Depends in what bar roll you have, but get some 30mm PVC pipe and cut a couple of short lengths. These can then be used as spacer to move the wrap away from the bars. Pics of people doing it here: http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/diy-ma ... tand-offs/

I've got the Alpamayo ones, really happy with them. They are the perfect size for a standard bike bottle and attach nice and solidly using Velcro and a strap around the fork crown. They now make a larger version which is big enough to take a Jetboil, I tried this size first but it was a squeeze with...

Any bag that thick is going to be ridiculously warm as well as huge and heavy. Where are you going? Would a lighweight hammock be an option if you don't want a mat?

http://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/12L-d ... rybag.html

Got one of these and a Airlock dual 13l, the Lomo bag is 75cm x 28cm when laid flat, much better for a flat bar setup!

Just got my new sleeping bag via Ali Express - just under 600gr, saving 400gr over my old bag and much smaller pack size

The Alpamayo one is great, my mate's got one. I'm waiting to get one too, but they're out of stock until June at the earliest.

Depends on the powerbank, on road you'll get about 1A constant supply from something like the Cycle2charge top cap. 20,000 MaH over a day's riding might be a bit too much to ask, but as most phones are 2-3000 MaH (not sure about garmins), you probably won't drain the whole thing in one go. Just make...

Got Dyno hubs on my road touring and bikepacking bikes as I use my phone for GPS so the battery runs down quick with the screen on. I like not having to worry about the next place I can charge it up, just leave the cache battery charging up while I'm riding and top up the phone overnight. Also for c...

Same here just filed the adaptor down so it was narrower than the hub flanges. Worked fine after that!

Not the most convinient method, but put the gloves on first, then the jacket?

Foil blankets are only really good for stopping radiated and evaporative heat loss, whereas the heat you lose to the ground is mostly conducted, through physical contact. A thicker/denser mat is definitely a better idea.

I've got the heavier, Alpine version, it's OK in the wet (I use mine commuting in winter) but the ones with the lighter face fabric will dry out quicker.

Rab vapour rise works on the same principal, just has a much lighter micro pile inner. Can usually be found discounted in go outdoors and online!

Gutting to hear this, never met him but he was one of the reason I started road riding after seeing the first TCR and thinking how amazing it looked. Really tragic news.

I think you'd regret not doing it far more than trying and failing! If you can afford it and have decent enough fitness to be ready between now and then give it a go!

Looking at the picture I think the laminate has been scraped off by repeated hanging on coat hooks. Same thing happened to an old jacket I gave to my dad. Also the hoods on jackets are constantly being folded back, rolled up, etc, so they actually get quite a bit of wear. Repeated washing of waterpr...

Agree with that, I've got a lot of respect for people with the skills to go into the wilds and survive of the land, but this guy basically left society to become a raccoon...

I'm 35 and I got the reference!

The Alpamayo one has a welded waterproof liner, I've used mine in heavy rain and wet snow this winter and it's kept my phone and camera dry. Typo in my post above though, should say "can't submerge" - its not a dry bag style roll top design! My one issue is that the size of the Velcro on t...

The Alpamayo designs front bag would work and is waterproof (rain, anyway - you can submerge it) - I bought mine with the optional bar straps as I'm don't have a front harness yet. Just strap the dry bag to the bars, clip the front pocket and tighten the straps and it stays put!

"huffing and puffing for minutes" That was more about the Numo - I always thought the air valve was too small so it would take a lot of effort to fill. The last thing you want at the end of a days biking/hiking! The exped valve is a lot better, but I've used the scnhozzle from day one, so...

If you're getting an exped mat, definitely spend the extra and get the schnozzle bag. It makes inflating the mat a 30 second job and is so much easier at the end of a long day than huffing and puffing for minutes on end. Plus it double as a drybag! I got the Synmat 7 after my numo developed a leak -...

What happens when you stop moving? Or are you planning to use a cache battery between the dynamo and the GPS to keep it switched on?

No experience myself, but a fairly detailed review here, if you haven't already seen it:
http://www.bikepacking.com/bikes/trek-920-review/

Depends on the type of bike I think. I have a Genesis High Latitude with an Alpkit full frame bag. I went for the middle option (5cm) and a single big compartment with a surgeon zip. I have to be careful packing it otherwise it bulges out quite a bit and rubs my knees. Probably wouldn't be and issue...