Made from an old barrel grill someone left at an apartment complex trash dropoff, and some aluminum pipe from a weather-destroyed small greenhouse. Besides some basic tools like wrench for bike wheel nuts and drill + drill bit to cut a hole in the pipe to fit on the wheel bolt, all I needed was a little welder to fit an attachment point behind the seat stem.
Included are some images of options I considered before realizing my best path forward. Make shit up and use trash to do it!
I’ve always found it interesting/weird how bikepacking seems to have a different ‘style’ than touring or utility cycling. Like using an overgrown seatpost bag instead of a rear rack and panniers, for example. I guess maybe it saves weight(?) and that could be important if your bikepacking route involves hilly singletrack or something, but otherwise I feel like the more traditional ways of handling cargo are more versatile.
It’s more about saving width close to the ground. It doesnt matter on all trails, obviously, but a single-track through a shrubby/grassy area or a trail that’s deeply rutted will be a big pain if you have wide panniers.
I’m not exactly sure what you gain with a seat post bag vs just a bag on the top of a rear rack, though. I guess it is lighter.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks!