Originally Posted by
cyccommute
The issue isn't capacity but the effect that the load has on bicycle handling. In my experience of both bikepacking and road touring, lowriding panniers are far more desirable than the high mounted option. Especially when combined with a rear load. Bikepacking gear tends to be front heavy but unlike lowrider panniers, that load is high and front heavy. Steering and handling are compromised with the high load. In extreme cases...like rugged and steep off-road riding...the front load is high enough to cause endos for the unsuspecting. There is less issue with hitting panniers on trail obstacles, however. There's a compromise to be made and whether or not that compromise is good depends on the circumstances.
Lowriding panniers, on the other hand, stabilize the bike and make the handling much more predictable. They aren't good for rough roads but for smooth gravel and pavement, lowriders are far preferable. (There's that compromise again.) A heavy load on a short chain stay bike with a high bottom bracket like the Marlin presents lots of other problems, as well. The tail will wag the dog because panniers of "normal" size (about 40 L) on there rear, they will have to be moved rearward and/or upward to avoid heelstrike.
I have also carried gear both ways. If I'm going to carry 40 liters of gear up front, it'll be in panniers. But the way I've dealt with this is to not have 40 liters of gear up front. I generally have 15 to 20 liters up front when I am using my hybrid, bikepacking set up. I don't find that it compromises steering. I also don't put the heaviest stuff in my handlebar roll. It's basically my tent and sleeping gear, which is all fabric. While I agree that carrying weight lower is better. If you can pare down your gear to the point where you are carrying less than 20 liters up front, then I have found that I'm much happier skipping the extra weight of a front rack and panniers, and just carrying the gear on my handlebars. I know you have strong, contrary feelings otherwise, but I've also tried it both ways and don't find my current, front-end set-up to be as onerous as you find it.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Another compromise is the ease of removal. Road touring bags have good attachments to the racks that remove easily and quickly. Unfortunately, the attachments aren't strong enough for rugged use. Bikepacking bags have great strong attachments but that makes them far more difficult to remove and the odd shapes make them hard to carry efficiently. In other words, they stay on the bike really well but are much more of a hassle to remove.
I agree in general, but that's why I like the hybrid approach. Anything I pack on the front of the bike, I don't need access to during the day. Getting into and out of my handlebar roll to retrieve something multiple times a day would be a hassle, so my handlebar hold my sleeping stuff. I only need to get into it once a day, and when I do, I'm emptying the entire thing, so it ends up not really being a hassle at all. And some of that can mitigated by the attachment system. I use a bag and cradle combination currently that makes removing and reattaching the bag fairly simple. Not as simple as my panniers, but it's worth it for me to not have front rack. When I was just strapping a dry bag to my handlebars, it was a lot more fiddly, but the bag and cradle combo is pretty easy to use.
I have packed my gear a number of ways: four panniers, two large panniers on the front, two large panniers on the rear, and full bikepacking with seat bag, handlebar bag, and frame bag. If I need the space of four panniers, I'm all for the two rack set-up. But these days I'm pretty happy with my hybrid set-up.