How big?
 

Hi all,

My brother-in-law and I are going to attempt our first tour this summer.

It will be a 3-4 day jaunt and we will be credit card touring.

The question is how large a pannier will I need to do this? I pack light and will be bringing a few changes of clothes, cycle repair tools and tubes, and will need some room for food as there are not a ton of places to get quality food along the way.

The panniers I am looking at have a capacity of about 2300 cubic inches, is this over kill? Should I just buy a big trunk bag and handle bar bag? I dunno? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

All the Best,

Erik

I did a credit card tour from San Francisco to L.A. in 7 days with a Carradice Nelson Longflap saddlebag (= 1200 cubic inches) and a Lone Peak H-100 "Alta" handlebar bag (= 600 cubic inches). You can find my approximate packing list here. I'm sure there are a few odds and ends that aren't on the list, though. As mentioned here, I could probably have fit everything into the slightly smaller Lowsaddle Longflap bag from Carradice.

Which ones are you looking at?

Well, you might use what you buy for other trips.

2300 ci is a midsize (to large) pannier. It isn't huge.

I'd suggest not expecting to carrying alot (of weight) in a handle bar bag.

Then I should have no problem fitting needed stuff into the panniers, cool. Thanks for the advice.

I think I will opt out of the trunk bag/handle bar bag option for now. I think it would drive me crazy to have a handlebar bag, although, it would be nice to have somethings like a camera at hand.

Consider a frame bag for misc small items you need handy. I just got this one from eBay. Works just fine for me

.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...d=499867618015

Touring without a handlebar bag would drive me crazy! Mine holds three types of gear:

1. Stuff that's expensive that shouldn't ever be left alone (e.g. wallet, cell phone, camera)

2. Stuff I use frequently (e.g. food, camera, route map, multi-tool, lock, sunscreen)

3) Stuff I need to get quickly (e.g. rain gear, glucose meter)

When I stop, I'll often leave the bike unlocked with saddlebag attached, but I do take the handlebar bag with me. It's also much easier to pull stuff out of the handlebar bag than it is to stop, get off the bike, and rummage though the saddlebag. Personally, I can't think of anything about a handlebar bag that's annoying... except that the look a little dorky?

Really it depends on how you pack and what conveniences are available on your route. Credit card touring doesn't require much. Long-distance riders (randonneurs) are masters of minimalism, yet are well-prepared for surprises.

You might check the randonneuring and touring sections (esp. luggage) of VeloWeb for ideas.

I can see your point. So long as what was in it weighs little it would not be to bad. Still the only thing I will carry that is worth much is my wallet and camera and cell phone. Perhaps a really small bag would not annoy me to much.

I agree about the handlebar bag. It's really nice to have a few things handy, and not have to dig into a pannier.

Panniers don't weigh that much, do they? I have some big panniers for the rear and smaller ones for the front. I'd assemble all the stuff you're planning on bringing and see what you need to carry it. If you end up with large panniers that aren't all the way full, what's the big deal? You'll have more room for souvenir t-shirts, fine cheeses, maybe some bags of chocolate bars......

"credit card touring" so that means just riding gear. I haven't toured a lot lately but all the camp touring I did younger was with the amount of gear I see people doing nowadays with "credit card touring", a handle bar bag and medium stuff sack strapped on the rear rack with camp pad. I'd be inclined to pare all the gear to one small duffle strapped on the rear rack and as far forward under the seat without interfering with legs and some combination of front bag or frame bag for phone/snacks/camera/windbreaker. That's simply from the standpoint of wanting the lightest and most aerodynamic set up and ease of one package.

Now if you're wanting to carry a larger wardrobe than minimal or don't care about light weight the panniers could come into play but I'd get the smallest ones you could find. These are pretty good.

http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FSBP

Sort all your gear out, then pick your luggage. Thats how much you need.
I get by on not much.

http://idisk.mac.com/timonz/Public//bianchitour.jpg

On my last 10 day self supported tour I had about 3200 cubic inches of pannier space and they were nowhere near full. I am sure that I could have jammed everything into the rear panniers which are about the size you have. The exception is my tent which always rides on top of the rear rack. Space will vary widely depending on what items you take and how small they pack. For example a sleeping pad can pack the size of a water bottle or be a really big item depending on which one you choose. Other items will vary similarly.

You don't mention whether you are camping and cooking. That is another factor.

In any case I don't think 2300 cubic inch panniers are overkill unless going extremely compact and ultra light or "motel-ing" it. After all you don't have to fill them.

+1 on the handlebar bag. I personally would not tour without one. I like to have one with a map pocket.

for a 4 day credit card trip, you wouldn`t necessarily need these, but i`d recommend them anyway. quality construction, good organizing plenty of space, great price.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1262272302045

if you enjoy your supported trip, you may want to go unsupported next time.

have a good time