is I guess.
Wildcat are doing a harness that will take a bigger dry bag
Considered the Alpkit harness? There is really a lot of thought and work gone into its design, and I think it is cheaper
I use a 20l appkit dry bag in a appkit harness. Absolutely brilliant setup, and doesn't effect the handling of the bike hugely once it's rolling on my rigid.
I actually set quite a few new descent PRs while using it last wednesday.
Thanks for this information. I have been using a Gourdon 20 for a few years now for walking and wild swimming. I can swim along the coast with my clothes packed away. Works great and most comfortable bag I have ever used. Great to read it works well with an Alpkit harness.
Brian
I'd be concerned with tyre/bag interaction with such a large bag. Might be worth using a narrower longer dirtbag with a pack able rucksack?
Tho my mate has used a gourdon/rear rack setup a few times for similar reasons as you state.
The question I'd ask myself is: Why do I need to fill a 20L bag?
You'll get it on, but would you not be better off carrying less...or moving more to a rear positioned bag....which works better in my experience.
re the tyre clearance, does a harness do anything to avoid this? I've got a 10l bag in a DIY harness and it rubs at full compression (100mm 29er with a 'slammed' stem upside down.
Not sure whether to find a slimmer/longer bag (currently a 10l podsack) or make a harness from something like leather so it rubs occasionaly but not enough to wear it out. It's not enough that you can feel or hear the rub, but it elaves a black mark so the bag probablyw ouldnt last long if it was muddy/gritty.
Thanks for all the comments.
I've already got the wildcat harness, so not really looking to replace.
At the moment I use an 7L rear seatbag, a fuel tank, a 10l bag in the harness and an osprey pack with odds and ends and water in it. I've not got a frame bag.
I'd like to lose the backpack, hence looking at the gourdon, which would solve the water carrying and have loads of room for everything I need (way too much, actually - an alternative would be the 15l exped cloudburst, but that has no hydration sleeve).
Greg, with my budget, I'm not sure I can get below 20l in total - my bag, bivi, tarp and mat are about 2.5kg and fill one bag; I'm using an old MSR pocket rocket & ti mug for cooking. Although I take your point totally, with food and water I don't think I can do it; especially not for more than one night. I guess a frame bag may be the option but the triangle on an 18" a medium scandal looks pretty small to me.
TINAS - I use a pod sac too, and it is flimsy and short and fat, as you say. I'd like to find a longer/thinner bag too. I don't have a problem with it hitting the tyre with a harness though (100mm scandal, flat stem but not upside down).
On the WRT I used a 20l drybag on my bars
It was squished down to less than that but the extra width made packing easier. Had about 2.5kg in it - large neoair, WM Summerlite, Exped pillow, PHD bivvy, polychro groundsheet, base layer top and bottom, socks, home made add-water dinner, dessert and brekkie. Was obviously less on the 2nd day!
I teamed this with a revelate seat pack, a deuter front triangle bag, alpkit stem cell and topeak top tube bag - no proper frame bag. Meant I only carried an OMM 3l bum bag on my person for handy bits
[img] 
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That's an Alpkit 20l drybag on a Mountain Lion. On one occasion it did come loose and rub the tyre, but 2min spent repositioning it and it was fine.
If it helps at all, this is a 20l dry bag and my TerraNova Laser strapped into a AlpKit harness.
[img] http://cloud.danielgroves.net/Jc6X+ [/img]
I should add, this didn't even slow me down on the descents 😀