i went ultralight touring (9 months) with pretty much what you described, but instead of a backpack, i used a fairly large (think large handlebar bag) fanny pack. when not cinched down too tight, much of the weight can be balanced on the back of the saddle that most people don't use when pedaling. it's like it's not even there.

I would have said the same thing, but when I left the pack on after a short stretch of actually needing it I didn't mind it at all. My expectation has always been that a pack while riding would be miserable, but I liked having my money, phone, and ID go with me when I just got off the bike and went inside a store restaurant or whatever. The real question I have is at what point will it go from that state of being nice to have there to being a pain. I suspect that will occur at some weight. I do not know if that will be at more or less than the 4.5 pounds or so that my pack will weigh. Temperature is probably also a factor. It was cool for most of the tour when I wore the pack. In the heat I may hate it.

So I think I am likely to keep the rack for this tour and experiment with wearing the pack, but maintain the option of putting it on the rack. The pack has to go because on this particular tour I want the option of using it for peak bagging and maybe overnight hikes.

Interesting.

There are minimalist racks you can buy that weighs either the same or lighter than a typical backpack. Tubus Fly or Axiom Streamliner DLX. I have a Streamliner DLX. Both are axle based, so use minimal hardware to attach to a bike. It's meant to haul loads up to 20lbs (15lbs is ideal). Then if you want to carry a fanny pack with your passport, zip lock bag containing your credit cards, cash and whatever. Don't need to carry the whole fat wallet with you on trips right. Tubus Fly is even lighter. These racks are substitute for the Old Man Mountain racks which are heavier but more robust than those lighter racks.

Personally I very much dislike riding with a backpack, even a light one, but have no problem with putting significant amounts of stuff in jersey pockets. So I surmise that the "fannypack" (they are bum-bags over here) idea has some merit, as the lower the weight is, the less one notices it. But really, what is the problem with simply strapping the backpack to the rack? It's not as if racks weigh much.

As a bike commuter I wore a backpack to carry my work clothes and such. I was riding 22 to 30 miles per day over those years. And on a few tours I rode with a Camelback. But after riding through a very hot Central America with that thing on my back, I gave it up and now let the bike carry all the weight. Riding with anything at all on my back now feels too constraining, hot, and tiring on neck and back muscles.

Going cross country with stiles, stairs, and other fence or stream crossing situations
where you have to portage the bike then get back on and ride to the next occasion .

where you carry the bike a while,then it carries you, then you carry it, and Etc.

maybe.. :innocent:

Other than that , bring one for sightseeing Off the bike,
space to pack fresh produce at last food stop, before camp.
maybe use it as a stuff sack on top of the rear rack on the road..

I also despise wearing a backpack while riding, in any circumstances.

These days, you can get all kinds of bikepacking bags, for people who have an aversion to racks. There are top-tube bags that go just behind the stem and just in front of the seat post, humungous handlebar bags and saddlebags, and of course custom frame packs. For the same weight as a rack, you can probably get two or three of those type of bags, and get all kinds of stuff in there. The frame packs are the most bang for your buck, as some small makers will build them starting at 100 dollars, with other features being extra. Two users on bikepacking.net's forums, 12wheels and jeremy11, are probably the cheapest way to get these, and are still well-regarded, while Revelate Designs and Porcelain Rocket are pricier but have a lot more users so there are more positive reviews out there.

I have the Streamliner DLX, but not the one that mounts to the axle. I have to say that the DLX seems super sturdy to me. I can't imagine carrying more on tour than it could handle. In fact I checked and it is rated for 110 pounds. The Fly on the other hand is rated at 39.5 pounds.

put a set of racks on the front forks ,old man mountain make some great ones ,skewers through the axle and clamp to the fork ,you can hang panniers and still has a platform over the wheel .You will find the ride much more stable especialy climbing with some weight distributed to the front and get some strain off the back wheel ,you will flat less as well .The bike is meant to carry the weight so it doesn't make sense to wear a pack

I don't like biking with even a light backpack because it gets too hot.

But if you've got your backpack weight down to ~5 lbs or so - and it's mostly compressible - I wonder if you could just run some leather straps (or paracord) through your saddlebag loops and use them to attach your pack transversely to your seat. Like you would attach a tool roll, except without the tool roll.

Update:
I just went over all my gear and actually packed in the bags in a dry run. Not counting food, fuel, and water, it looks like I will wind up with a bar bag weighing about 3 pounds, a backpack weighing about 3 pounds, a drybag weighing 4.5 pounds, and a pair of trail shoes at 1 lb 2 oz. I am likely to wear the back pack, bungee the dry bag on one side, and bungee the shoes on top or the other side. I can bungee the backpack on the other side if I don't want to wear it or am concerned about balancing the load, but it felt like so little gear that I doubt that balance will be an issue.

