Our Bikepacking Gear Checklist For a 2,000-Mile Problem Experience

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In September/October 2021, we took on our Experience for the Wild problem.

A 2,000-mile journey to all the 15 UK nationwide parks. We did it unsupported, camped alongside the way in which and tried to do it in 30 days (it ended up taking 40…). It meant travelling as mild as attainable and biking as much as 60 miles a day in a few of the UK’s hilliest and most distant areas.

While aiming to chop the kilos, we nonetheless wanted biking gear to cowl us for early winter chilly and bike mishaps. On high of that, we wished to have the ability to cook dinner respectable grub and have sufficient consolation for 30+ days in a tent.

We spent months whittling it down and constructing the perfect bikepacking packing record attainable. That is precisely what we took.

It was mild sufficient for onerous 60-mile days, simple to load on and off every day. On the similar time, it wasn’t a loopy ultralight bikepacking gear record with sawn-off toothbrushes. We had sufficient consolation to maintain driving for over a month, nothing additional, and it didn’t break the financial institution.

Hopefully it could show you how to put collectively your individual bikepacking necessities record, suited to your individual journey. We’ve thrown collectively a number of suggestions however for any extra recommendation, simply drop us a remark on the backside!

We’ve damaged it down into the part under:

This text could include affiliate hyperlinks, they may by no means price you more cash however helps Veggie Vagabonds preserve making content material like this – thanks!

Earlier than we leap in…

From planning a heat bikepacking in a single day gear record to winter weekend rambles and cross-continent journeys… each trip is totally different and no two gear lists will probably be precisely the identical.

Creating the right record of stuff you want for bikepacking journeys will rely in your route, length, terrain, local weather and many others.

All this bikepacking gear was put collectively to share between two individuals be and self-reliant for a month in autumn across the UK. This meant making ready for potential solar, wind, rain and even snow, with temperatures from 15°C to round freezing.

It’s finest to make use of this record as a reference or template, then make the mandatory tweaks and modifications in your trip.

Keep in mind: the important thing to profitable longer distance bikepacking journeys is having every part you want however nothing additional.

You’ll want to head out on a number of trial runs and overnighters to check all of it out earlier than you correctly hit the highway.

And our bikes?

We received’t go right into a full-blown breakdown of what makes the perfect bikepacking bikes, however right here’s our private selection.

I rode a Surly Lengthy Haul Trucker with 26″ wheel, Schwalbe 1.5 Marathon Plus Tyres, a 3×9 groupset with an 11-36 rear cassette and butterfly handlebars.

Sarah rode a Ridgeback World Voyage with 27.5″ wheels, Schwalbe 1 1/4 Marathon Plus Tyres, a 3×9 groupset with an 11-36 rear cassette and drop handlebars.

They most likely wouldn’t get the favored vote with right now’s gravel and journey bike craze, however they maintain up superior for loaded highway excursions when consolation and distance is a precedence.

Bikepacking Sleep System (whole weight – 2.94/3.11 kg)

In addition to your bike, that is most likely an important space to give attention to. On the finish of a tough day, you want someplace protected to crash. It must be snug, with the appropriate degree of safety from the weather.

It’s all properly and good simply choosing tremendous light-weight bikepacking gear, however if you happen to’re not getting night time’s sleep, you’ll wrestle.

Spend money on this stuff and save on different parts.

*Some individuals go for a ‘bank card tour’, staying in lodging and shopping for ready-made meals. You don’t want any sleeping or cooking gear and also you save a variety of weight. Alternatively, it’ll price you much more cash and really a lot change the dynamic of the journey. See what works finest for you.

Light-weight Bikepacking Tent – Vango UL Xenon 2P (1.64kg)

This can be a nice little 3 season tent for bike excursions. It weighs 1.64kg, has excellent residing house and an enormous entrance porch space in your baggage and cooking. The fly and inside may be stored collectively for tremendous fast pitching and it’s a robust performer in heavy wind/rain.

On the destructive aspect, it’s not free-standing prices a bit over £400. Total, a stable 2-person bikepacking tent.

Tenting pad/sleeping pad – Vango Aotrom Brief (300g) or Thermarest Neoair Xlite (470g)

For summer season and hotter climate, the Vango Aotrom is a very light-weight sleep pad that’s impressively sturdy. It’s lower than £50, solely 30g and packs all the way down to the scale of a smaller deodorant can. It’s very nice and comfy nevertheless it’s a third-size so solely used for hotter circumstances.

For colder climate, we use the Thermarest Neoair Xlite, which is barely bigger and heavier however critically heat in freezing circumstances.

Each are good for aspect sleepers.

