Talk to me about light bikepacking...

luv2ride

Not quite sure where to post this so, mods, please move if better placed in another subject thread....

After assembling a bit of kit (bike bags, etc) over the past few months as and when available funds and special offers allowed, I'm finally converting my Arkose singlespeed to 1x11 to go on some on/off road bikepacking trips once it warms up a little!

I'm after for some bikepacking "hints and tips" to try and avoid any major fails or pitfalls along the way, hopefully learning from those who have gone before....

- Bike will be geared 42 x 11-40, and fitted out with 40mm Nano's (tubeless), TRP Hylex brakes and modestly flared Cowbell bars.
- load carrying will be courtesy of a Blackburn Outpost saddle holster & 11ltr dry bag, Outpost frame bag and top tube tank, along with a Topeak Frontloader harness and 8ltr dry bag system.
- I've acquired a 1.6kg single man tent (fits in the Frontloader well with room to spare, with poles/pegs in the framebag),
- Robens Vapour sleeping mat (395g) and Aegismax M2 super packable sleeping bag (600g) from Aliexpress on order
- Optimus Crux Lite Solo cook system (272g!) bought via ebay, with a seemingly lighter-than-air ti 'spork'!

Anything else critical that I need, other than tools and maintenance stuff? Any tips for packing gear?

Cheers...

mrfpb

The Tours/Audaxes forums are probably going to be more helpful. The only comment I would make is going fully loaded off road, you may need a lower gear - less than1:1. I know I would, but your lungs and legs may be better than mine.

sloppyschleckonds

If doing multiple days with tent etc consider panniers/ proper racks

w00dster

My advice is to spend a bit of time researching your route and then consider your bike and your skills. Bearbones website has a section with routes that are a useful guide. My next trip is the Trans Cambrian Way, likely to be done Mid April. I tend to use my mountain bike as I enjoy the off road aspect and the comfort of suspension.
Kit wise, being light is your friend. Look at what your taking then think what you really need. I take as little as possible, including not taking a tent, tarp and a bivvy bag. I use flat mountain bike pedals and shoes, easy to walk in, good grip on the off road sections so no need to take another pair.
I tend to not do epic rides nowadays, so aim for 50 to 60 miles, or 6 to 7 hours in the saddle. I like to enjoy the ride and take in the environment/surroundings.
Useful links....

http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... fcf1974ffa

luv2ride

w00dster wrote:

My advice is to spend a bit of time researching your route and then consider your bike and your skills. Bearbones website has a section with routes that are a useful guide. My next trip is the Trans Cambrian Way, likely to be done Mid April. I tend to use my mountain bike as I enjoy the off road aspect and the comfort of suspension.
Kit wise, being light is your friend. Look at what your taking then think what you really need. I take as little as possible, including not taking a tent, tarp and a bivvy bag. I use flat mountain bike pedals and shoes, easy to walk in, good grip on the off road sections so no need to take another pair.
I tend to not do epic rides nowadays, so aim for 50 to 60 miles, or 6 to 7 hours in the saddle. I like to enjoy the ride and take in the environment/surroundings.
Useful links....

http://www.bikepacking.com/routes/
http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... fcf1974ffa

Thanks for that, just the kind of words of wisdom I was after....interesting re: flat pedals, I had been thinking similar but figured I'd need spds to help haul myself up the climbs. I'll check out the routes. A mate is doing the Taff Trail Route 8 over the summer so was tempted to join him with some "try out" rides beforehand...

Monty Dog

Do a few test rides before you set-off in 'anger' - you'll probably find you want to reduce the amount of stuff your carrying. You'll also find out whether things work loose and rattle, straps flapping about and the best way to cinch-down your bags and where best to put the stuff you need during your ride. If in doubt, leave stuff behind - do you need a stove if you can can buy hot food? I'd much rather stop in a cafe or pub if available rather than sitting in a bus shelter eating rehydrated food.

sloppyschleckonds

Monty Dog wrote:

I'd much rather stop in a cafe or pub if available rather than sitting in a bus shelter eating rehydrated food.

Thats the adventure spirit, take a small lock as well

laurentian

When planning routes and times, remember you'll be travelling much more slowly than is normal

Monty Dog

I want to qualify my statement that I've also spent 5 days unsupported in the arctic winter - wasn't exactly 'lightweight' though, but at least I didn't need a lock. I also declined the offer of a 'rescue' though when my satellite tracker stopped working after -27C overnight bivvy. I ate lots of rehydrated food, but sadly there aren't many bus shelters in the forest.

luv2ride

Nice one MD, great photograph! Looks like fun, though those temperatures look like they demand some healthy respect.

