Oh the wonderful world of bikepacking. Where you cram a bunch of expensive shit on a bike and venture into the great outdoors. I have a good bit of experience in this world and I’m one of the lunatics who actually enjoys sleeping outside and sitting my dirty ass on a bike for multiple days.
**depending on the accommodations you might be lucky enough to have a shower and clean your ass each day. This is ideal. Below is most of my stuff getting ready for a 2 night 3 day trip.
When I first began building out my gear I was riding a Cervelo Aspero 5. This is a more race oriented gravel bike, aka my carbon rocket. Awesome bike, but not at all ideal for bikepacking.
This forced me to really go hard on ultralight gear and make every square inch count. My setup is so minimal I’ve actually had multiple people ask me “where are your clothes dude?”
They were shocked by how little gear I had and that I even had clothes to change into. Well I did, specifically one pair of shorts, underwear, and shirt. Zero room for any additional change of clothes. We’re talking ‘saw your toothbrush in half’ kind of setup.
Without much carrying capacity I was forced to spend long nights on the web scrutinizing every ounce and pack dimensions of the items I needed. I was surprised after my first trips that all my gear worked out fantastic and there was little that needed changed. Perhaps this was because of my past experience backpacking and camping while I lived in Oregon for many years. Or maybe it was because I spent a small fortune on the gear and more expensive gear is always better! I think it was a bit of both.
Below you will find the find the list of those items. When you add up the price of all this gear you might cry. Your tears can cool off your credit card. Or you can take the budget route and hate yourself later.
Bags
Oveja Negra Saddle Bag, Medium – This bag has been fantastic. The key is to secure all the straps very well so it’s not flopping around. I fit my sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and clothes in here.
Oveja Negra Chuck it bucket – Wasn’t stoked about adding this to the mix but when you’re desparate for room every little bit counts.
Oveja Negra handlebar front end loader – This was where I stashed my tent, tent poles, and rain jacket in the tent bag.
Apidura frame bag – Frame bag fills up damn quick, so mainly for smaller items. Also waterproof supposedly, although I’ve heard if you get caught in a serious monsoon this is not true. Be sure to dry bag up anything crucial.
Apidura top tube bag – Fits an iphone. Which is awesome! Power bank and a few other small items.
Apidura down tube bag – This little bag barely fits shit, but works for repair kit and a few small bits and bobs.
USWE Race 2.0 hydration bag – Running only two bottles, this comes in handy if your store stops are long distances.
Sleeping
Tarptent Protrail Li – This is the cornerstone of my setup, finding a tent that is light and packs small enough to fit was no easy task. Especially considering I’m 6’2″ this really made things challenging. Many tents claim they will fit a lanky bastard like myself, but having your face or feet super close to the tent ceiling is no bueno.
This tent does it all, under 1lb, 12″ x 5″ packed, goldilocks shit. The only negative is not a lot of room to sit upright, and climbing in and out is slightly awkward compared to a side door tent. I was fine with these small compromises and absolutely LOVE this tent.
Nemo Tensor All Season Long Wide – Comfortable pad with R value of 5.4. This mean you won’t be freezing your tits off if you ever encounter seriously low temps. Total overkill for me since I’m in Florida, but I figured why not go hard and have a more versatile pad. The trade off is some extra weight.
Compare it to the Tensor Trail (2.8 R value), it’s only 2 ounces heavier and the same pack size. Was a no brainer for me considering a higher R value pad isn’t going to make you hotter, it’s just going to help you not freeze when it’s colder. Lastly the pad is pretty quiet compared to others. I’ve tried some that sound like your sleeping on 20 bags of Lays potato chips, loud as fuck and guaranteed to piss off your fellow camp mates. When your inevitably tossing and turning because sleeping outside ain’t easy, you’ll thank me. Also if you’re considering regular vs wide, unless your skinny af you’re going to have to keep your arms crossed all night like you’re taking a dirt nap. Otherwise you’re arms hit the ground which sucks ass.
Sea to Summit Spark – Another piece of gear that feels too good to be true. Like a wizard created this sleeping bag, it’s stupid small when packed. *But that’s in the 45 degree long version, which is plenty for me in the FL winter. I also have the 30 degree version which is significantly larger, so pick your poison. If you need something warmer, you might just want to stay home because bikepacking in sub 30 degree temps is going to blow major dicks.
Fillo Elite Pillow – Do you really need a $60 pillow? Probably not. Can you shove your dirty underwear into a stuff sack and still pass out on that? After a long day on the bike, that might be sufficient. But when you’re already dropping a small fortune on gear, $60 starts sounding cheap real fast. And this baby is comfy and packs down to ridiculously small. Win.