Sleeping baggage – Vango Ultralite Professional 100 (900g)

Some artificial sleeping baggage have higher heat to weight ratio and compressibility, however these are lower than 1kg, very inexpensive and good for temperatures above freezing.

Inflatable tenting pillow – Alpkit Drift (100g)

Personally, I discover a pillow essential for night time’s sleep. You may go for simply chucking some garments in a dry bag, however I sleep higher with a correct pillow. At solely 100g, I believe it’s value it.

We’ve tried a bunch of various pillows however the Drift from Alpkit has now develop into one in every of our bikepacking necessities.

String fairy lights

The lightest, most cost-effective and most energy-efficient lighting we’ve used. Tremendous low cost and so they look fairly too.

Bikepacking cooking system and hydration

Some individuals actually like to chop weight on bikepacking cooking gear, simply going with a minimalist pot and range. Personally, we discover that it’s not pleasing for longer journeys. If you happen to’re biking over per week, you actually should be consuming the appropriate meals. That’s when higher cooking gear is available in!

As talked about above, you would purchase ready-made meals, although this may be unreliable, costly and far much less wholesome.

Cooking system – Trangia 27-1 UL 1-2 Particular person Tenting Range (960g)

This contains:

• Extremely efficient windshield
• 2x pots, 1x lid/frying pan
• Fuel burner
• Deal with

If you need to have the ability to cook dinner respectable meals then a Trangia tenting cooking set is ace. They’re tremendous hard-wearing, compact and environment friendly. It weighs 960g however all elements match collectively properly – roughly to the scale of the massive cooking pot – with room to retailer additional bits inside too.

This windshield is actually efficient and you’ll comfortably cook dinner exterior of shelters even in robust winds.

It’s heavy, however for 2 individuals who like good meals, it’s cracking.

Packed into the Trangia cook dinner set, we match:

• Collapsible cups and bowls
• Sporks
• Tea towel and sponge
• Lighter

Then a fuel canister is carried individually. This all weighs about 400-500g.

Hydration and water storage

On one bike, now we have a 3-litre water bladder and a 1-litre water bottle.

On the opposite bike, we had 3x 1-litre water bottle and a spare 2-litre bladder as a backup.

Extra information on the set-up, water storage and mounting bottles in the direction of the tip of the article.

Meals for Bikepacking Journeys

I received’t go into an excessive amount of element as we coated it extensively in our Information to Vegan Bikepacking Meals and Cycle Touring Munch. That article goes IN DEEP!

Usually, there are some staples we at all times carry with us after which decide up meals alongside the way in which. For bikepacking journeys with common retailers and facilities, we’d decide up our day by day meals every morning.

Staples we attempt to preserve with us embody:

• Porridge combine (oats, seeds, raisins)
• Peanut butter
• Jam
• Brown rolls
• Dried fruit
• Vitality bars
• Seed and nut combine
• Espresso and tea

Then we’ll decide up contemporary gadgets for lunch/dinner every morning. Love raiding the decreased aisle!

The burden is dependent upon how far by means of the provides we’re. It’s at all times a troublesome day once we decide up contemporary peanut butter, jam and porridge combine on the similar time.

3-Season bikepacking garments

That is undoubtedly an space that may be simply overdone. It’s difficult attempting to stability clothes so that you’re shielded from the weather however aren’t weighed down both.

We at all times take biking garments and a spare set of biking garments, extra clothes for chilly/rain and night/camp clothes.

Electronics and charging

We wish to doc our journeys and so take extra electronics than some. Nonetheless, all of it packs down pretty properly and is all stored protected in dry baggage and instances.

Digicam & case – Fujifilm Xt-30 with Fuji 23mm f2 lens

I believe that is such an superior little journey/touring digicam. Very small and strong however with wonderful picture high quality. The proper little journey capturer. My solely want was that was climate sealed. Its older brother, the Xt-4, is climate sealed however is costlier and heavier.

The 23mm prime lens can be completely good. Severely small and light-weight however fantastically constructed and lifeless sharp. With the Xt-30, it’s my go-to journey combo.

Gopro Hero 9 motion digicam

Fairly outstanding video high quality from such a small system. Waterproof, robust and able to movie nearly something you’re bodily capable of do.

Cellphone – Samsung A71

A very good compromise between worth, battery life, efficiency and digicam. I’m on no account a telephone knowledgeable nevertheless it’s fairly good for touring and might take battering.

Battery pack

We use a 25,000 mAh energy financial institution that’s fairly rugged and supposedly waterproof… it’s undoubtedly splash-proof. It’ll cost a telephone about 8 instances.

Pedalcell Rim Dynamo

Having on-the-go power is rattling helpful on excursions as a result of discovering spots to cost is a nightmare.

