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  • Advice for a beginner – what luggage for touring the Hebrides?
  • 13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    I’m not the beginner in question, I’ve done a fair bit of bikepacking in the past but always with less conventional setups e.g. trailers or a Wingnut rucsac and/or dry-bags lashed about the frame.

    I’ve not kept up with bikepacking luggage trends but am trying to advise my wee sister before she heads off the Hebrides in May. She’s keen on framebags, but I’m not sure if she’ll achieve the same capacity she could get from a simply pannier setup, and since she’s not fussed about off-road-ability, I’m wondering if there’s really any advantage to framebags (other than me being able to borrow them in future!).

    She’s not experienced enough (yet) to go super-light, so I reckon the smallest she could get her ‘pack size’ down to is somewhere between 40-50 litres, based on the size I could get an overnight hillwalking pack down to then scaled up a bit for safety. 2 x 20litre rear panniers and a bar bag/bar box for easy access stuff?

    Not sure she’ll have got enough miles in before hand so will probably try and steer her to carrying easy/lightweight food and just eat on road where she can, rather than 7 day’s worth of supplies!

    Ta

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    If the bike can take a rack then go for panniers. Add a bar bag for ease of access during the day and easy removability.

    Panniers are easier to manage. I reckon it takes a few trips to get used to the bikepacking bags – how to pack/where goes best, weight distribution etc.

    I’m doing the OH again this summer and, despite having all the necessary bikepacking bags and lightweight kit, am likely to opt for panniers.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Nice, thanks.

    What sort of capacity can you achieve with bikepacking bags?

    I’m suggesting she takes her heavier North Face Tadpole tent in anticipation of some windy shoreline pitches, seem reasonable? She’s also got my Terra Nova which is 1kg lighter but I think needs a bit of finesse to pitch well on windy pitches!

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    scotroutes
    Full Member

    40 litres maybe? That’s all packed really well though. A Tadpole will take up a fair chunk of that. A rack at least offers another loading platform which can be handy when it comes to stowing a very wet tent (not that it rains in the OH in May, obvs)

    Remember that bikepacking bags make the CoG higher too, so less suitable (IMHO) for a beginner, especially if it is windy.

    I’ll probably be taking my Lunar Solo. Not the strongest in winds but I’ll pitch accordingly. I’d just take the bivvy/tarp but will likely end up on a couple of campsites so prefer the added privacy.

    stevie750
    Full Member

    something in a nice harris tweed?

    thenorthwind
    Full Member

    Definitely a job for panniers, but I would certainly consider a bar bag, frame bag, top tube bag, or combination of these for easy access to stuff while riding. Personally I use a half-frame bag on some longer day rides for snacks, layers, etc.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    If it’s a money thing (not wanting to buy panniers in the event she ends up buying bags anyway), let me know. I’m pretty sure I have a set of Alturas she could have for postage.

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Great, thanks Colin, will pass that on!

    Making a good case for panniers, I’m trying to advise her to strike a balance between being able to pedal up hills, but still taking some home comforts, don’t want to put her off the idea after the first dreich and windy day!

    CraigW
    Free Member

    The Tadpole is quite long when packed. Might struggle to fit it in a pannier. Probably easier just to strap it to the top of the rack.
    Also consider front panniers. Feels more balanced, instead of all of the weight on the back.

    There are a few wee Co-ops along the way. So should be able to buy food every day or so (except on Sunday).

    nedrapier
    Full Member

    Only advice to add to the above is to think ahead on Saturday if she’s running low on anything.

    Pretty rigid Sunday observance, can’t count on being able to find an open shop on a Sunday.

    Was at least 10 years ago since I was last there, so things might have changed. Feels unlikely, though!

    13thfloormonk
    Full Member

    Pretty rigid Sunday observance, can’t count on being able to find an open shop on a Sunday.

    Yeah, we had a fairly miserable (weather-wise) family holiday on Barra when we were kids, got caught out on Sunday after a wet trudge to the shop for some sweeties! Am sure she won’t get caught out.

    Good advice on the Tadpole, at least she can try packing in advance of the night before the first ferry!

    stevious
    Full Member

    IF she’s camping then I’d say panniers all the way. As others have said, it means the tent can go on the rack easily which frees up space for the other guff. Bikepacking bags do make the bike easier to handle in general, but if there’s anywhere I’d not be too bothered about bike handling it would be the western isles! Also frame bags are way more of a faff to pack/unpack than panniers.

    butcher
    Full Member

    Bikepacking bags are always a bit of a compromise to reduce weight and improve aero – which I’m sure isn’t a bad thing in the Hebdrides, but I’d suggest panniers too. Tent on the rack and everything else in panniers works well for me.

    By the time you buy all your various bags, bikepacking kit is potentially really expensive, it requires more thought to pack and can be more difficult to access. Panniers you just drop everything in and you’re good to go. They can also be quickly detached and pulled inside your tent. They make life easier for a little added weight.