Cycling Kit
Cycling clothes are very personal, so what I like you might absolutely hate. Despite that, I’ll still go through my favorite gear. Keep in mind I’m built pretty strange. All legs, short torso, and very narrow waist. 37″ inseam at 6’2″ I’ve learned isn’t exactly normal proportions. This causes more bike fit issues than clothing problems, but keep in mind that there is no perfect pair of bibs for everyone. There is a perfect pair for YOU, you just need to try a lot of shit and not give up. Some people have an easier go of this and I envy those people. For me it wasn’t so easy and I have a drawer full of expensive bibs I can’t stand to prove it. Again my body proportions made sizing confusing, so if you’re in this same boat prioritizing the hip measurement worked best for me. Otherwise I was falling in 3 different sizes, small for hip, medium for waist, and large for chest.
Maybe I’m just a dumb fuck, but that confused the shit out of me. I realize now most sizing charts are intended for not just bibs but jerseys as well. For simplicity sake, and as someone who works in ecom I get this. And maybe since I’m a mutant, perhaps not many people fall in this weird range of sizes.
ASSOS EQUIPE RS SCHTRADIVARI Bib Shorts S11, Long – If you hunt down a coupon you can snag these for around $275. Is that completely bat shit fucking crazy? Definitely. Are you going to have tons of people telling you $50 bibs from Black bibs are exactly the same and they crank out century rides on the reg just fine? Yes. Maybe that is you, you’re blessed. There are also 20+ different bike fit issues that contribute to comfort. So assuming that is all dialed and we’re strictly dealing with bib comfort, these Assos bibs are my go to. I own 4 pairs, yup over $1k in overpriced spandex. And they do NOT last forever, so you better save your bottles and cans. Unfortunately after ~300 hours I’ve found you can see my ass since from behind. Then these get designated for indoor rides only.
Velocio ultralight SL base layer – I wear these year round, in blazing hot temps. Counter intuitive to have an extra layer but I swear by them. Much more comfortable not having bib straps directly on your skin. And I know people dispute the cooling properties of base layers, but at the very minimum they slow down your jersey from getting drenched with sweat. That’s a win for me.
Swiftwick socks – I’ve tried a lot of socks, I like these.
Velocio Luxe Gloves – It’s stupid how much I love these gloves, currently they are sold out of bigger sizes and my current pairs are looking haggard after a couple years. Get your shit together Velocio, I need my gloves asap.
Attaquer All Day Long Sleeve Jersey – This is another highly subjective piece. I have a big chest for my size, I’m built like the letter Y. I’ve tried a lot of jerseys, in large they are tight as fuck around my chest and arms. Then if I size up I’ve there is a massive amount of room in the stomach which folds into this odd looking jersey dick of extra fabric. This line of jersey fits me awesome, and the long sleeve is legit for keeping the sun off your arms for long days. Surprisingly it’s also not too hot even up to ~90 degrees.
Giro Aries Spherical Helmet – Love this helmet, it disappears. Also the tightening mechanism on the back is super easy to use while on the bike. I was rocking a Lazer G1 Mips until I flipped off my bike like a god damn idiot a couple years back. Also an awesome helmet and I might be writing this blog post by blowing into a straw or something if I wasn’t wearing it when my head smashed into the pavement. Definite win.
Shimano XC903 S-PHYRE shoes – Solid shoes, stiff carbon sole makes me go fast. Definitely on the more narrow side though. For you wider foot people, lake shoes all day.
Rain Jacket – Not bike specific, but good enough for me so far.
Lights
I started of with budget lights like most people. That was until I found myself in the middle of a forest during an ultra race with dead lights that wouldn’t charge. Nightmare scenario. Thankfully I had a headlamp but that barely got me to the finish line and slowed my pace to a crawl. Excruciating experience I will NEVER forget.
Above is the setup I ran for the Tally Tango ultra race. First failure was the micro usb cable I brought just happened to be broken. Soooo dumb, I should have tested the cable at home. Second was the rear tail light has a built in usb charger that doesn’t plug in to the power bank enough to charge. Nothing like being on a 55mph country road at 2am with no tail light to make you question your life choices.
So what did I do about it? I spent a small fortune on lights of course. Exposure lights, the holy grail of bike lights. $507.60 later I won’t be almost crashing into shit in the middle of the night again. And can’t forget the $50 in import duties, thanks a lot Trump you fucking dick.
Race 19 – This thing is an absolute beast, and the smallest of their trail line up. It has an actual screen that tells you how many hours of light you have left. So legit. K edge stem computer mount with the light mounted underneath using this doodad. Gorgeous.
Joystick 18 – Do I need two lights? Probably not. But being in the Florida wilderness in the pitch black darkness ready to fight wild boar will change a person. As my buddy Karlos told me, in ultra racing the saying goes “One is none and two is one.” This little beast of a light mounts on the helmet. The combo of these light up the trail like the 4th of July. Typically I keep this stored either in the top tube bag or jersey pocket so I don’t have the extra weight on my noggin until I actually need it.
Knog Blinder R-150 Rear Bike Light – I wish I’d have gone full on exposure setup but I already paid $70 for this before taking the exposure plunge.
Camp Clothes
For ~50 degree at night temps in Florida, here is my camp clothing.
