Anyone tour with a backpack?
 

I was thinking about it. Coleman has a nice, light backpack with a 2 liter hydration bladder and plenty of room for other stuff.

I didnt know if it would ache the back on long tours AND the major downside seemed like it would make you too hot in the summer months, but I dont know.

It would be a nice place to keep the valuables, or do you just run a handlebar bag instead and keep all your water mounted below?

I've used various backpacks while on tour(s).
i.e. CamelBak, Ortlieb

lately I've been looking at what Ergon has to offer.

Ever since I had a nasty interaction with a bit of oxalate moving out of my kidney, I've worn a camelbak whenever I ride my bike. I find that I drink much more water then when I carried only bottles. This, alone, outweighs any issue I have with a little bit of weight on my back, which I don't seem to mind.

When I tour, I wear one with a 2 liter bladder and a good sized backpack. I only put a few valuables in the backpack when I ride. I only notice the weight after I fill it up, but, curiously, not when I start out with a full bag. At the end of the day, my back is often a bit tired, but that is true whether I wear a camelbak or not. Hard to say how much worse, if any, it is when I wear the backpack.

As for it getting hot, I sweat profusely anyway, so I don't really notice it. I can say that the back of my jerseys that is under the pack stays wet, though.

I have seen long distance tourers carrying most of their gear on the their backs and everyone I've talked to about it has said it was a bad idea.

Ray

One of the beautiful things about touring (as apposed to backpacking) is that you can carry a lot of weight on your bike. So my question is, Why would you want to start carrying stuff on your back as well? I understand hydration pack if you think those are necessary in the area you ride (like desert perhaps) but to my way of thinking, why not just carry enough water bottles on your bike? It would be the same weight, down lower, and you can move more freely on your bike which translates to more comfort and longer riding.

Check out two packs, one by Wingnut called the Hyper 3.0 http://www.wingnutgear.com/product_d...product_id=116
Not the grooviest website but the people I know using them absolutely love them and rave how the weight transfers lower to eliminate back problems. Kind of pricey.

The other is from Osprey Packs, I bought the Raptor 6 which is more for mountain biking, running and that sort of thing. Still transfers weight low and while I don't have enough time with it yet to say more, I can say the materials and manufacturing are top notch. Comes with a 2 liter hydro bladder and slick 90 deg bite valve with magnet mount. Bought mine via REI and the 20% member off deal they have going.
http://www.ospreypacks.com/Packs/RaptorSeries/Raptor6/

Check out the whole raptor line.

^Like someone above said--you're more likely to stay better hydrated when you've got a straw right next to your mouth instead of down on your bike.

Not to say that people using bottles are dehydrated, or that there aren't other hydration pack options, but I have noticed the same thing. When I wear a camelbak, I drink without even thinking about it. When I've got a bottle, I only drink when I remember too (usually when I'm slowing down for some reason).

I guess I would with a small one for hydration. Haven't toured yet - plan on a couple short ones this summer, but having commuted w/ a backpack for the better part of a year, I can tell you that I much prefer not having ANYTHING at all on my back...

+1, my regular commuter is being (very slowly...) over-hauled and I've been commuting with a backpack the last few weeks and I absolutely can't wait to get back to using panniers. I'm sure people have toured across the country, etc with backpacks but for me I'd much rather put my gear on the bike.

Mountainsmith Tour lumbar pack for me. Carries a ton of gear, weighed great and two 'holsters' for water bottles. I use it without the shoulder straps, though.

http://mountainsmith.com/images/prod...tte-Detail.jpg

I manage to stay hydrated with water bottles. I carry three one-litre bottles, and on a hot day, I drain them fairly quickly.

But if one has a tendency to not drink enough, a Camelback-like system makes sense. Personally, I prefer to avoid carrying anything on my back.

Do you mean backpack only? I'd never do it. I've done solo centuries with a LOADED 1600cc Marmot suspended-back (that feature halfway solves the hot-on-the-back problem) backpack, but I only had one change of clothes, spare pair of shoes, jacket, toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, mouthwash, shaving cream and razor) in there. Not enough room for much food or camping gear.

Wouldn't be bad with some of that stuff in the last sentence packed on the bike, though.

Thats good to hear. I was under the impression that 20 oz bottles were 'the' size and that was it. Do you have to have special bottles or special cages?

That would be great to be able to have almost a gallon mounted to the bike. 3 more bottles hid somewhere else or the 2L hydration pack and it sounds like you'd/I'd/we'd be ready for the sparsely populated, very dry desert.

Bottles and cages: I have a couple of 1L bottles that fit standard cages. Beyond that, there are cages that take a 1,5L PET bottle, maybe even larger. There are also drinking nozzles for PET bottles, so you can drink without having to unscrew the cap.

I carry my valuables in the handlebar bag. A couple of years ago we ran out of pannier space on tour (had to buy a lot of groceries for a stay in a remote island). I packed much of the light, delicate stuff (vegetables etc) into a backpack, then rode with the backpack just 15 kilometers to the island ferry. The backpack was the kind that packs into its own lid, maybe fist size when packed, and so it had absolutely zero ergonomics. Still I took that experience as a reminder to not carry a backpack on bike unless I absolutely have to.