    Depends on what she wants out of it I guess. But it’s certainly the easiest introduction.

    convert
    Full Member

    Assume this is an all road (albeit single track) south to north trip. Solo or in a group makes a difference too in term of sharing the load around.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    A portable house? 🙂

    You’ll love it, but it is a lottery depending on the weather. You need to decide between Factor 50 or full winter waterproofs.

    swanny853
    Full Member

    I’d just suggest she checks the pannier/heel area for overlap- my roadrat is marginal and incredibly annoying as a result if you don’t pack the pannier right. Other than that, what they ^ said.

    Edit- for some reason I had the impression she was small. My other half couldn’t physically fit larger panniers on her bike because of the sizing. Now not sure where I got that impression.

    An alpkit heavy dry bag and their basic harness is a cheap and easy way to add a reasonable amount of capacity and I found it a useful way to get some weight back on the front of the bike.

    slackboy
    Full Member

    Did it last year and took panniers, frame bag and a bar bag which worked well, although I was carrying kit for the two of us as my partner is quite small.

    I’d also recommend stocking up whenever you see cake, the further north you go the less likely you are too come across some in my experience.

    The museum on South uist had the best cake of the trip.

    And oddly the petrol station/ shop just after the turn off to callanish was brilliantly well stocked. Even gave us ice to go with our cans of pop!

    scotroutes
    Full Member

     the turn off to callanish

    Leurbost. That’s where the Mrs is from.

    irc
    Full Member

    Two panniers and the tent on top of the rack should suffice.I can fit a full camping set up in that. No bar bag for me either. But that’s just personal preference I like being able to see the front wheel. I use a waist pack to carry wallet and phone for easy access.

    Don’t forget the Gatliff Trust Hostels. Great locations and a minimal fee for camping outside and using facilities if shared dorms aren,t wanted.

    http://www.gatliff.org.uk/

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Depending on setup you’d have somewhere between 10-25 litres of space with a bikepacking setup. So unless you/she have a) lightweight and compact kit and b) pack that kit really well, I’d go with panniers. If you’ve got 2x20L panniers then you don’t have to fill them but you’ve got space to put a bit of food in as you pass shops, etc.

    There’s no reason why you can’t mix traditional panniers and bikepacking kit either – someone mentioned above about using a half-frame bag for example. In that instance just check that you still have access to water bottle cages.

    Ortlieb do a 5L handlebar bag that uses a permanent mount then clips onto that mount, handy for wallet, phone and the like as you can just pick it up and wander round with it when you are doing the touristy sight-seeing bits.

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    I had never done anything like this before and I went with bar bag, frame bag, panniers and seat pack when I did the Hebridean Way last summer

    That was me completely self sufficient for 5 days with camping, cooking equipment and food

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BylCQT2nJh0/?igshid=tcw70r3990jx

    tjagain
    Full Member

    You need to decide between Factor 50 or full winter waterproofs.

    BOth of course.

    tjagain
    Full Member

    For me this all depends how much kit. Bikepacking bags are good for fast and light -but limited in space until you start strapping stuff all over the bike when you lose aero and handling.
    Panniers are rubbish from an aero point of view but easy and plenty of space. Trailer is the best handing ( bar the Whitestone approach 🙂 ) and good aero but adds a fair chunk of weight and not really needed for one person ( 65l ). I have a humungous set of carradice panniers and they are like an air brake

    For me for 2 weeks I want to be comfy, I want good aero and there is two of us on one bike so frame bags and a trailer. over panniers.

    So for 13ths pal I would say frame bag if she has a frame that will take a decent sized one and as small a set of panniers as she can with tent on rack.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    tjagain
    BOth of course.

    tjagain
    BOth of course.

    On the same day. 🙂

    But on a serious note, this is the edge of the North Atlantic. There’s nothing in the way of the weather, so the wind roars in unchecked.

    When I was a wee boy in Sth Uist we used to walk to school in the ditch because otherwise we would get blown off the road. Dressed in wellie boots and oilskins, this was fun rather than a hardship.

    Suitable clothing for all weathers make a huge difference. It’s invigorating to be out in a good gale if you’re properly dressed. Have clothes that stay warm when wet.

    I’m not trying to put you off, just wanting you to be able to enjoy the full gamut of the conditions, and that means you’ll have to allow sufficient space in your luggage for all conditions.

    On the other hand, a clear sunny day in the Hebrides beats the same thing on the mainland IMO. The air seems fresher, the colours more intense.

    You’ll love it.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    I have a humungous set of carradice panniers and they are like an air brake

    smaller sets are availible.

    Conversely – turn to a tail wind and they are like a sail 😀

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    I might borrow a packsail…

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    you are jay petervary and i claim my 5 pounds.

    mattsccm
    Free Member

    Panniers. Tadpole poles fit on the top of the rack, well mine do. I then roughly flat fold the rest into a dry bag and strap in on top. Might be worth teaching her how to erect it with the fly attached/outside. A wet day will soak the inner if she does it one bit at a time.

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