T shirt – Did I put my lightest shirts on a scale and pick the lightest one? Yes and don’t you dare judge me.
Tracksmith Lightweight pants – Tracksmith pants because I’m a boujee bitch.
Running shorts – One trip I took a pair that didn’t have pockets, going BEYOND weight weenie. Later regretted that decision as I carried around my cellphone in my hand like a teenage girl.
Velocio Long sleeve merino wool base layer – Perfect for layering up at night when the temps drop. I’d wear this, my t shirt, and rain jacket.
Clothes can take up a lot of room fast. That’s why I like the flexibility of combining the merino base layer with my rain jacket. I’m going to need a rain jacket regardless, so making it dual purpose is nice instead of having a puffer jacket. Works for Florida temps.
Other Shit
NB10000 Gen 2 Power Bank by Nitecore – It’s light and you can plug stuff into it.
**Update** – This stupid piece of shit power bank already broke on me after a handful of trips.
Packtowel, Personal size – This a big microfiber towel if you’re lucky enough to encounter a shower on your journey.
Zpacks camping shoes – Some people more rugged than me will rock their cycling shoes at camp. Straight savages. These shoes are comically light and can fold in half.
Black diamond Headlamp – Nice for doing camp things and bonus points if your bike lights die. Then you can ride max 8mph and only sort of want to shoot yourself in the face.
Shokz headphones – Enjoy some tunes and still be able to hear your surroundings. On lower volume at least. Be sure to download your favorite music or podcasts for offline listening if you are going to be off grid.
Chamois cream – I’m a connoisseur of chamois cream. I rank them in the following order
- Assos: Top tier, they must have hired Walter White to formulate this stuff because it’s magical. Lasts longer than anything else I’ve used.
- DZ Nuts: Fantastic branding and also solid product. Whoever thought of saying “mainTAINTenance” is a genius.
- Butt’r – Most popular but bottom of the list for me. Does the job but just doesn’t last as long as my beloved asso and dz nuts. Small travel packs are nice though.
Cooking
With my Cervelo setup the stove doesn’t fit. But I’ve been fortunate enough to acquire another bike with more storage capacity. If you’re bikepacking somewhere with lots of store stops the stove can be overkill. Really just that morning cup of coffee where it comes in clutch.
Soto windmaster stove – Stupid small and lightweight, gets the job done.
Stuff sack for stove – I’m sort of obsessed with small bags. It’s a problem.
Titanium pot – It’s a pot.
Stuff sack for pot – $25 stuff sack for your pot, life is short.
Small fuel canister – It’s fuel.
Sea to summit collapsible cup – Essential for your morning cup of Joe and camp fire old fashioneds.
Spork – Standard spork, some people like the longer ones for those camp meal bags so you’re digging your hand into the bag. No fettuccine alfredo all over your knuckles. Seems logical.
Food
My experience is all in Florida, so I’ve never been far off grid enough to be bringing camp meals and what not. I’ve done a couple routes where the nearest store stop was ~75 miles. But most of my tours gas station stops are plentiful. On my first trip I felt like a real jackass getting back to my car with my jersey pockets stuffed full of clif blocks and gels that I didn’t need to bring. Gas stations are the pot of gold at the end of the rugged rainbow after pedaling through sand and getting your ass beat by washboard roads. What sick bastard would deprive themselves of this oasis of snacks and beverages.
Rice crispy treats, nutter butters, honey roasted pistachios, pop corners, red bull. Just a few honorary mentions of the high performance fuel I tend to grab. “Real” food is essential for long trips.
For longer stretches without stores, here is my arsenal for a recent trip.
Bike Repair
Tubilitos tube – Never had to use one thankfully. Super light, small, and also expensive like most good things in bikepacking.
Multi tool – Currently rocking this tool from wolf tooth. The main issue with it is you won’t be able to reach the bolts that require a longer hex key. So depending on your bike, you might need an actual hex key to access the bolts.
Pedros tire levers – According to the Pedro’s website these are award winning and universally loved. Not sure who’s giving out awards for tire levers, I’m going to call bullshit on that Pedro.
Co2 and Lezyne valve – Blows air into your tire like woa.
Tubeless plug kit – Used this several times, it’s legit.
Final Thoughts
Ok I’m getting bored now, I’ll spare you listing out all the little stuff like soap, charging cables, etc. Get out there and experiment. Bikepacking is like being a fancy bum for a few days. If you’re reading this, don’t forget how fortunate you are to have the choice to do hard shit. That’s a good perspective to remember.
You ain’t dead. Wow. A post. You ever post any marketing info anywhere else by chance? You had some good shit in past. Hope ur well.
I’m a professional cyclist now.
This is super informative, and even though I’m really good friend with Jake, I didn’t know about half of this stuff he had. Love the links. I’m gonna get some of this stuff, namely the camp shoes, lights, the sleeping bag, and maybe the front end loader.
RSD,
Micah