Luggage for 3 day tour

[pfm401]

I'd greatly appreciate some advice on carrying stuff (or not!) on a 3 day on road tour, doing about 60 - 70 miles a day including some pretty heavy duty hills and descents! I have a Trek 1.5 road bike and am keen to keep the speed and handling as much as I can - I don't want to fit racks and panniers for example. I plan to travel as light as possible - changes of cycling clothes and maybe a spare pair of light shoes for evening (in case cycling shoes get wet / smelly!), plus tools I normally keep in a saddle pack (multi tool, chain tool, spare tube).

My thoughts are:

1. Seat pack e.g. Blackburn Outpost, Altura Vortex or Alpkit Koala (all around £55 - £70). Concerned about "wobble" and change in handling of bike (especially out of seat up hills)
2. Cycling backpack e.g. Osprey Escapist 18 or Deuter Cross Bike 18 (about £40 - £50). Concerned about sweaty back and weight causing pain
3. Post the stuff and post it back - I've done this before and love the freedom! Not reusable though - and I'm hoping to do more trips at shorter notice in future.


Thanks, Paul.

 

[Crankarm]

60-70 miles a day in steep hilly terrain carrying gear is pretty demanding. Where are the heavy duty hills you plan to cycle up and then down?

 

[Debade]

Assuming this is a credit card tour, a handle bar bag would be more than enough room. One change of bike clothes. Wash the ones you wore in the evening. A pair of pants to wear at night with your next days bike shirt. Flip flops or light easy to carry shoes. Tooth paste and brush. Shave when you get back home so that razor won't slow you down .

I was less interested in speed and may not have had the same amount of hill climbing but this set-up worked for me when I would take 1 week CC tours.

 

[pfm401]

60-70 miles a day in steep hilly terrain carrying gear is pretty demanding. Where are the heavy duty hills you plan to cycle up and then down?

It's the Hadrian's Wall Cycleway, so near / in part of the Lakes then across the North Pennines.

I'm not planning on masses of gear, just changes of clothes and shoes really. We're staying in B+Bs and eat in cafes / pubs / restaurants so no food or toiletries to carry (other than tootbrush).

 

[robjh]

Assuming this is a credit card tour, a handle bar bag would be more than enough room. One change of bike clothes. Wash the ones you wore in the evening. A pair of pants to wear at night with your next days bike shirt. Flip flops or light easy to carry shoes. Tooth paste and brush. Shave when you get back home so that razor won't slow you down .

I was less interested in speed and may not have had the same amount of hill climbing but this set-up worked for me when I would take 1 week CC tours.

The amount of clothing you require will depend on the weather. In a period of settled high pressure in the summer you may get away with minimal spare stuff, but a lot of the time in Britain you'll want at least some waterproof gear, and probably a warmer layer you can pull on or off as the temperature changes - even summer evenings can get chilly.

 

[Big T]

The old school way would be to carry a saddlebag. I've done a 2 week tour of the Alps with just a saddlebag and a handlebar bag. Modern bike packing bags achieve the same purpose.

1 set of evening wear, a set of cycling clothes, arm warmers and a waterproof plus a small wash kit is all you need. A thin fleece can be used for riding if it gets really cold and can also be used in the evening.

 

[alicat]

I agree about the saddlebag. You do need a saddle with slots or a Carradice saddlebag clamp or similar.

 

[jefmcg]

1 set of evening wear,

 

[Fab Foodie]

Saddle bag or large bikepacking bag shoukd be fine. I'd also add a small handlebar bag, Decathlon's £12 jobby is perfect for small items like phone, chargers, keys, wallet, nibbles, sun cream etc to save constantly opening your big pack.
Saddlebags usually allow the attachment of small dry-bags or waterproofs etc to the top too which reduces faffage.

 

[bigjim]

I did a three day hostel tour last year. I took a Carradice Barley and a small barbag. It was fine. I did not take the spare shoes though. Plus it poured down most of the time. It was ok to shove all the wet gear including shoes into the Hostels drying room and I wandered round the Hostel barefoot. My waterproof jacket strapped to the outside of the Barley and I suppose you could hang some flipflops off there if need be. You can fasten the Barley to any saddle. Just run the straps through the rails.

 

[Big T]

I agree about the saddlebag. You do need a saddle with slots or a Carradice saddlebag clamp or similar.

I use an SQR on one of my bikes, but have a Brooks saddle with bag loops on the other.

I've also threaded the loops through the saddle rails in the past.

 

[Debade]

The amount of clothing you require will depend on the weather. In a period of settled high pressure in the summer you may get away with minimal spare stuff, but a lot of the time in Britain you'll want at least some waterproof gear, and probably a warmer layer you can pull on or off as the temperature changes - even summer evenings can get chilly.

Good points! A rain coat and perhaps one extra shirt. Even at 50 degrees one shirt and a rain jacket should be enough for cycling, especially with hills. I do not feel rain pants really help but that is likely a personal decision.

I still prefer a large enough handle bar bag to carry all of my stuff. I might add a seat bag for tools and tube. My wife has the Ortlieb handle bar bag and likes it. I use this bag https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/handlebar-bags/126-tourguide-handlebar-bag-dx which I think would work well for a 3 day tour and commuting around town. Not sure if Topeak is available there but I am guessing their is something similar.