Last few lightweight items arrived today, 395g inflatable sleeping mat and the Aegismax M2 goose down sleeping bag at 642g. The sleeping bag was ordered through Aliexpress with up to 60 day delivery from China quoted. Figured I was in no rush, but arrived within a week from Kent?! Unbelievably light and tiny pack size so will be interesting to see how comfortable it might be in UK spring/summer. Also got a SOL Escape bivvy, theory being mat and bag can go inside and the reflective material might extend the range of the sleeping bag. May be entirely unnecessary with the tent of course, and may yet get ditched depending on assembled kit weight. Bike conversion also almost complete, so really keen to have a few try out rides/camps...

w00dster

You wont need an emergency bivvy, tent and sleeping bag. Normally your first couple of trips are spent with you realising what you don't need.
I presume you'll have a jacket with you, i have a couple of Rab down jackets (used for different conditions). But I'll sleep in my jacket and a beanie if its cold.
I also have different sleeping bags depending on conditions, my colder weather bag weighs 480 grams and summer bag is 360 grams. My sleeping mat is 175 grams.
Initially i bought cheap from decathlon thinking anything would do the job, which it did, but the weight became a chore on 100 mile hilly off road rides. I now travel as light as possible but still being comfortable. My luxury item is a pillow, thats a must for me.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... llow-p5072

Like Monty mentioned i dont bother with food. I will look for a cafe for breakfasts, sandwiches and flap jacks for lunch etc. If i was going for longer trips in remote places i would take a stove, but ive not found it necessary for weekends away in England and Wales.

Post pics up once you've got your bike and kit sorted.

luv2ride

w00dster wrote:

You wont need an emergency bivvy, tent and sleeping bag. Normally your first couple of trips are spent with you realising what you don't need.
I presume you'll have a jacket with you, i have a couple of Rab down jackets (used for different conditions). But I'll sleep in my jacket and a beanie if its cold.
I also have different sleeping bags depending on conditions, my colder weather bag weighs 480 grams and summer bag is 360 grams. My sleeping mat is 175 grams.
Initially i bought cheap from decathlon thinking anything would do the job, which it did, but the weight became a chore on 100 mile hilly off road rides. I now travel as light as possible but still being comfortable. My luxury item is a pillow, thats a must for me.

https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... llow-p5072

Like Monty mentioned i dont bother with food. I will look for a cafe for breakfasts, sandwiches and flap jacks for lunch etc. If i was going for longer trips in remote places i would take a stove, but ive not found it necessary for weekends away in England and Wales.

Post pics up once you've got your bike and kit sorted.

I'll certainly post the pics when all sorted. I was quite chuffed to get the relatively lightweight stuff I'd picked up so cheap. The really ultralight stuff seems to be way more pricey, though understandably so. I was dubious on the emergency bivvy but saw it at a good price, but it may well go straight back. I'll have a first attempt at packing everything over the weekend, then sounds as if I'll immediately start the process of thinning out the kit list to the essentials

One quick Q, are tubeless tyres suitable for bikepacking? Wasn't sure how they might handle the weight....

haydenm

As others have suggested, a bivvy is a great idea. I have an outdoor research helium bivvy but you can pick up the alpkit ones for less than £50 (350g I think) and they will do the job, either take a tarp of hide your head under something.

Personally if I were going for more than a night or two and it was going to be wet then I'd take the tent though. Lightweight is fine if the weather is OK. As you say, lightweight gear is very expensive and for a lot of things any weight saving will be a drop in the ocean compared to a 1.6kg tent so take the bivvy instead if you can. Given a good forecast you might not even need the bivvy in summer but it depends where you are going and what your attitude to the risk is.

Realistically you'd enjoy it with heavy stuff to so long as you aren't over stretching on the riding aspect, my aim for trips in the future is just to have lighter gear than the other riders to a greater or lesser extent depending on their riding ability, after all, if you are slower than everyone else it is much more likely that you won't enjoy it so much

w00dster

I only ride tubeless for bikepacking, i take worms, spare tube and a tyre boot, not had any flats or tyre related problems to deal with.
I either use 35c Schwalbe G One, Bontrager 33c knobbly or my 29er mtb if going into the rougher stuff. Weight for tubeless has never been a problem, but I'm 68kgs and my bike is about 20kgs fully loaded for 3 days. My first trip bags weighed 25kgs on their own (3 nights trip).
I have a Rab bivvy that is expensive but worth it, if weather is bad a tarp comes with me. My bike is used to hold the tarp up, extra weight saving. Sleeping bag fits inside the bivvy nice and snug.
I'm no expert though and every trip is a learning experience. If you've not ridden much off road youll be surprised how tiring hills can be, correct gearing is a must. I would look at a fitting the easiest gearing you can.
I've stopped doing the "epic" rides, silly mileage and ridiculous climbing becomes mind numbing for me. I'd suffer through without enjoying the outdoors. Bikepacking for me is all about the journey and making sure its fun and enjoyable.

luv2ride

Finished the 1x11 conversion. Not fully loaded in the pic as after a short test ride. Still need to fit front dry bag and harness.

kinioo

Luv2ride wrote:

Not quite sure where to post this so, mods, please move if better placed in another subject thread....

