What, and How I Packed For My Last Bikepacking Excursion

If backpacking, mountain biking and bike touring had a three way lovechild, it would be bikepacking. This unruly, persnickety offspring of the bike touring world knows no bounds of roads, hotels or restaurants. But rather takes the trail less traveled; winding snaking singletrack through the forests and deserts, over mountains and through valleys, stopping for sleep wherever their is a tent platform and the view is lovely.

As I work my way through the Arizona National Scenic Trail section by section (read about this and all of my other quests HERE) I intend to bikepack quite a bit of this multi use trail. Bikes, for me, are my foundational adventure. Riding is like coming home. Comfy, familiar, and yet it has never lost the exhilaration for me.

Bringing the gear needed to spend a night or 5 while mountain biking is a bit of a packing adventure on its own. Unlike standard road touring, you can’t just load a bike and trailer with everything plus the kitchen sink and expect to pedal away. On the road, even on steep sections you can get away with excess baggage or a sloppy packing job to an extent. As long as you can keep pushing the pedals around you will be ok. Not so when touring on trail. The outrageously steep terrain and added challenge of maneuvering over rocks, roots, and switchbacks makes touring on dirt much much less forgiving. Too much total weight and you will have one helluva time moving your bike anywhere. But even more importantly, too much weight in the wrong places is bikepacking death.

You need to be able to control your steel pony over obstacles and not get pitched over the side of a cliff. Weight needs to be minimized and shifted to the middle of the bike as much as possible. Too much weight over your wheels drastically shifts the handling of your ride. Weight over the rear wheel makes handling on trail nearly impossible.

The last section of the AZT that I bikepacked I tried to get away with most of my gear in rear panniers. Bad move. The bike must have weighed 100lbs, all over the rear wheel. I knew better. I did it anyway. It was a bad time.

This time around I did everything I could to shave weight (including a new ultralight Big Agnes tent that was a gift from my beloved. Thanks Darlin!) and moved as much of it as I could to the center of my bike and onto my back. I had a much, much, much better time. I’m sure my kit will get dialed and fine tuned more over time, but I think I have the broad strokes down pretty well. Here is how I did it   

My ride! The only thing I put on the rear rack was my sleeping bag with my Luci Light strapped to the top. I did struggle to keep Luci with her solar panel facing up. I'll need to work on that some more. There is a small bag under the seat where I store my bike tools. Then the AMAZING Rogue Panda frame bags. All of the Rogue Panda from bags are custom made right here in Flagstaff, Arizona. They fit and function perfectly. I would not waste my money on anyone else's bags. (I have no sponsorship from Rogue Panda, nor any affiliate relationship. I just love their bags and think they are the best on the market.) 

An up close of the rear set up. Sleeping Bag strapped directly to the rear rack with Luci on top. My ancient Jand tool bag under the seat. This poor tool bag has sort of lost the bounce in its bungy. I will likely replace this combo with a Rogue Panda Picket Post seat bag in the near future. This would eliminate the need for the rear rack altogether, save a bit of weight and eliminate the potential for a strap to come loose and get caught in the rear wheel.  

In my front top tube accessory bag I put my knife and lights. Basic Petzel Tikka headlamp for around camp and my super fabulous NightRider bike light and helmet mount in case I had to ride in the dark at any point. I cannot believe how small, effective and cheap NightRiders are these days! I remember when a basic bike light was $350, weighed 10 pounds and needed a suitcase to carry them around. These are just amazing and affordable technology. 

In the rear top tube bag I kept quick to hand personal care items. Potty kits (Minus my shovel. It broke. Will have to get a new one.) hand sani, lip balm and sunscreen. 

