george12345

My 4 panniers weighed 8lbs. when empty when I came back on my last tour I thought if I could lose the panniers and use Dry bags or stuff bags instead I could reduce the weight 4/6lbs. ? has anyone used dry bags instead of panniers on the front and back and how can you fit them

fietsbob

Buy a bike trailer like a Burly Nomad and throw them in it. problem solved.

[... And breaking camp is really quick, in the morning]

MMACH 5

I put my sleeping pad, blanket and tent into a stuff sack, compress it with straps and suspend it between the drops on my handlebars.

Everything else goes into my small, rear panniers and trunk bag.

Yo Spiff

Interesting way of mounting water bottles. Special brackets, or just used something from the hardware store?

MMACH 5

I usually carry three bottles, but this trip was from Dallas to Wichita Falls, this past July, so I figured I'd better bring more.

These are Bell Universal Cage Mounts. I found them at WalMart.

george12345

Gee fietsbob where did you get all that wit

fietsbob

You would be surprised .. the witless don't pay attention to theirs..

VT_Speed_TR

Lose 2 panniers and save 4 lbs. Reduce what you are bringing in those 2 panniers, likely 15-20lbs. total weight saved, about 24 lbs and you won't have to buy anything!

george12345

fietsbob I dont think you understand the question, your answers are more like what you would here on a CB radio, certainly not on a Bike Fourm
surly you can do better than throw them in a Nomad

Lasse

I don't have experience with dry bags instead of panniers, but when searching for "bikepacking" on the net you can find lots of people doing just that. Looks like many do it when mountainbike trekking and add (custom) framebags. Looks interesting

fuzz2050

I've seen (Somewhere) a set of racks made to work with stuff sacks. It seems like it wouldn't be that terribly difficult to rig up with a few minutes and a welding torch. Just a stiff bar in the back and a couple of arms to wrap around the sides, maybe with eyelets at the end for custom sized bungees holding the thing in place.

You do loose the ease of access with panniers, stuff sacks can be somewhat fiddly to get into, and once they're strapped in, forget about it. Maybe combined with a nice handlebar bag it would work.

antokelly

i honestly think the only way they work is inside a good set of fully waterproof panniers.
not trying to be a smart ass george but you would have to cut your packing list to practally nothing for dry bags alone to work IMHO.

X-LinkedRider

This is completely depending on your packing habits, how good you are securing bags to a bike and what the purpose of your tour is. My panniers are probably around the 6-8lbs together. But they are well worth the balance and security in my eyes.

george12345

All very interesting I saw a link www.alpkit.com/gourdon
I thought these might work with a little conversion on the racks

george12345

Hi anto I know that you use Ortlieb panniers would you have any idea the weight of Ortlieb Front Roller Classic Pair

george12345

Hi X-LinkedRider thanks for all, I have a (2012 SPECIALIZED Tricross Sport,) I had a look at the Specialized link, very interesting

Cyclebum

Just a matter of motivation george12345. It can be done of course, with considerable weight savings as you noted. The price: some inconvenience. When you figure it out, come back with some pictures and evaluation.

george12345

Hi Cyclebum picture in 2007 same panniers

Cyclebum

Current ride. Two smaller panniers and rack pack. Wouldn't be much of a leap to compresson bags. Room on the bike for more if I needed them. staehpj1 no longer uses panniers for his extensive tours. Good pic of his rig here.

I've pared my gear down considerably in the last 6 months.

Ciufalon

I think these only weigh about 1 lb each, are fairly large, and can fit front or back. They might well meet your needs, as modifying dry bags with sturdy enough attachment hardware might bring the weight close to that any way.

reed523

I stumbled on to a great component that might make compression sacks a little more doable. I strap my tent and thermorest on with velcro straps. They weigh next to nothing, are fast and easy, and hold great. I bought a roll of the stuff (about 1/2" wide) and now I don't know how I ever lived without it.

marmot

The thick, rubbery dry bags don't weigh much less than comparably sized panniers. When you factor in ease of use and convenience of access, I'd stick with panniers.

Ekdog

I think I'll stick with my panniers, but I'd like to organize and compress my gear with some good stuff bags. What are your favorites?

prathmann

Don't think there's all that much weight to be saved compared to lightweight panniers. My panniers weigh only a little over a pound each and I only use one pair, so it's less than 2.5 lbs. Stuff bags and the straps necessary to attach them might save at most a pound but would be considerably less convenient to use.

george12345

Hi Ciufalon this is what I was thinking, I saw this site, its what got me thinking of modifyed dry bags, do they come with attachments for brackets