After assembling a bit of kit (bike bags, etc) over the past few months as and when available funds and special offers allowed, I'm finally converting my Arkose singlespeed to 1x11 to go on some on/off road bikepacking trips once it warms up a little!

I'm after for some bikepacking "hints and tips" to try and avoid any major fails or pitfalls along the way, hopefully learning from those who have gone before....

- Bike will be geared 42 x 11-40, and fitted out with 40mm Nano's (tubeless), TRP Hylex brakes and modestly flared Cowbell bars.
- load carrying will be courtesy of a Blackburn Outpost saddle holster & 11ltr dry bag, Outpost frame bag and top tube tank, along with a Topeak Frontloader harness and 8ltr dry bag system.
- I've acquired a 1.6kg single man tent (fits in the Frontloader well with room to spare, with poles/pegs in the framebag),
- Robens Vapour sleeping mat (395g) and Aegismax M2 super packable sleeping bag (600g) from Aliexpress on order
- Optimus Crux Lite Solo cook system (272g!) bought via ebay, with a seemingly lighter-than-air ti 'spork'!

Anything else critical that I need, other than tools and maintenance stuff? Any tips for packing gear?

Cheers...

Where do you go ?
When do you go?
Do you go solo ?
How long for ?

C.

luv2ride

^ I haven't been anywhere yet :oops:
Just assembling kit at as low a cost as poss, in order to "scratch the itch". I may not take to it, but we'll see.

I've been using the bike as singlespeed and loving getting out on the Ridgeway locally, but kind of decided I needed some gears to explore further. The bikepacking thing was, for me, a logical extension of this. Fancy doing some of the Taff Trail this year. Reckon I'll be going solo for most trips, though have a mate whose planning to do the whole Taff Trail from Cardiff to Holyhead in August so may go with. Planning on overnighters for the most part, seeing if I can stretch to 2 or 3 nights over time.

Pleased to say the bike's new 1x11 drivetrain worked seamlessly today. Clutch rear mechs rock!

As for when, I have say my kit will probably limit me to summer jaunts...

kinioo

Luv2ride wrote:

^ I haven't been anywhere yet :oops:
Just assembling kit at as low a cost as poss, in order to "scratch the itch". I may not take to it, but we'll see.

I've been using the bike as singlespeed and loving getting out on the Ridgeway locally, but kind of decided I needed some gears to explore further. The bikepacking thing was, for me, a logical extension of this. Fancy doing some of the Taff Trail this year. Reckon I'll be going solo for most trips, though have a mate whose planning to do the whole Taff Trail from Cardiff to Holyhead in August so may go with. Planning on overnighters for the most part, seeing if I can stretch to 2 or 3 nights over time.

Pleased to say the bike's new 1x11 drivetrain worked seamlessly today. Clutch rear mechs rock!

As for when, I have say my kit will probably limit me to summer jaunts...

I assumed so, as if had been on 'some' longer trips you would have probably already know what works best for you and what you need and what not....

This is why I asked when and where do you go and how long for etc....

I.e. going to some 'deserted' areas you will (probably) need tent, cooking stuff etc. more tools and spares - if not you can stay in B&B and safe quite a lot weight on camping gear.

If you going to warm/dry places you can use tarp instead of tent...

If you go with your mate(s) you can share equipment/tools...

Etc...

sloppyschleckonds

Luv2ride wrote:

Finished the 1x11 conversion. Not fully loaded in the pic as after a short test ride. Still need to fit front dry bag and harness.

Have you ridden this any distance yet with this fully loaded?

luv2ride

^ No, not ridden fully loaded yet. Did 30 miles on road and gravel tracks kitted out as per picture which included most of the camping stuff, bar the tent on the front harness. Have ridden it 10 miles or so with the tent on the front though and seemed ok, but not with everthing else assembled and packed. Still need to sort the optimum packing options I think.

sloppyschleckonds

My first few rides in the region of 150-350k were over optimistic with the extra weight I was carrying.
Recovery time was longer than expected. I then started to carry half as much.
I'm sure Monty Dog can chip in with some useful metrics

Monty Dog

Apart from getting out there, riding and trying stuff my other comment is try to minimise the weight on the bars as it tends to amplify any movement and can upset the steering - washboard surfaces and stutter bumps are the worst. Also, more weight tends to cause the straps to loosen - a bag catching or jamming the front wheel is pretty grim.