I think forums in general are down. I run a couple of cruiser forums elsewhere on the internet, and I have seen a steady decline in participation. I think the biggest problem there is the fact that most forums aren't optimized for mobile, and posting pictures tends to be a big PITA, causing people to favor more user-friendly mediums like Facebook, Instagram and the like.

I wonder if the forum hosting sites will take notice to this in the next few years.

I had one for a day.

Doesn't work too well on small frames

Look into the Blackburn Outpost series. For less than 150 you can get a decent saddle harness with a removable dry bag.

That's what I've been running for a little over a year now, and I can't say enough good things about it. It's a little heavier than some of the higher dollar bags, but for your money, you really can't beat it.

Plus, it fits well on a small frame. I struggled to find something that worked well on my small Karate Monkey. The outpost harness gives me plenty of room with my axle all the way forward in the dropouts.

Also, Blackburn has a lifetime warranty on their stuff.

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I know its not bike packing but PANNIERS or Grocery getter bags would be a great application for your material and skills.

Not a bad idea. I'll be making more stuff I'm sure

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Well poo. Had a half bag I don't use.

If you're looking for new, the Surly small bag for the KM fits my other small frames no problem (I think it's #6)

I work at an industrial tarp company, but don't have a sewing machine at my shop. I work with heavy-duty vinyl every day. It was only a matter of time before I tried to make something bike related out of the scrap material we have laying around. The cool thing about this material, is you can fuse it with little more than a silicone roller and a heat gun. No sewing required

I normally ride a small, so my bag options are either limited, or just not that great. I decided that using my Roadie would be a better guinea pig for this project, as the triangle is much larger than on my Karate Monkey or my Fat Bike

Anyway, here's some pictures:










So its a little heavy (220z vinyl isn't exactly light) it's a little ugly, but it was mostly to test whether or not I could actually do it. The mesh pocke on there is actually the same material, so it was easy to fuse in. The reflective tape isn't great, but I had it laying around.

The seat tube and down tube have strips of ABS inside the bag and tie it into the bottle cage bosses. I have added another strap at the rear of the top tube. Overall, its not too bad for being made from garbage. I would definitely change a few thing if I were to do it again, such as make the two larger sections one piece, with a fold in the middle, if that makes any sense.

Really waterproof too!

I made the conversion this summer. Sram NX with a Race Face 3gt up front. It's ALMOST perfect. A little heavy, but hey, its dirt cheap. I had to space my front chainring in just a little to access the full cluster

I don't see myself changing anything on it any time soon

are you looking for a full triangle bag?

I've done the same thing, but with 6061.

I also made one that added an additional cage mount on the lower side of the down tube. That one was a chunk of thin wall steel tube that I shaved down. No pictures of either right now :/

1.) I would say I'm a novice at bikepacking
2.) Most of my trips are less than 50 miles out, 50 miles back
3.) I wear the first generation Giro Rumble for shoes. They've been a great shoe for me. Walkability, plus a recessed cleat bed so you don't get the nasty cleat crunch while walking around
4.)On our longer trips, I'll be in the saddle for 5-6 hours, then hike around camp for an hour. same shoes for both.
4.5) On my day- to day, I wear a breathable set of Merrils during the warm months, and a waterproof set of Tevas when the snow falls
5.) I have pretty decently flat feet, so every pair of shoes I own either has to have decent arch support, or it gets expensive inserts to make life bearable (I'm on my feet most of the day for work)

Hope this helps

Most of it looks quite comparable to Blackburn's Outpost series, which I run a lot of on my stuff.

I'll stick to Blackburn, given the choice

Looks like you have the Texsport tent. It's not a bad little tent, especially considering the price. I had a similar problem with mine, which is going on its 4th season. (that's $10 per season)

I ended up ditching the bag right away. I rigged up a sleeve attached to my downtube for the poles.

I ditched the cheap steel wire stakes for some lighter aluminum ones (Like $6 online) I stash those in my frame bag

The tent and rainfly reside in my handlebar harness alongside my sleeping pad and other clothes. If you get a dry bag for your handlebar harness, you can squeeze the crap out of it and make it fit quite well. I have since upgraded to the Blackburn Outpost harness. Same concept as what you see here, just less.....redneck

I own a 2011. No joke, the week before they announced the new specs, I upgraded mine to Sram NX and put braze-ons on my fork. For a little more money, I could have gotten the new model. with everything I planned on doing to mine.

In my opinion, the new model, while touting a lot of cool features, lost some of the cockiness that was the Karate monkey. up until this year, you could spot a Karate Monkey a mile away due to the frame shape. The curved seat tube and top tube gusset were a dead giveaway. Now, you'd have to get close to see its a Monkey.

I'll keep my old one.

It has been a long time since I've posted here. So long in fact, that I have changed my lineup completely

Nowadays, my main steed is a Surly Karate Monkey

Running Sram NX 1x11

I've also added some fatness to my life in the form of a Felt Double D 30

I don't have any pictures of it bagged up for some reason. I tend to forget to snap pictures while out riding

And for the skinnier trips, I just placed an order for this guy:

Giant Revolt 1. Can clear up to a 50c tire. should make for a decent day tripper

They are a VERY hard to come by set of kalloy bars. They were also made under the Dexter name. I bought one pair at the LBS a few years back. After that I spent years searching for another set.
Searched eBay, pinkbike, mtbr, everywhere. Nodda. Zip. Zilch.

Ended up finding a second set in the attic of the same LBS. I'm bogarting them

They are an amazing bar. Thanks for the props 

I made this one out of an old Eddie Bauer coozie, a chunk of HDPE and a special clamp made for holding gear in firetrucks (my company is a dealer for them)

Updated pics with new racks and mounts
The tent holder and feedbag are courtesy of yours truly

My other ride. Haven't rigged it up at all yet

'12 Fuji Suncrest

My main ride: a 2010 Trek PDX Hybrid. Its a great bike for the money. I was a little financially short to buy a Fargo, so I bought this and have been upgrading it over the years. Aluminum frame with steel fork with mid blade braxe-ons, lots of room for bigger tires (could clear 45c tires no problem
I've upgraded the crank to X7, the rear derailleur to Rival, the front Derailleur to Apex and X7 2x10 shifters. Also a Brooks saddle, some no-brand bars that I love, Easton stem, Continental 35c Cyclocross speed tires, Ergon Grips and a lot of my own creations.

This pic was taken before I finished swapping the drivetrain. The front lowriders and tent holder were made by me

I've used it on a variety of things. It will rub off. It doesn't really have any adhesion properties. It's a temporary product for the most part. I have done my bars and stem with it, but it peels off the first time you take your brake levers off. I have however applied it to the wheels of my car, and it works well. Basically if you want to spray something with it, make sure it doesn't rub or contact other surfaces frequently