When you first get into bikepacking it takes a while to slowly piece together all of your kit and many people start off with cheaper bags or back packs until they have decided if bikepacking is for them or not. I too did that when I started bikepacking a few years ago but now I have a fantastic set up using the ever popular Revelate Designs bags which are hand made in the USA and have stood the test of time being used for bikepacking adventures across the globe in various conditions. These days there is a wide variety of bags available from off the rack solutions to makers that offer a full custom service to get bags to fit your bike. One of the most popular questions I get is how do you carry all that stuff. Most of the time my bikepacking adventures last about a week but I will use a similar set for an overnight / weekend ride as well. Listed below is the full list of stuff that I carry whilst bikepacking .
Front bag - Revelate sweet roll
Main bag compartment
OR 10ltr Dry bag containing the following - Montbell Spiral burrow no. 7 sleeping bag, Montbell UL comfort system air pad 150cm , UL comfort system pillow, tent pole & peg set ,
, Spare clothes fitted into small stuff sacks at each side , containing rain pants, spare shorts , socks , underwear etc
Front pocket - Pack towel , Diary & pen, Black Diamond headlamp , Toilet kit, , diary etc,
Revelate Gas Tank
Camera , wallet & phone, plus soy joy fruit bars
Revelate frame bag for El Mar 17 inch frame
2ltr Camelbak , small lightweight bicycle lock , small mesh pocket top - spare tube & finish line oil
Side pocket Shimano bicycle pump, bicycle repair tools in small Montbell pouch, cleaning rag
Revelate viscacha Saddle bag
Serria designs stash 1 lightweight tent
Cooking set - 1 x Alloy rectangle set containing the following items Trangia burner & base
lighter & matches , pot scrub, KFS set, first aid kit
OR rain jacket, Uniclo down jacket ,45 North merino cap
Note : Extra food supplies can either be stored in either side of the handle bar bag or the Viscaha , Alloy fuel bottle is fixed to the bottom of the down tube , everything I need is on the bike and I advise not to carry a backpack , your back will thank you for that on a long ride !
I do not carry a lot of spare clothing and do not use any lycra cycle tops as a good merino wool cycle top is far more useful and does not require washing on extended tours. If the weather is bad I have a full set of waterproof cycling clothing , jacket and 3/4 rain paints and if it gets cold I have the down jacket to use as well. It will take several overnight test trips to figure out what you really need and once you have figured it out write down the entire pack list to make your trips much easier the next time around.
Happy Bikepacking
Don
Front bag - Revelate sweet roll
Main bag compartment
OR 10ltr Dry bag containing the following - Montbell Spiral burrow no. 7 sleeping bag, Montbell UL comfort system air pad 150cm , UL comfort system pillow, tent pole & peg set ,
, Spare clothes fitted into small stuff sacks at each side , containing rain pants, spare shorts , socks , underwear etc
Front pocket - Pack towel , Diary & pen, Black Diamond headlamp , Toilet kit, , diary etc,
Revelate Gas Tank
Camera , wallet & phone, plus soy joy fruit bars
Revelate frame bag for El Mar 17 inch frame
2ltr Camelbak , small lightweight bicycle lock , small mesh pocket top - spare tube & finish line oil
Side pocket Shimano bicycle pump, bicycle repair tools in small Montbell pouch, cleaning rag
Revelate viscacha Saddle bag
Serria designs stash 1 lightweight tent
Cooking set - 1 x Alloy rectangle set containing the following items Trangia burner & base
lighter & matches , pot scrub, KFS set, first aid kit
OR rain jacket, Uniclo down jacket ,45 North merino cap
Note : Extra food supplies can either be stored in either side of the handle bar bag or the Viscaha , Alloy fuel bottle is fixed to the bottom of the down tube , everything I need is on the bike and I advise not to carry a backpack , your back will thank you for that on a long ride !
I do not carry a lot of spare clothing and do not use any lycra cycle tops as a good merino wool cycle top is far more useful and does not require washing on extended tours. If the weather is bad I have a full set of waterproof cycling clothing , jacket and 3/4 rain paints and if it gets cold I have the down jacket to use as well. It will take several overnight test trips to figure out what you really need and once you have figured it out write down the entire pack list to make your trips much easier the next time around.
Happy Bikepacking
Don