--J

me, personally?
I wouldn't dream of using a backpack on the bike.
hot, backaches, weight far to high up... to name just a few of the showstoppers for me.

I'm not sure if the question is: "Do you wear a backpack while riding?" or "Do you bring a backpack for when you go on hikes along the way?"

I prefer nothing on my back when I ride, but if I have to wear a backpack I don't mind too much. (It reminds me of my college days, riding to class with my books in my backpack.) I wear a Camelbak when I'm going to be in a hot locale with infrequent water stops; otherwise not.

However, two of my most recent tours have taken me to Zion Canyon and Glacier National Park. I had to get out and hike in both of those beautiful places. In Glacier I took my camera, snack, etc. in my handlebar bag, which I carried because I hadn't brought the shoulder strap on tour. It wasn't good. In Zion I bought a cheap, little backpack in the grocery store ($9.99). It was much better, and it was light. Even though I had a little backpack at home, I couldn't see jetisoning my purchase after I left Zion, so I stuck it in with my load and carried it home. I've decided it's so light, and it was so nice to have, that from now on, when my tour takes me to a place where I might want to hike, I'm bringing it.

I don't see it as a huge problem only having two 20 ounce bottles mounted on the bike. Just carry whatever extra capacity you need either in a pannier, under a pannier flap, or on the rack. Stopping and refilling the bottles on the frame once in a while is just not a big hassle. I generally am ready to get off and stretch or rest in the shade for a while by the time I have emptied my bottles. Actually I can reach the extra bottle under the pannier flaps while riding, but never do because I am ready for a quick stop by the time I need to refill bottles.

Another option is to do as my companions on the TA did and put a camel back type bladder in a front pannier and run the hose up the the handlebar. They bought some generic one complete with hose and bite valve for something like $10 at walmart. They were able to drink while riding and water stayed cold for hours even in 100F heat if filled with ice in the morning. The one drawback they found was that they had no idea how full or empty it was.

On my way through west Texas I met up with an older gentleman who'd been touring for the past 15 years with a duffel bag on his rear rack and a school backpack on his back. I asked him if carrying weight on his back wasn't a bother? His reply, "Maybe for cityfolk, but I've been throwing haybales my whole life. Doesn't bother me a bit."

Hey, Ocho. I first heard about Wingnut on this thread. I bought a Wingnut Adventure Pack for my commuting needs based on the selected reviews featured on wingnutgear.com. As far as features are concerned, it's pretty awesome. I love it's well thought out features, but I have to gripe about the quality of their construction especially in the stitching department and they have pretty crappy customer service. I mean they've just ignored my requests for a refund or exchange.

Here's my full review of the Adventure Pack:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...on-Pack-review

Off-road: small pack, no more than 3 or 4 lbs, water, food, etc. On-road: prefer not to wear it, but have a small pack to take on excursions into town, shopping, etc. Sometimes it's better to use a Timbuk2 bag, especially if carrying a laptop.

Oh, and sometimes a hydration waistpack. http://www.rei.com/category/4500633

Used an REI rucksack as a stuff sack and strapped it down on my rear rack..
Didn't wear it, riding, but once I took my tent, etc out of the pack,
I could use it for sight seeing, ... schlepping stuff around town.

Similar to others, I don't think putting a lot of weight on your back makes much sense for a road tour. I have used a hydration backpack, and I find it works quite well, but I wouldn't want to pile a bunch of heavy stuff into it. A lumbar hydration pack with sufficient capacity might work better, though I can't say from experience.

The only road exception is if you're trying to go über light, and decide to skip on panniers in favor of, say, a backpack and a water-proof stuff sack. But afaik that's when you are in "cut the handle off the toothbrush" territory. ;)

Not even if you payed me.

When I did my tour back in 2005, I used a small lightweight backpack that only contained a few items.... The problem with a backpack is you'll sweat like crazy underneath of it on your back...Also, it's easy enough to FORGET you have one when you stop at a store.

If I would ever do a long tour again, I wouldn't use a backpack.

Although I always bring a backpack on tour I do not wear it while riding for many of the reasons mentioned above: Hugh center of gravity, overheating and sweating and saddle discomfort from extra weight on sit muscles and bones.

In the mid-80's I toured the Andes of Ecuador and Peru for several months using a backpack mounted upright on the rear rack and two front panniers. That arrangement worked well for a dirt tracks and rock strewn routes on volcanoes above 4000 to 5000 meters. When pushing the bike was required I could wear the pack while pushing the now lighter bike and no rear panniers to get in the way of my legs.

I still tour on and off pavement with a similar setup with a dry bag stuffer on the rear rack instead of the backpack. The backpack provides versatility loading up groceries to carry to the campsite and of course, for use while day hiking when biking is prohibited as in much of US national parks.

You could mount a water bottle where it is easier to get to:
http://kingcage.com/assets/img/handymount.gif