The detailed spreadsheet is available from this link in anyone is interested.

A seat bag would be another option. There are lots of lightweight bag options out there like this one that would allow you to not have a rack and still not have weight on your back.
https://www.revelatedesigns.com/inde...=4&ProductID=7


I hope it all works out for you-

I've used a "backpack" for at least 5 years now.
for the last 3 years I've been using a Wing Nut Gear "enduro" http://www.wingnutgear.com/product_d...product_id=151

I have a tendency to mix the likes of Perpetuem in a bottle and clean water in the hydration pack.
also I use the hydration pack for in camp duties.

if your into ultralight touring
really the deal here is trying to simply not carry anything
or
at least only the bare essentials.
of course every tour, its route, provisions, caloric demand, etc... all are variables to deal with.
when it comes to cooking... depending on what you can manage to eat, that is calories vs weight
nutrition is a tricky bit...
sometimes (often) its much more efficient to simply not cook
or perhaps its not worth the weight to carry a stove.
being able to utilize a micro fire, set up some rocks, create a draw, and use twigs or small pieces of branch can go a long way.
again... depends on your locale.

if you have to use a stove, and you're not cooking "gourmet" mostly boiling water for the likes of Quinoa, I had gone thru an alcohol stove phase, here is a Pack-a-Feather stove that I grew to really like: http://packafeather.com/stove.html

until one day I decided to start making can stoves, which was not hard to learn, which in turn, became "why do I need to carry a stove when I can just make one when I need it?" so I got pretty good at just digging in a trash can, finding a can, poke some holes in it and viola!

then I decided to use twigs in a can. poke holes in it let it develop a draw and you can get a fairly smoke free (or at least smoke light) fire. again... why carry a stove.

while digging out trash cans, I became picky as to what I was willing to dig thru.
then I realized that most "waste cans", like a waste paper basket, or the ones in the bathroom at a state park, there is a very good chance that there is a stash of new/clean plastic bags in the bottom of the can. just pull aside the bag that is currently in use, and usually park staff has a small stash hidden.

so I started using these plastic bags for all sorts of stuff. namely a ground cloth to sleep on. or to use as a waterproof frame bag liner, etc...

once you change your mindset to simply sourcing from your environment, you start to wonder why you carry anything. if you're on the pavement, every gas station you pass, has sugar, non-dairy creamer, forks, spoons, etc... If you ask a gas station worker for a big piece of plastic, they will more than likely have something laying around!

the one thing I have a tendency to carry is a decent piece of cordage. my favorite is Kelty Triptease, only because its thin, strong and reflective.

I carry 4 MSR Groundhog stakes. typically I use twigs for additional stakes, using the MSR Groundhog stake(s) to make a hole for a twig to fit into.

the last few tours I have completely ditched the thermarest. instead I just sleep on a pile of grass/leaves or whatever. I do lay a ground tarp (whatever that maybe) over the pile.

I've been a big fan of Meal Pack Bars: http://www.mealpack.com/
they are about 440calories each, at about 106gm. for 1lb you get about 600 calories.
Hammer Nutrition Perpeteum is pretty darn awesome. typically I carry at least 1 large water bottle full of powdered Perpeteum which is about 17 scoops. I can manage on about 1 scoop/hr while pedaling. altho that is pretty lean for me. 2 scoops/hr is great.

again, depending on the route
you can get away with the likes of a silnylon tarp
I like Kifaru stuff. I use a ParaTarp
for sleeping I use a Kifaru Woobie, Kifaru Parka
I carry a set of Patagonia Capeline long johns
I also like wool. I simply rinse the base layer, and I typically just let the wool jersey get funky. its amazing how much abuse wool can take.

what you want to avoid are items that do not compress.
frame bags are great, handlebar roll, etc...
ultimately it comes down to carrying as little as possible.

FYI, there's a state-wide fire ban in Colorado right now. Not sure if it applies to camp stoves in camp grounds. We are tinder-dry and on fire right now. :(

Yep, 181 houses destroyed just west of Fort Collins.

Some of the fires here in Australia that have destroyed millions of dollars of property have been caused by campfires. When there are total fire ban days, any open flame, including camp stoves, along with the use of angle grinders and slasher mowers are prohibited.

I also have to take to task AsanaCycles desire to thieve bags that have been put aside by parks staff to make their jobs easier.

