Touring - anyone ever tried.......

a trunk bag with incorporated panniers, what did and what didn't you like?

something like these......

http://www.rei.com/product/710404
http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/bags/trunk/columbus-dlx/

I have not tried one. The space on the top of the rack is more valuable for strapping stuff like my tent to than a trunk bag would be.

I can see the bags you linked to being useful for some non touring use where you use the trunk bag all the time, but sometimes need a lot of extra space, like maybe commuting where once in a while you find you need to haul a bunch of stuff home.

I'm trying to find something for weekend camping trips, that has heel clearance for my road bike. Any reccomendations?

I haven't tried the Topeak, but, I have the Axiom Cortez, it's a good bag, but without the side panniers extended on it, it tends to lean to one side.

I agree with staehpj1. Strapping my tent is a higher priority than a trunk bag, and I like to lash wet clothes there to dry also.

I've used panniers and a trunk bag once, when I was in Cuba. On that tour, I was doing no camping whatsoever. On a day when I was just riding around a city, the rack trunk was a handy place to store a light jacket. On days when I was touring, I'd keep my off-bike shoes in the rack trunk.

If I'm doing any camping, I'd rather use that spot on the rack for some of the camping gear I'll need.

I use 4 panniers and a trunk bag. Use the trunk bag for tools and repair items.
Place my tent in one of the front panniers. Mount the tent poles under the rear rack.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh187/10wheels/Birth%20Place%20of%20Texas%20Ride/BirthPlaceofTexasRideApril2010001.jpg

I saw a trunk mounted on a front rack.

The Topek rack is extremely rugged. I like the slide on feature.


I had one of the side bags rip off into the wheel. Scared the heck out of me.

Those Topeak things are for Beam racks with side support loops hanging down..
that stick out back of the seat post which is their sole support.

A popular rear bag sold in Europe is a bigger zip closed compartment on the top,
and 2 zip closed side bags in one piece, which comes off the rear pannier rack in one unit ,
but thats not one of those.


I'm trying to find something for weekend camping trips, that has heel clearance for my road bike. Any reccomendations?
Carradice camper long flap big saddle bag , plus a good sized handlebar bag

or maybe just a good sized stuff sack on top of a rear rack + handle bar bag.
that should be enough space for a weekend kit.

Those Topeak things are for Beam racks with side support loops hanging down..
that stick out back of the seat post which is their sole support.


Actually Fietsbob if you look, Topeak makes the Explorer rack ( http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/RA311Z00-Topeak+Explorer+Rack+Fits+Mtx+Bags.aspx ) that takes that bag and supports the panniers. Regular and disc versions. They also make the beam rack you described.

Jenson is blowing the bags out at the moment: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BA298A12-Topeak+Mtx+Trunkbag.aspx


It's a decent bag for day tripping or commuting, but it's not something I'd want to use all the time. I have one and very infrequently use it due to it's weight. It's a heavy mother. It's insulated however and will keep a lunch/water bottles nice and cool for hours.

I just purchased one of these for $25......

http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/rear-racks/streamliner-dlx/

now can someone recommend some smaller sized panniers that will clear with my road geometry.

What I notice about them is that the fold-out panniers occupy an awful lot of that trunk space when they're not folded out. There's really not much room in those side pockets other than for the panniers, and what's left of the trunk bag, minus the padding built in, isn't very big.

I toured for about 3 weeks with a Topeak trunk bag mounted up front. The problem I had was finding an adequate front rack so I had to modify one. Turns out I didnt screw it on tight enough so the support started to bend.

I loved the triple set up because it was faster loading/unloading. If I could find an appropriate front rack I would definitely go on tours up to two weeks with the triple set-up. Anything longer I would probably use the quad-bag. I didnt have any big problems with space even with the 3 bags though, the fold down panniers helped a lot. I would just go for the four bag to have the extra space for souvenirs. The center of gravity was high so it did make the wheels a bit wonky. I fell twice on loose gravel. Im not sure if I would have stayed upright if I used a 4 bag setup or if the slip was so bad I would have fallen no matter what.

Here is a picture of my original setup.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3399/4619742737_01ed1c90c0.jpg

I wouldnt use a trunk bag on the back. Im with the others, I would use the rear rack to tie down more useful items.