Bikepacking!

[drevil]

I just saw this video, and now I’m stoked on bikepacking:
http://www.bikepacking.com/plog/comes-with-baggage/

I’ve bikepacked – where you carry all your food, clothing, and camping equipment – a few dozen times. It’s always been here in the Mid-Atlantic, and has never been more than 3 days. I want to expand the locations and lengths that I go. Desert Southwest, California, Colorado, and a whole mess of other places are now dancing in my head.

My buddy prefers bikepacking on really technical trails in the GW National Forest. Parts with stuff so rocky and steep that I’d have a hard time riding even without the extra 30 lbs of bikepacking gear, that I sometimes end up with blisters because I’m walking so much. The solitude of those areas are great, the downhills are awesome, but I’m usually fried after those trips.

Bikepacking the GW National Forest by ricky d, on Flickr

On the other end, I’ve done several C&O trips. You see a lot more people, the trail is easy, the view is the same most of the way, and frankly, it gets a little monotonous. Not a slam on the C&O at all, but it’s not very challenging or technical. It’s relaxing and great if you just want to grind out the miles and not think too much.

Middle of the road trips in difficulty have been ones where I start in Maryland, cross up into Pennsylvania, and end up in Michaux. I probably enjoy these the most because they’re not too hard or easy, with a variety of surfaces — road, gravel, and singletrack.

I’ve done a few where we end up in established campsites that have water spigots/pumps, tent pads, and bathrooms. Then there were some where I had to filter water out of the creeks and dig holes to do my stuff 😮

Many times I’ve been too cold. I need to get better gear to replace my outdated stuff, especially a new 1-person tent and a warmer sleeping bag. No surprise the good lightweight stuff costs mucho dinero, so I wait for sales. In the meantime, I freeze

I’ve got an incredible bikepacking machine, and now have all the proper, custom rackless bags. This was its setup a year ago, but I am replacing the dry bags mounted to the forks with packs made especially for their unique design. I can’t wait to try them out.

Bikepacking the GW National Forest by ricky d, on Flickr

Any of you go bikepacking? Any stories to tell, places to recommend, setups to show, or advice to give? I’d love to hear them!

Oh yeah, WSGFABPR!

Topic

[lordofthemark]

@dkel 158134 wrote:

So, why all those packs instead of panniers? Rockford and I did the ride out to Harpers Ferry, and I thought my panniers front and rear were great. What is it that I don’t know? Is it just lighter without the racks?

Also, half of Harpers Ferry burned down the night after we left, but that’s another story.

Additionally, the place we stayed in Harpers Ferry was featured on Hotel Hell a little while after we left. Also another story.

Oh did you do that? (actually its like less than half a block, and it was almost all rebuilt when we were there last a couple of months ago)

[drevil]

@Sunyata 158152 wrote:

I have been a couple of times, just on the C&O, but I want to do some mountain biking or back country gravel trips once I am back from Kansas this summer and get better bags/packs for my Niner and Warbird.

I also used racks/panniers for my first trips, but want to pare down and just use frame packs/bags. I have a really nice tent and pad but need to get a lighter weight sleeping bag for summer trips (my bag is rated at 20F and is quite bulky).

Sunyata, not sure if you were aware, but if you are a member of MORE/IMBA, one of the benefits is access to Experticity. I think the higher level up of a member you are, the better your bennies are at Experticity, where you can get up to 40% off directly from manufacturers such as Big Agnes, Nemo, and Outdoor Research.

I’m going to order a Big Agnes Fly Creek through them soon before optimal bikepacking season starts

For anyone else interested, MORE is the Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts, which is the local mountain bike club. IMBA is the International Mountain Biking Association, of which MORE is now a chapter. Anyone can join.

[EasyRider]

@drevil 158131 wrote:

I remember the cabin, but fuzzy on the details leading up to it. Is it straight up, rocky, and ridiculous, because I remember a few of those climbs as well. If so, the answer to what you are wondering is:
Pushing my bike, with tears in my eyes

Sounds about right! I don’t have a trail bike or any off-road skills, but if I did, I’d think I’d pack the heavy stuff (tools, food, Old Grand-dad) in a frame bag, carry my clothes in a backpack, and rent the Sugar Knob cabin for a night or two so I didn’t have to carry a tent, a stove, a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag.

[rcannon100]

What would be your favorite bike for this?

