Bikepacking Gear: The Good, The Bad, and The Unnecessary

There’s more great stuff to share from Interbike but frankly I think we can all use a short break from the coverage. Ever since I got back from the Durango to Moab hut-to-hut trip I’ve been anxious to talk about some of the gear we brought so today I’ll break it down into the good, …

There’s more great stuff to share from Interbike but frankly I think we can all use a short break from the coverage. Ever since I got back from the Durango to Moab hut-to-hut trip I’ve been anxious to talk about some of the gear we brought so today I’ll break it down into the good, the bad, and the unnecessary. Although this won’t be a complete list of everything we carried on the trail, it will highlight parts and items that made a difference.

The Good

Honestly most of the items and components our group brought would fall into this category since we really didn’t have any major equipment issues along the way. Here are some of the highlights:

Manitou Minute 29er Fork: I’ve been testing this fork for a while now and it has some great features that came in handy during the trip. The clicky lockout on the fork allowed me to dial in the travel just right to account for my handlebar bag – not too much (bag would hit the wheel) and not too little (less control, painful). The fork also has a 20mm through-axle which was rugged and generated zero flex despite the increased loads.

photo courtesy revelatedesigns.com.

The Sling from Revelate Designs: All the other guys in my group used backpacks to haul their gear but I decided to carry half my gear (most of my clothes) in a handlebar bag. The Sling from Revelate basically allows you to securely attach a dry bag to your handlebars while protecting the bag itself from cable and bolt rub.

Hydration Packs: Beefy hydration packs were our main bags for the trip and everyone thought theirs was the best. Jake got away with just an Osprey Raptor 14 and I used my Camelbak H.O.S.S. to carry the other half of my gear. Next time I’d like to try the trip with a larger hydration pack to see how that feels.

Gore Alp X Jacket: Most people think of Gore-Tex as wet weather gear but I ended up wearing my Alp X jacket at least twice a day even though it never really rained. This jacket packs down small and is lightweight but it does a good job regulating body temps when you’re moving without getting you sweaty.

Katadyn Hiker Water Filter: On more than on occasion we drained our 100oz. hydration reservoirs and water bottles during the ride so this water filter came in super handy. Based on the number of times we used it we could have gotten by on iodine tablets but those things make the water taste terrible. Nothing like cold, fresh water from a Colorado mountain stream!

Tri-Flow Lube: We all used this stuff every morning and by the end of the trip the communal container was nearly empty.

Time MXS Carbon Shoes: Since these shoes are heat molded they fit me to a tee. I was worried my feet would be sore from wearing the shoes all day but I found myself keeping them for a bit on even after we got to the hut for the evening.

The Bad

If you read about our trip you know I personally had problems with my tire tubes. So it should be no surprise that most of my complaints are centered around inflation issues. 🙂

Tubed tires: During the trip I was actually running sweet Blag Flag 29er wheels with Stan’s NoTubes BST Technology but ended up running them tubed due to time constraints beforehand. Next time, it’s tubeless for me, though I’ll still be sure to bring spare tubes.

Presta valve stems: I’ve always been a fan of Presta valves but this trip got me rethinking that idea. Schraeder valves don’t seem as delicate since the valve pin is better protected, plus you can use an air hose at a gas station in a pinch. Of course many rims don’t have large enough valve holes for Schraeder these days so I probably won’t be switching.

Mini pumps: Each of us carried our own pump on the trip (see “unnecessary items” below) but every one of them featured an integrated valve receiver which meant pumping forces were transferred directly to the valve stem. This led to bent or sheared valve plungers a couple times but it also limits the pumping force you can apply. On top of that I think the plastic schrader/presta converter inside my pump was damaged which only contributed to my problems. Next time I’ll try something like this pump from Topeak instead.

Garmin GPSMap 60Cx: I guess it’s not really fair to lump this in with the bad so let’s just say it wasn’t great. We used the GPSMap 60Cx to follow our daily routes (good) but without a way to view a plot of our elevation or even cumulative climbing we were left clueless much of the time (bad). Plus the Garmin topo maps didn’t include most trails (like the Colorado Trail) which meant we were on our own for singletrack options along the way.

The Unnecessary

Spare parts: Ok, so these would have been necessary if had we had any mechanical breakdowns but fortunately we did not. We brought an extra chain, rear derailleur, quick release axles, and even spokes but none of that stuff ever left the packs.

Extra clothes: Fortunately the weather cooperated so I didn’t need my long sleeve jersey or pants but I also brought too many short sleeve jerseys and shorts. Next time I’m sure I could get away with just 2 jerseys and 2 pairs of shorts because in the end we were stinky even with clean clothes to wear. 🙂

Phone charger: I brought along a AA powered battery charger for my iPhone but since I only got a signal once there really wasn’t any need for more juice. Matt brought an iPod which we listened to in the hut at night but even that ended up lasting nearly the entire 7-day trip. Ditto for extra batteries – the GPS was on all day every day and never ran out.

Redundant tools: Remember how I said we all brought mini-pumps? We also all had mini-tools and other tools that we should have coordinated beforehand. I don’t think I ever got my allen wrenches out during the trip, even though I used wrenches almost daily.

Every bikepacking trip is different so the items that worked well for my trip may not be so hot for yours (likewise for the stuff that didn’t work for me). Choosing the right stuff is all about balancing weight considerations with being prepared and trade-offs are to be expected. What have others found that does/doesn’t work for bikepacking?