Roo Review

Blair512 · Post by **Blair512** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:41 pm

Has anyone used the Alpkit Fat Roo? Was about to buy the Roo pouch when I spied it. My thinking is I could get a 2 litre bladder in it with the tube poking out between the 2 zips and some food squashed in around it. This would let me completely loose my back pack but I'm worried it might be to much weight on the front end. Any thoughts?

Bearbonesnorm · Post by **Bearbonesnorm** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:57 pm

It'll probably work okay but strapping 2kg above the front axle may have some effect on handling ... although, I generally find weight on the front has less effect than weight on the back.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:05 pm

That'll handle like a pig on roller skates.

Blair512 · Post by **Blair512** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:07 pm

That was my worry, I've already got a sleeping bag and dry clothes in a 20 ltr Airlok dual so adding more weight could be an issue. Also once the bladders half full it might slosh around a bit. Might just stick with a sweaty back for now, hopefully I'll find the funds to finish putting my Rockhopper back together soon and have the space for a full frame bag rather than just a small possum!

matt147 · Post by **matt147** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:24 pm

I'm worried now, what kinds of weight do people tend to carry on the front end

Bearbonesnorm · Post by **Bearbonesnorm** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:31 pm

Usually I'll have, quilt, mat, down jacket, hat and spare socks inside a dry-bag on the bars ... so anywhere from 850g to slightly over a kilo depending on time of year.

If I fit an additional 'pouch' for longer trips, then you can probably add an another 500g - 700g.

TheBrownDog · Post by **TheBrownDog** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:34 pm

Not much on the bars for me - usually just my sleeping stuff of bag, mat and bivvi bag rolled up in a dry bag. 2kg of water will see the thing turn in on itself and I cant imagine what it would be like trying to lean it up against the wall outside a Spa. I'm carrying water on my fork legs these days. Dont notice it down there.

matt147 · Post by **matt147** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 8:54 pm

I've got a sleeping bag Bivvy bag Tarp and down jacket in a 20 litre dry bag straped to a alpkit kanga harness it weighs in at 2.8 kg the bike seems to handle ok and it all stay solid and in place would you say I had to much weight on the front I'm new to this so still finding my feet abit

Blair512 · Post by **Blair512** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:04 pm

I usually have my sleeping bag, down jacket, a pair of dry socks and trousers all stuffed into my dual and then my thermarest strapped to the top so probably 2.5kg-ish so adding another 2kg is probably a bad idea. I have a bottle on my fork leg already but I fell off the other day and burst the cage. Might just get a couple of metal cages on the fork legs and then it's just my food/cook kit on my back

Moder-dye · Post by **Moder-dye** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:17 pm

Just finished packing for my trip tomorrow and all I've got on the bars is a 2kg 3 man tent ( my tentless mate is coming) but I have two stem cells attached too.

I've been struggling and failing to lose the need for a small rucksack, which is so annoying. Maybe if I had my usual tent I'd have managed it just.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Wed Apr 13, 2016 9:21 pm

I have the majority of my bivvy kit on the bars (or at least that's my current configuration), comes to about 1.8Kg inc dry bag and harness. That's for the cool season and consists of: bivy bag; sleeping mat; sleeping bag; quilt. As things warm up either the sleeping bag or quilt will get left behind. By the time summer's here I've probably got less than a kilo.

NorwayCalling · Post by **NorwayCalling** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 5:27 am

whitestone wrote:I have the majority of my bivvy kit on the bars (or at least that's my current configuration), comes to about 1.8Kg inc dry bag and harness. That's for the cool season and consists of: bivy bag; sleeping mat; sleeping bag; quilt. As things warm up either the sleeping bag or quilt will get left behind. By the time summer's here I've probably got less than a kilo.

How the heck do you get a dry bag+harness+bivi bag+sleeping mat+sleeping bag+quilt to ALL come in at that weight???? Can you let us know which brands/makes/models of gear you are using to get such low weights. Thanks!

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 7:35 am

The weights are measured by me after any modifications I've made and rounded up to the nearest 5g.

Bivy bag: Alpkit Hunka XL - 500g
Dry bag: Alpkit 13L airlok - 150g
Sleeping bag: PHD Minim 200 - 430g (this was a sale item, I think you have to go through their bag builder to find this normally, it's not a standard item)
Quilt: Cumulus 150 - 350g
Sleeping mat: Exped Synmat Winterlite - 405g
Harness: Wildcat Lion - 140g

Total of 1975g

I think I weighed the packed dry bag on its own to get the 1.8Kg figure.

I've used the above to around -5C so it's a good enough system for UK conditions year round unless we get a cold spell. In summer I'll probably use the list below:

Sleeping bag: PHD Minim 200 - 430g
Sleeping mat: Klymit X-frame - 260g
Dry bag: Exped - 80g
Harness: Wildcat Lion - 140g

Total of 910g

Paulini · Post by **Paulini** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 12:57 pm

Like a few people have posted here I use a 20L dry bag on the bars stuffed with sleeping bag, Bivvy bag, thermarest Matt, 3.5 tarp, and insulated jacket. I've used a roo pouch with a Kanga harness with a couple of small items in the roo (phone glasses etc) and find it very useful, although there not huge amounts of space in it but I see that Aplkit now offer a larger version. I also use the webbing straps on the back of the Kanga above the bars to bungy chord a ground sheet or water bottle on.

Never weighed it but the bike handles fine, noticeable weight difference when steering but no issues. I've got quite wide bars (780mm), which might make the extra weight a bit les noticeable but having never used anything narrower I can't be sure. Did have to increase the fork pressure though as the extra weight made the fork dive a bit - interesting feeling on a steep Dartmoor descent!!

Stem cells recommended by the way. Cook set fits in one and the bicycle 3.5 with guy/ridge lines fit in the other.

Cheers,

Paul

NorwayCalling · Post by **NorwayCalling** » Thu Apr 14, 2016 6:55 pm

whitestone wrote:The weights are measured by me after any modifications I've made and rounded up to the nearest 5g.

Bivy bag: Alpkit Hunka XL - 500g
Dry bag: Alpkit 13L airlok - 150g
Sleeping bag: PHD Minim 200 - 430g (this was a sale item, I think you have to go through their bag builder to find this normally, it's not a standard item)
Quilt: Cumulus 150 - 350g
Sleeping mat: Exped Synmat Winterlite - 405g
Harness: Wildcat Lion - 140g

Total of 1975g

I think I weighed the packed dry bag on its own to get the 1.8Kg figure.

I've used the above to around -5C so it's a good enough system for UK conditions year round unless we get a cold spell. In summer I'll probably use the list below:

Sleeping bag: PHD Minim 200 - 430g
Sleeping mat: Klymit X-frame - 260g
Dry bag: Exped - 80g
Harness: Wildcat Lion - 140g

Total of 910g

Thanks for the info... have the same harness ect. except I am using a Neoair at 350g but my major difference is in the sleeping bag and quilt I have.. 470g quilt and 600g sleeping bag. I always find the sleeping bag to be the biggest weight penalty.

Thanks again!

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