What would be your favorite bike for light touring? Like GAP + C&O?

[dkel]

@lordofthemark 158156 wrote:

(actually its like less than half a block, and it was almost all rebuilt when we were there last a couple of months ago)

When you say it like that, no one will want to hear the story!

[dkel]

@consularrider 158148 wrote:

Hill House?

The Town’s Inn. It was not good, but that was before Gordon Ramsay had his way with it. Who knows what it’s like now?

[drevil]

@rcannon100 158164 wrote:

What would be your favorite bike for this?

What would be your favorite bike for light touring? Like GAP + C&O?

I’ve never done the GAP, but for C&O level touring, (for say 3 days/2 nights) I’d use my Matt Chester Mutinyman dressed up with some gears, a rear rack, and panniers, similarly kitted as I had it when I rode up to Michaux sticking to the paved and gravel roads:

Gravel Grinder Bikepacking by ricky d, on Flickr

Hard to tell from the pic, but on that trip I had Jones bars, a Fargo fork (which has bottle cage braze-ons), huge platform pedals and Maxxis Ignitor 2.1″ tires. I’d prolly swap to skinnier and smoother tires. The bike is light and flexy, so it’s one of my most comfy rigid bikes. That said, it’s not so great for tougher mountain bikepacking excursions because it’s really whippy and doesn’t have a rear disc brake.

[KayakCyndi]

@drevil 158145 wrote:

The last reason I can think of using packs over racks is that you spread the load out more on the bike. If I put most/all of my stuff in the rear panniers, the bike is very rear heavy, obvs. It makes maneuvers where I have to lift the rear (e.g., to get over a rock or a step-up) more difficult. With the rackless packs, I’ll put some weight behind the saddle, some in front or beside the fork, and put the heaviest stuff low in the center frame pack to make the center of gravity lower and more central. Basically, it balances the bike better.

This. I’ve toured on the Viaje with just a rear rack and panniers and much prefer the way the bike handles with the weight more distribute in bikepacking bags between front/frame/rear. Surprisingly the Pika bag, while extended in that photo, didn’t sway at all and was really solid. Also gear expands to fit the space provided so if I have a full pannier set-up I somehow manage to pack them full resulting is more weight of stuff I don’t really need. Bikepacking style helps me think more about my choices and allows me to move faster.

A happy medium though was this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14525[/ATTACH]

That is the Sweetroll up front and my Tubus Fly rack int the back with the new superlight drybag style Arkel panniers. It makes packing a bit easier and probably is closer to a three pound rack/bag penalty rather than the six pounds of a standard rack and Ortleibs.

[Rockford10]

I did feel bad about the whole thing! We were to spend two nights in Harper’s Ferry, but the inn was so dreadful we left after one night. I got to conduct the awkward conversation in the foyer: “Um, we’re going to leave this morning instead of tomorrow. I hope that’s OK.” “You’ll need to pay for the next night.” “Um, really?” “OK, I won’t charge you.”

We spent the next night in Leesburg and it was really nice! Air conditioning, hot water, clean sheets, food!

Did we have that much stuff? DKel had the full panniers, mainly because he was hauling my laptop (thanks work!). I think I had roomy rear panniers.

The best thing was watching some TV last year and having a weird flashback during a promo for some other show. “She looks familiar, and not in a good way. OMG that’s the lady from the Inn!!!”

[Greenbelt]

@rcannon100 158164 wrote:

What would be your favorite bike for this?

What would be your favorite bike for light touring? Like GAP + C&O?

Heavy or light

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14526[/ATTACH]

[vvill]

@Greenbelt 158171 wrote:

Heavy or light

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14526[/ATTACH]

I don’t own one, but yess! I was actually about the post the exact same bike.

[drevil]

@Greenbelt 158171 wrote:

Heavy or light

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14526[/ATTACH]

Hard to tell from the pic, but is it a Kona Sutra Ltd?

[Greenbelt]

@drevil 158173 wrote:

Hard to tell from the pic, but is it a Kona Sutra Ltd?

Yep, in its natural element. That was a 15% grade, so I had to stop and take lots of pictures…

[ATTACH=CONFIG]14527[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14528[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]14529[/ATTACH]

[EasyRider]

Looks beautiful. Out west somewhere?

[Greenbelt]

@EasyRider 158183 wrote:

Looks beautiful. Out west somewhere?

British Columbia last summer

[Author]

Replies