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Up until now I've been nicking my other half's Alpkit bikepacking gear when I want to do overnight trips, but I really ought to splash out on my own stuff.
So I'm after a mid sized tailpack, but it needs to be dropper post compatible. So far I've used an Enduro collar to limit the travel on my Reverb, wrapped the upper post in tape and inner tube and strapped to that. The Alpkit pack I've borrowed is an Exo rail friendly one, but aside from the faff of fitting the Exo rail itself, I also snapped the rail at one of the welds, the only time I used it. I've also had major issues with Alpkit buckles slipping.
Currently got my eye on either the Revelate Vole, which seems to be difficult to get in the UK, or the Apidura Dropper Pack. Both have skidplates, which is a plus, as even allowing for a goodly amount of clearance, it seems really easy to generate rear wheel contact from bounce. (In both cases it feels like the cost of the post collar - Wolftooth Valais or the 76 Designs version seems to be taking the p*ss for a piece of plastic)
Any other ideas?
I should also add - the camping bit is a means to facilitate ace riding, not the riding as a means to go camping. I want the minimum compromise to my riding, and I absolutely hate the feeling of having stuff swinging around loose, or worse - having to abort a smashing descent to pull the pack out of my back wheel. Again.
Thanks!
If technical riding is a priority, then I find a heavily loaded bike a pain. For that sort of thing I use a light bar roll, frame bag and a backpack (Osprey talon 22).
This is my setup from the Southlakes 100 last year. Bivvy bag, tarp, sleeping bag in the tail pack, tools, pegs, sleeping mat, assorted heavy stuff in the frame bag, food in the TT bag, water, clothes in a backpack . Given The choice on loooong days in the saddle, I’d rather minimise weight on my back. Setup like this, there was a little more of a rearward weight bias than normal, but it still climbed pretty damn well, and just enough clearance with the saddle dropped (3”?) to descend at nearly full chat most of the time.
Depends how much kit you're looking to carry overall, but I decided to keep the full function of the dropper on mine, and coupled a decent sized bar-mounted bag with a bumbag.
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Didn't notice any handling issues. Tent, sleeping bag and mat up front. This year, I'm going to have to find room for some kind of cookset, I guess, so something like the Revelate Joey and a slightly bigger bumbag should do it.
As jambo says - if I'm on a route that would best be undertaken with a dropped saddle, I really don't want to load the bike. I did a couple of trips last year with the FS minimally loaded and carrying small rucksack. Investment in lightweight and compact kit means that the rucksack weighs little and hence is almost un-noticeable when riding.
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That's a small Ortlieb setapack. The stanchion of the dropper is protected with some tape. My rucksack is a 25L KimmSac and it's not fully loaded, even including water.
My Cube fatbike came with a dropper too so I've taken to wrapping the stanchion with a bit of pipe insulation on the occasions I use that bike - and just don't bother dropped the seat.