Basically I've decided I'll be using anything cages / gorilla cages on the forks to hold cooking kit on one side, sleeping mat on the other. My tent's in a drybag on the bars. So need a seat pack for clothing and sleeping bag, I've just no idea which one to go for. Blackburn outpost = Cheap, accepts...

I tested the Wildcat, Alpkit, Revelate and Blackburn seatpacks. I will put up a PDF link to my findings soon as the CTC normally publish online a few months after the article. Any chance of a link to the PDF re: the above test? I'd be interested in a "seatpack off" as I'm currently lookin...

I picked CX as it's the only bike I've done any bikepacking on so far. I'll be taking my 650b hardtail out, so will have an opinion on that soon. I have ridden a 29er and it just felt a bit too big and ungainly, hence buying the 650b. That's not to say a 29er isn't "technically" better at ...

s8tannorm wrote:

combining bridal ways

Just be careful, that ^ is very different to a bridleway

Ahhhhhhh well spotted!

Cheers guys. I'm still trying to teach myself how to compose off road routes, combining bridle ways, these forest roads and connecting them up with roads.

s8tannorm wrote:

Does anyone know how fire roads / forest roads are shown on a 1:50k os map ?

Double row of black dashes.

Bonza. Thanks for that

Does anyone know how fire roads / forest roads are shown on a 1:50k os map ? Or any gpxs / directions in N Wales to nice long routes along these roads.

Good read and beautiful area :) Had the same Yellowstone tent myself, it was cheap and nasty but kept me alive for a few nights and was my first Step towards lightweight, so cant complain if it still gets you itching to go again :) I'm thinking that maybe it wasn't as bad as I'd thought, and maybe ...

Anyone have opinions on Gorilla cage vs Anything cage vs Blackburn Cargo cage?

Forgot to mention I'm thinking of fitting the anything cages (or alternatives) to the forks. Are rubber backed jubilee clips the way to do this?

I do clothes and sleeping bag in the front bag (stuff that I don't want to come into contact with a wet tent or bivvy). Tent and mat and toiletries in the rear bag. Tools, spares, food in the frame bags and valuables in my batpack. Ahh ok, sounds similar to mine, but tent vs sleeping stuff reversed...

Ahh OK. My current planning pack, due to various limitations, is to strap the dry bag containing tent to handlebar. I've got a small framebag containing toolkit etc, my sleeping bag and clothes will be going in some kind of seatpack, possibly a tapered airlok on it's own at first. Then I'm thinking ...

Basically until I was 32 (I'm 35 now) I was a smoker, hated exercise, wasn't really arsed about my own health and was happy enough just doing what I wanted. Then my wife gave birth to our son. Since then I've realised I was taking way too much for granted. So I decided I'd get healthier, nothing men...

Dan_K wrote:I don't bother with the compression bag, just straight into the dry bag.

Forgive my ignorance, and I'll experiment later, but doesn't that mean that every time you open the bag to retrieve something, isn't the sleeping bag trying to worm it's way out?

Cheers for the info. I have one more, OT question if I may, and didn't really want to start yet another stupid question thread. When packing a sleeping bag in to a dry bag, so you use the supplied compression bag first, or just pack the sleeping bag in to the dry bag as is, to allow it to fill the s...

Thanks very much folks!

Dan_K wrote:Yes it works. Used that setup on my trip to Bruges this weekend.

Can you use the full 13l capacity of the dry bag?

Can anyone tell me if the AlpKit Airlok tapered 13l dry bag fits the WildCat Gear Tiger seatpack? The tiger claims to accept a maximum size bag of 8l so just curious.

cycleofaddiction wrote:i'm trying to twist my boss's arm to let me have it off

"snigger"

I use Shimano XC51's and love them to bits. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-xc51-sp ... ike-shoes/

Must admit though, I still prefer flats on very muddy routes and trails where I prefer the ability to get my foot off instantly when things go sideways.

Hi all, As usual I'm scabbing ideas. I'm looking for route suggestions in the North Wales area for a first forray in to off road riding / wild camping. I'm after a two day, one night route, possibly circular, or ending near a town / train station if it's a linear route. Quite happy to ride around 40...

Thanks very much

Sorry I'm not really ready to make a decision on exactly what I want just yet so let Gari take it. Thanks anyway.

My trip last weekend was basically cheating. I bought a burger and chips at the pub and very nice it was too. But, had I been staying out in the middle of nowhere instead I'd have needed my own supply of food, and obviously a stove, cutlery etc. My question is, when out wild camping what kind of foo...

Cheers. I'm already itching to head out again.