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Post your Bikepacking Rig (and gear layout!)

674K views 980 replies 423 participants last post by  andrewfelix 
#1 ·
Post your riding rig and gear layouts for all to enjoy!

Descriptions of what you have got going (and how it works for you) are always a plus
 
#633 ·
biketouring set-up

Tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle tire Rim


Here's my set-up. Taken in Sahuaripa, Sonora, Mexico. Surly ECR with Rohloff on Duallys/Knards loops. Been bouncing on this set-up on some dirt and paved roads since Alaska minus a detour to the Pacific Coast due to high snow when we were in Montana.

A bit on the wee bit heavy side compared to what I've seen here so clearly I'm envy. My wife is sending her panniers and rack back to Toronto when we arrive in Zacatecas and will have a bikepacking set-up. I have most of our camping stuffs so combing the web for some help. I'm finding a multi-year tour seems a bit more challenging in terms of striking the right balance in choosing the equipment/gear that I need to carry.

Though we're currently on a multi-year tour, I still want to get some ideas how can I cull my current load. It's so easy to fall into the 4 panniers, duffel bag on top of the rear rack, and bar bag set-up especially when you consider the clothing and gear you might need for the whole 4 seasons.

I'm curious what kind of gears you guys use when you have a bikepacking set-up. TIA.

Dean
instagram.com/pedalling_slow
 
#634 ·
Hi. Just read thru your crazyguy blog. Looks like a great trip. I am planning the same trip for next year and trying to figure gear and bags as well. I have toured with full panniers and full bikepacking gear. I will probably go with a hybrid setup like you have. I used a setup like that for 10 weeks in NZ a few years ago and was happy with it.
As far as suggestions go, it would help if you posted your gear list. Or pm me for more discussion. Good luck
 
#635 ·


My Pugsley in Wadi Rum earlier this month.

There are 5 (count 'em) 1-liter water bottles on the frame itself, which leaves the entire frame bag free for food. The handlebar roll is pretty much just a quilt, a few clothes, and a tent (footprint and fly only), plus odds and ends in the pocket bag. The gas tank has snacks and the normal contents of my pockets (phone, wallet, passport, Leatherman). The saddlebag has the rest of the clothes (I brought a lot for that trip, expecting cold nights) and a Thermarest sits on top.

I also had a daypack, which I could fill when needed with another 3 liters of water, and more food. I never really needed as much food as I had, but I was glad for the extra water capacity. I also skipped a potset and stove on this trip, and some bike tools as I was riding with a couple other people and mooched off their pump/multitools.

For warmer-weather trips I'd save a bunch of space by bringing less clothing - in particular, my fleece and bike pants were bulky. I'm planning another several-day outing this next week and expecting much warmer weather so I'll have to see if I can consolidate things to the point of not needing a backpack.
 
#645 ·
Hola!

I few days ago I returned from my first warm up trip (bikepacking Northern Argentina). My ride was an old dirt jumper (Kona Cowan) with a few upgrades (higher seatpost, gears, DIY bags, Maxxis 26x2.4)... obviously it wasn't the best choice for this trip, but it was the one I own and got the job done :)

Saludos,
Federico

PS: As soon as I'm able to put together a decent off-road touring bike I'll be heading to Chile to ride Carretera Austral as my 2nd warm up trip!

Tire Motorcycle Rim Wall Door

Winter Travel Ice cap Bag Luggage and bags
 

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#647 ·
My old rig, it's retired now and regulated to grocery getting! lol



NEW rig, 2015 Ghost Kato, Rogue Panda seat bag, Oveja Negra front end loader, 2 feed bags that hold 32 oz nalgene bottles perfectly and a pocket/roll thing that wraps around my bedroll (found those at a gun show of all places). Two top tube storage bags. All I need now is a frame bag, will get that later sometime. That little round white thing on the back is an inflatable solar lamp called the Luci it works awesome!



 
#650 ·
I've gone bikepacking before, but never with a rackless system, and not on anything really rough. So when my buddy pinged me to do a singletrack bikepacking trip here in Maryland for a 3-day weekend, it took a little convincing and the promise from other friends that I could borrow some of their bikepacks.

One friend loaned me his Revelate Terrapin seatpack and handlebar Harness, while another loaned me the Gas Tank. I bit the bullet and coughed up the dough for the Jones SpaceFrame pack, after having no success trying to fit other framepacks into the center. I also figured it would be a great bare bones pack for this bike, even if I didn't fall headlong into the whole bikepacking thing.


Jones SpaceFrame in Bikepacking Mode by Ricky deLeyos, on Flickr

The plan was to ride from his house in downtown Frederick, up to the Watershed, then meander by Camp David, hitting as much singletrack as we could until we ultimately hit Michaux in Pennsylvania, some 55+ miles away. I had no idea what route he intended; I was just along for the ride.


