cjwheat7

Hey all. I have never done anything remotely close to touring, but in a few weeks I was planning on biking down about 70 miles to visit a buddy, spending a night or two with him and pedaling back home. Originally I was just going to cram a couple of changes of clothes, some powerbars, and some toiletries in a backpack and heading out, but now I am wondering if I should invest in a saddle bag or hydration pack. There are not many places to stop on the 70 mile trip as it is mostly going through national forest. Any advise for a newbie? If I do go the way of the oversized saddlebag, would 10L be enough? Any advice would be appreciated. (FYI the bike is a 2017 Specialized diverge)

pdlamb

That'll be a couple of long-ish days in the saddle, but I'd do the backpack stuffing and go for it. It's not too long, and if you want to get some other way to carry luggage for another or longer trip, you can do it then. Just make sure there's room for something like a 2 liter Coke bottle filled with water so you can keep drinking when your bike bottles are exhausted.

jefnvk

My 9L saddlebag will fit two rain coats, a hat, a pair of gloves, a hand air pump, some tools and spare tube, with a bit of room to spare. I'd say its probably on the small end for what you want to do, especially if you want to hold some water bottles too.

Always pack more water than you think you'll need if going through a remote area, especially if you don't know your water consumption needs for the weather at hand.

prathmann

I'd suggest doing at least one or two trial day rides carrying the items you plan to take in your back pack. I find a back pack to be uncomfortable on all but the shortest rides while others I know have no such issues.

nun

That's a perfect job for something like a Carradice Barley saddlebag

CliffordK

You should be able to do 70 mile in a day... if you want to.

I bet you could pack a USPS flat rate box full of clothes, and have them waiting for you at the other end.

3speed

pdlamb

Very good point. This would be way cheaper than any of the alternatives (saddle bag, racks, etc.).

djb

its a great idea for when he gets there, but still doesnt help with riding clothes options for various temps or weather, food, repair stuff etc.

djb

so, you are still kicking mr nun.
I thought of you when I saw this recently:

https://www.arkel-od.com/en/rollpack...-seat-bag.html

looks like a nice waterproof setup, and arkel stuff is generally well made, although I havent seen this in the flesh yet.

Rob_E

I would agree that the biggest issue is carrying enough water. Also your own comfort level and ability. I know plenty of people who would take their road bike out and rack up 70+ miles, be home by dinner and think nothing of it. I'm not one of those people, and I don't know if you are. I also don't know if traveling through a national forest involves paved roads, gravel, or dirt. Even though 70 miles is no small day for me, I'd happily tackle it carrying as little as possible on some smooth roads carrying enough water for the whole trip, or knowing where to get some. I feel like that could easily be done with a medium/small backpack and some bottle cages. But I'm much, much more comfortable riding without a backpack, so I'd look for a way to carry stuff off my back: saddle/seat bag or maybe handlbar bag, or even a dry bag strapped on to the handlebars. As far as capacity goes, pull all your stuff together: changes of clothing plus whatever you need to adjust to changes in weather. I feel like that would come out under 9 liters easily, but a big issue might be how much water you need to carry and where you have to carry it.

I feel like the basic question of the possibility of carrying a couple changes of clothes in a backpack 70 miles is, "Sure." But the variables: Your fitness, access to water, suitability of your bike to the terrain. Those could tip the scale. At any rate, some way to carry gear on your bike would make you more comfortable, I imagine, but it may not be worth the investment for one trip.

fietsbob

Backpack may get rather uncomfortable, but its up to you , you will wear it, not me.

2 panniers on a rear rack perhaps?

travelinhobo

Putting anything on your back is not a good idea. Can be rather dangerous biking if that pack fills up with stuff. Also, if it's a warm/hot day out, you'll sweat back there. And there's the proverbial bad back syndrome. If you ride regularly, buy a rack so you can either get panniers or foldable baskets (love em!) or just to bungee down bags and said backpack. And if you don 't ride regularly...you should!

MarcusT

That's a pretty long haul for someone with little prep. Make sure you have a back up plan