Originally Posted by
MarcusT
Some interesting posts here and completely agree about not wanting panniers when riding trails for clearance, but what about those who never leave the road?
Is there a purpose or is it just fashion?
I met a couple from Utah when I was in Iceland. They were touring with bikepacking gear on their road bikes for two weeks. And they clearly were very minimalistic in their packing.
Their bikes were Ritchey Break Away frames, so they could pack the bikes in small cases. This trip for them would have cost $300 more each if they had to pay the oversize fees that Delta charged at that time if they did not have coupled bikes.
My point is that not only was their luggage minimalist, the packed bike luggage was minimalist at the airport too.
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And I know a gal that was trying to figure out how to set up her bike for a week long credit card tour, she asked me about front panniers. I suggested she try the anything cages on her fork instead since she was looking at only a tiny volume. That is what she did. No racks on her bike. She later ditched the bikepacking saddlebag and went with a Carradice Nelson Longflap saddle bag.
Speaking of the Nelson Longflap, someone on this forum has toured with very minimalist camping gear, I think it is Nun?