Bikepacking by Ricky deLeyos, on Flickr

As we started on Friday evening after work, it was hot, with the traditional Mid-Atlantic mugginess making it a slightly unpleasant experience from the start. About 7 miles in, and nearing the top of the mountain, my rear Avid BB-7 brakes started to make that "cha-chung-cha-chung!" sound that could only mean one thing: the brake pads were so thin that the spreader pin was starting to hit the rotor, i.e., the brake was useless.

Somewhat embarrassingly, I haven't put many miles on this beauty of a bike since I got my fat bike, so I just assumed that all was well with it and didn't really bother to give it a once over. Bikepacking was going to be the Jones' new calling, but I totally forgot to check the brake pads! :madman:

When we hit the rocky singletrack, downhills weren't completely scary or out of control, but they definitely had a lot of pucker moments, relying mostly on the front pads and very little of the rear. There were a few times I had to stop and pull out more straps to tighten down the loads. Things waggled, and I was finding out over each boulder dropped, root hit, and micro-jumps what needed to be cinched and where.


Big Rock by Joe W, on Flickr

After setting up camp and while eating dinner, he asked me if I wanted to continue, or amend the label of the trip to "S24O Gear Test". With the gnats buzzing all around me, wiping the pouring sweat out of my eyes with my near-cramped hand from the braking-deathclutch, it took me all of a minute to decide this weekend wouldn't be epic adventure I thought it would be. He laughed and said it was cool because he really just wanted to check the trail-worthiness of his homemade packs before he really got out there.


Testing the Sturdiness of Homemade Bikepacks by Ricky deLeyos, on Flickr

When we got up the next day, of course he led me down and up the hardest trails he could think of (that didn't require a full face helmet) before getting back to his house. It was the price I had to pay for cutting the weekend and the mileage way shorter than planned. It was worth it. The alternative was suicide, especially after my front brakes decided they were done too! ;)
 
#653 ·
I have not necessarily bikepacked yet, BUT I do ride with a toptube framebag for all my small tools, a custom seatpack (I made) , and a basic rear rack I can strap anything I need to on... I use it everywhere, but want to plan a pack trip soon

few questions...
when you have a front rack or bag, does is have much more self steer? (I ride a fatbike with 100mm rims and 4.0 tires)
where does everyone get those awesome huge water bottles?
is it more comfortable to do these LONG rides with regular bars? or drop bars?
whats main necessities needed besides tent, food,fishing/hunt gear, and tools?
I think that's all the q's for now... thanks in advance for the response!
 
#654 ·
Bars are personal preference (comfort is subjective). People do long rides without issue with either type of bar all the time. The one thing you will notice is provisions for different hand positions. Drops have that inherently (but have some geo requirements people tend to over look), but not all MTB bars do. This is why barends, aero bars, and Jones bars are so common on bikepacking bikes.
 
#655 ·
Here's my main bikepacking rig: Surly ECR on a recent bikepacking trip from Prescott to Crown King, AZ:




And here's my Niner Rip 9 set up for bikepacking trips that contain a lot of singletrack (not the most comfortable on the ECR) - the Jandd frame bag fits pretty well on this frame:



 
#656 ·
This is my Sram X9 Surly Karate Monkey.

I have no idea what year the frame is, but it still has cantilever brake bosses, a standard 1 1/8" head tube (non-tapered), and no brace on the head tube end of the top tube. The fork is a Surly Ogre fork, with the extra bottle mounts, and also has cantilever brake bosses. I'm probably never going to use cantis, but it's good to have the option in an emergency.



This was my loadout for a weekend 110-miler with my girlfriend. I'm carrying her stuff and my stuff, so I needed panniers.



Here it is naked, with a front rack and aero-bars.

There's a lot more pictures and a full gear list on my site. Thanks for looking!
 
#657 ·
XL karate monkey, fargo fork, 3x9 deore

Still playing with weight distribution but here's the breakdown so far

harness, sleeping bag
pockets, food
gas tank, sunscreen, chapstick, food
feedbag, beverage, trash/wrappers
anything cage/bags, tent base on one side, tent tarp on the other
frame bag, tent poles/stakes, spare parts, repair kit, hygiene items
saddle bag, (everything inside another stuff sack) sleeping pad, clothing

Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle saddle Bicycle wheel
 
#663 ·
I did my first few trips with a BOB. Not my preference now, but it works and it does have some advantages. Most importantly, it`s probably the simplest way to try out packing without dropping a lot of money. You can use whatever rummage sale or Walmart gear you can scrounge up or cobble together and have no problem lashing it all on there. Of course, it`ll weigh a ton, but that gives you something to work on for future trips if you like the first one. And the trailer will continue to come in handy even if you don`t use it again for camping gear- I haven`t camped with mine in several years, but I put it to use every month hauling off the absurd amount of cardboard boxes that my wife seems to accumulate.
 
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