The Pedalcell is strapped to your bike rim and makes use of kinetic power to cost electronics/battery pack. We discovered it to work nice for flatter areas however it may be a wrestle to make use of effectively in hilly areas.

Kindle, spare reminiscence playing cards chargers

Bikepacking Instruments, Security & Extras

Though it may be simple to neglect, it’s value spending a little bit of time these smaller bits of apparatus. Some weigh subsequent to nothing, packing away tremendous simply, however can utterly save a tour!

• Survival bag – flint sticks, compass, water purifying tablets, emergency blanket, matches, duck tape, security pins, SAS mini survival ebook
• Instruments – Bike multi-tool with allen keys, torque set, spoke adjuster, hyperlink breaker and many others. adjustable spanner
• Spare inside tube, brake cables and chain hyperlinks
• Petzl Swift RL headtorch
• Pump
• Puncture restore package with levers
• Bike lube – Finishline Moist Lub
• Leatherman Wave
• Water filter – Sawyer Squeeze water filter
• Zip cables
• Dry baggage
• Bike lights
• Towel
• Pockets
• Cellphone holder
• Helmet
• Facemask
• Tooth brush and paste
• First help package and any medical gadgets

Bikepacking baggage, setup and storage

We accomplished our Experience for the Wild problem as a pair and shared out the gear between us. Each our bikes had barely totally different setups, racks, mounts and storage.

Beneath you’ll discover a rundown of what we every carried, how and with what bike baggage.

Josh’s Bike (whole carrying capability 95l + bottle cage)

I had a entrance and rear pannier rack. There was a 1l bottle mount on the underside of the downtube and a 3l water bladder within the body bag. I additionally had the Pedalcell connected to my rear wheel.

• Entrance pannier 1 (Carradice Carradry 20l panner) – Cooking gear, survival bag, spare bike elements
• Entrance pannier 2 (Carradice Carradry 20l panner) – Electronics, extras, meals and provides
• Again rack with dry bag – 30l heavy-duty dry bag strapped to rear pannier rack containing 2x sleeping baggage, 2x tenting pads, 2x tenting pillows, thermal backup layers and winter gloves.
• Handlebar bag (8l Lotus Waterproof Biking Handlebar Bag) – Second pair of biking garments and night clothes.
• Further handlebar strap on (Big Waterproof Saddle Bag 1.5l) – Really a saddle bag I usual right into a handlebar bag. Excellent dimension for becoming a mirrorless digicam.
• Body bag (Moosetreks 14L Bike Body Bag) – All extra biking layers (gloves, buff, 2nd layer, waterproof, gaiters, waterproof trousers) plus 3l water bladder with mouthpiece fed by means of to handlebars. It additionally had a battery pack, pockets, chargers and snacks.
• High tube bag (1.3l Zefal body bag) – I truly strapped this between the seat tube and the rear wheel. It contained all bike instruments, puncture restore package, pump, headtorch and penknife.

Sarah’s Bike (whole carrying capability 70l + again rack and bottle cages)

Sarah’s bike featured a rear pannier rack and a entrance pannier rack. For water, she has a bottle cage on the down tube, a handlebar bottle mount and stored an additional bladder in a pannier.

• Entrance pannier 1 (Carradice Carradry 20l panner) – Kindle, first help, toiletries, extras, spare bladder, fairy lights, water filter
• Entrance pannier 2 (Carradice Carradry 20l panner) – Meals and provides
• Tailbag (PodSacs Waterproof Saddle Pack 11l) – Insulated jacket, waterproof layers, overshoes, gloves, waterproof head gaiter, skinny mid layer, extra room for meals
• Again rack – Tent strapped to again wrack.
• Handlebar bag (Lifeline Journey Bikepacking Handlebar Bag 11l) – Second pair of biking garments and night garments
• Body bag (Waterproof Bikepacking Body Bag 8l) – Purse, chamois cream, keys, telephone, tissues, head torch, bike lights, hand sanitiser, masks and different misc. gadgets.

A ultimate phrase when deciding in your bikepacking setup and kit

In the previous couple of years, bikepacking and gravel biking have gone by means of the roof. Not like its conventional bicycle touring sibling, there appears to be a a lot larger industrial side to it. And it may be simple to suppose you want the very best bikepacking gear, reducing down each inch of weight and following all the newest tendencies…

Personally, we predict this mentality can take the pleasure away from driving and even cease you from getting exterior.

It’s at all times good to store sustainably and decide hard-wearing merchandise that can final. This doesn’t at all times should be the most costly. Learn some critiques, maybe decide up second-hand gadgets and do your individual testing. Most significantly: don’t really feel like you’ll be able to’t have a cracking journey with ramshackle gear.

We hope our bikepacking gear record may also help to present you template, then you’ll be able to discover choices in your personal trip!