Which retro mtb suited for bikepacking

[Iwasgoodonce]

Another vote for early 90s Saracens. I have had a 1990 Kili Flier Comp from new. You would have thought the Competition frame would be rubbish for anything other than racing.
I fitted a shorter stem, 130 instead of 150, which made it comfortable to ride for longer. It had rack mounts from new. Nice and discrete more akin to beefy bottle cage mounts than other brazed on mounts.
Very strong; it has survived a lot of abuse and still on the original paint. Saracen powder coat had a well deserved reputation for toughness.

 

[DoctorRad]

… 1990 Kili Flier Comp …

Tange Prestige and similar tubings are just as strong as heavier tubes, but are lighter because they can be made thinner, usually because of a combination of the alloy composition and heat treating.

However, thinner walls can lead to more risk of damage in roughty-toughty conditions, but unless you have stupid-light racing tubing, you'll probably be okay.

An alternative would, of course, be titanium, which opens up a whole load of other options, not to mention possible build-quality issues…