Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
Bikepacking bags totally puzzled me when they first came out. But then, I don't ride off-road, and I now perceive an advantage in a narrower profile to better clear brush and tall grass off-road, and perhaps better aero onroad.
I was never confused by them. The first time I saw someone using them, I thought they were brilliant…but only for off-road use. I’ve used panniers off-road and had to chase ejected panniers down a hill. I’ve used trailers which I found to be a total pain. Now I use bikepacking bags and they work far better than anything else for rough tours.
When I fold my bike for transport or train, I need to take off all bags; 4 panniers and 1 trunk bag are already more than I want to carry. I snap pairs of panniers together, with line around each pair in a cross-parcel pattern if carrying far or handing off to anyone. With bikepacking bags, I'd need one of those big mesh duffles that I've seen others here use, including to consolidate panniers for air travel.
My state has a bus system that will carry me to any corner of the state. I’ve used it many times to do off-road tours. The bikes are carried on the front of the bus. They require that all bags be removed from the bike prior to loading and carrying around several weird shaped bags along with a helmet and Camelbak is tricky in a narrow bus aslie. The bags stick tó the bike like glue but they are a pain to carry off the bike in addition to being difficult to organize.
At least nothing came off when I crashed.
