My tent poles also fit diagonally in my pack along with the tent. I tour with two non-waterproof packs. One holds the dry stuff in a plastic bag, the other holds the wet stuff (and food packed in ziplocks), which I stop and dry out if I get a sunny break. It's a simple solution that works for me.

I'm curious about one thing for front packs only. Can anyone here who's tried it ride no-handed? I can do that with my rear-only load. I wish I still had front packs to give it try, now that I've gotten my total load down to a two-pack volume.

I met a guy in a Montana campground tossing his front packs into a dumpster. The crosswind was killing him and the wind was forecast to keep up all week.