[crux]

I have been looking at a means of going bike packing for a while now and planning a trip or two this summer. Since this would be my first bike packing outing was searching for a few pointers as I would really like to avoid taking a 45# backpack along.

One of the short comings of my frame is that there are no hard mounts for racks. Any ideas or tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Moustache rider]

For a bike without rack mounts Old man mountain is a good option.
For general bikepacking ideas check out www.bikepacking.net.

 

[notaknob]

Off the back

Cheapest I've seen. http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?sku=18733

For supplies, Everclear + Tang/Gatorade are great. The Everclear does triple duty as disinfectant, stove fuel and anti-freeze.

 

[Roverbiker]

Before you launch into racks and panniers, you should look into rackless systems. That can be something as simple as stuff sacks lashed to your bars and seat, or it can be something more specifice like: www.carouseldesignworks.com

We use Jeff's bags. The designs are beautiful and the quality of workmanship is really impressive. I can't say enough positive things about his bags. The frame bag is awesome.

 

[jeffgothro]

When loading your bags, try to pack the heavy stuff towards the bottom of the pack - it will lower your center of gravity.

 

[Roverbiker]

For what it's worth, you can easily get away with no racks. Backpacking gear is so light these days, you can be nice and comfy with as little as 25 pounds of gear. With available water, that can easily give you a 3-4 day range between supply stops.

 

[MTBKauai]

I saw these in NZ, very cool, check out http://www.kiwijoe.com/