A repost by The Professor

As I contemplate gearing up for bikepacking, I am looking at lots of different options. I came across this excellent blog and this comparison of the Revelate Designs Sweetroll and the Harness.

http://www.pedalingnowhere.com/gear/revelate-handlebar-bag-shootout-harness-vs-sweet-roll/

I have a Revelate Designs Front Pocket that seems  to work well without the Harness. I have used it with light loads and it seems to work just fine strapped around a dry bag. We’ll see how it works with a heavier load. From what I can see, the only thing you really gain with the harness is the stiffener (which I am not convinced is necessary), and the foam spacers which carries the load a bit off the handlebars. With my On One Mary bars, cinching the dry bag right up into the handlebars seems to work just fine. I have yet to test it out on a bumpy trail though.