I cannot fully understand the mentality that says a rider wants to tour as light as possible, then has to connive and spend so much energy "resourcing" themselves along the way by thieving stuff. It seems to me to be closer enough to a hobo or homeless existence. Maybe it's part of the adventure, but for me, I would rather have what I need, arrive in camp, set up, kick back and enjoy myself.

Thanks. I'll have to keep an eye on the situation. Might have to go "no cook" if there is a ban in place and it applies to alcohol stoves. That would reduce my load over a pound if you count my 9 ounce cooking/eating kit and the fuel, but I'd miss having a hot dinner sometimes. Cold food and diner stops are OK though.

Yeah, I carry only what I need to be comfortable. I could survive on less, but at much under 12 pounds of gear and clothes the law of diminishing returns starts to set in. And yet I keep trimming the list...

The thing is that while I could probably get down to some really crazy light gear weight, like under 5 pounds, I would miss things and the difference between 12 pounds of gear and 5 pounds of gear is pretty small as far as how it impacts the ride. I figure that at 12 pounds I have everything I need for comfort and while I could still drop a bit more, I am pretty close to a sweet spot for me. A couple items could still be replaced with lighter ones, but we are not talking much reduction without skipping things I would miss.

On the stove thing...
I can't see leaving the stove home and scrounging one. While I am sure that works fine, my stove and pot stand weigh 0.5 ounces, so I don't really see it as worth bothering to improvise one to save half an ounce. Going "no cook" on the other hand saves a lot more weight because the whole 9 ounce cooking and eating kit can stay home and there is no need to carry a 12 ounce bottle of Heet.

It looks like I can probably use my stove as things stand now. Most places are only at a stage one ban and I think I am probably OK even if they go to stage 2.
http://www.coemergency.com/p/fire-ban-info.html says:

Stage 1 Fire Bans:
Prohibited Activities:

• Open burning of any kind.
• Use and sale of fireworks.

Allowable Activities:

• [*]
• [*]
• [*]

Stage 2 Fire Bans:
Prohibited Activities:

• Open burning of any kind.
• Use and sale of fireworks.
• Use of charcoal grills and fires in chimineas, other portable fireplaces or patio fire pits.
• Campfires at developed campgrounds or picnic areas.

Allowable Activities:

• Cooking on gas or liquid fueled stoves or grills.

I do wonder how my route may be impacted, but will worry that more when the time is closer, or even when I get there.

The whole sale of fireworks thing is crazy. This is a relatively recent thing. They used to just go on sale at various times of the year, now we have them for sale in all the little stores around the country side. So far nobody seems to have burned much down, but it has to happen at some point.

What is 4.5 pounds? Is that your pack and all your gear, everything you are taking? Obviously that is crazy light. I haven't personally seen any rigs at less than say 8, that are not a compromise, and 8 is without food or water. But 8 is also pretty darn light. But for me I sill don't see the point of carrying anything the frame could carry. Glad it is working for you though.

In my latest list, total gear weight including bags, but not food or water is a bit under 12 pounds. That is about 2 pounds less than I took on the Southern Tier this past winter. The latest reshuffling has:

• 3 pounds on my back including pack itself, I will have the option of putting this on the rack if I decide that makes sense. I figure it most likely shouldn't be a problem since I have carried more than that in my jersey pockets at times.
• 3 pounds in bar bag including bag
• 5.75 pounds on rack including my light trail running shoes

I have a pound of tools and spares, but count that in the bike's weight (22 pounds) since they live on the bike whether on tour or not.

Check out the following spreadsheet if interested in details:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...XRHcTFQMnVjblE

I typically don't have much more than a pound or so of food except places where there are no stores for a while. At that point I might have 2 or 3 pounds of food at most.

I am still experimenting with all of this. It will only be my third very lightly loaded tour (Seattle to San Luis Obispo with about 22 pounds and San Diego to Sarasota with about 14 pounds).

Previous tours were 45 pounds (Trans America), 30 pounds (Santa Fe Trail), and something a bit less in the Sierras from San Diego to Reno (I never weighed or calculated that one).

Pete, I dont think I've ridden with a backpack since, geez I dont know when, but as others have said, if it works for you, great. I guess you will see how you really feel about it afterwards, so let us know. I certainly am in the camp of letting the bike frame carry stuff, but have fun no matter how you carry it all (and it certainly isnt a lot of "all")
David

I toured with a backpack 7 years ago because I don't like racks or panniers. I use a trailer now but when I use my backpack, my pack with gears weigh 7-1/2lbs. The only issue was sweat on my back and that was enough for me to dump my backpack. If you don't mind the sweat issue, I don't see why it won't work for you.

I've seen some guys that have 5lbs of gears when they go on a backpacking trip but I don't think I can do that. 7lbs is the bear minimum for me.