In the smaller slit pocket on the main frame bag I kept my printed AZT maps of the relevant passages (don't rely only on GPS for navigation folks. Just don't.) and the printed turn book. Maps and turn book can be downloaded in the members only area of the AZT website. If you plan on doing all or part of the AZT, or just want to support the care and maintenance of the trail, a membership is well worth the $35/year. I also had an emergency poncho. No rain of any kind was in the forecast, but its always good to have a "just in case" weather proofing item. My phone charging cord was stored in this pocket along with my phone (not pictured because it was taking the picture.) and my solar battery charger (also not pictured because on the last day I clipped it to my pack to try to charge it with the sun and it fell off. Boo!)   

In the larger pocket on the frame bag I kept a dishwashing kit, my bike pump and spare tubes, my Big Agnes Inflatable Camping Pad, my Sawyer water filter and toothbrush. I cached water in advance of my ride, so I didn't end up using the filter. But I don't mess around when it comes to ensuring adequate water. So, my filter was a back up. I would have kept my toothbrush and toothpaste in my top tube bag with the other personal items but the bag was too short for my toothbrush. I will invest in a tiny travel toothbrush for the next ride. 

In the top compartment of my Osprey Atmos 50 backpack I put personal medications, a first aid kit and my compass. No idea why I put the compass here and not with the maps. I will likely change that next time. I use the Osprey Atmos pack which is technically a "mens" packs. I have broad shoulders and relatively narrow hips for a woman, so this fits me better. For a women's specific fit, you will want to look at the Aura pack. 

I kept my food bag in the front pouch of my pack. This made snack access easy, and kept all food items together for easy isolation at night. You don't want critters in your tent, so making sure there are no food bits in weird places is key. 

In one of the front zipper pockets I stashed my bomber insulated camping cup, and my Jet Boil stove. Having used any number of stoves for backcountry travel, the Jet Boil is hands down my favorite. Compact, lightweight, super light on the fuel consumption. This pouch is also where I put the empty 4 L Platypus water pouch. I cached this ahead of time to ensure a water supply near where I planned to camp.  

The other front zipper pocket held my stove fuel wrapped in an old sock (normally I carry the smaller fuel canister that fits inside the Jet Boil. But we were out. Normally this would not be taking up extra space.), my journal and favorite pen, and my Sanuk loafers. Having non-bike shoes to wear around camp is a pretty marvelous luxury, and these loafers are about the lightest weight shoes out there. They weigh about the same as my foam flip flops that I carry in the summer. Not pictured is the book I was reading. It didn't make the picture because it had already migrated inside. Clearly, I could save weight by not carrying a journal and small reading book. But, the quiet time to read and write in the evening is a big draw for me to adventure solo. 

Because I have the frame bags on my bike, I can't also have bottle cages in the same place. When I had my bike built I specifically requested lots of places for bottle cages since I planned to do some touring on it. This cage is attached to the bottom of the down tube so that I could carry an extra bottle for extra fluids, mixing up electrolyte drinks, and having a container of water bedside. I was feeling paranoid about the bottle jumping out, hence the velcro strap. 

Pro tip: Carry an extra ziplock baggie or two for keeping your messy, drippy, stinky and otherwise disorganized garbage together. Practicing Leave No Trace ethics is easier when you don't have salmon juice and olive oil leaking all over your food kit. This part isn't sexy, but its important. 

Finally, in the main compartment of my pack I carried my Big Agnes Fly Creek Ultralight tent, my primary water reservoir, and my extra clothes. Clothing is one of the easiest places to save space and weight in the backcountry. For this trip, I carried warm pants and long johns for sleeping and around camp, a hat and gloves, wool socks for around camp, a jacket and vest, one spare shirt, and undergarments. I wore the same pants to ride each day, and carried the spare shirt so that I wouldn't have to sleep in a shirt that was wet from sweat. The other warm layers were to pile on if and when I got cold. There was nothing that I didn't wear at some point and most things were worn repeatedly. No one is judging the freshness of your threads out there. No need to bring a whole wardrobe. (It should be noted that I chose to wear normal running tights and not a chamois for various reasons. Ladies, I would not recommend wearing a dirty chamois for obvious sanitary reasons.)  

Last but not least, an up close of my solar power soaking up the sun. On the right is the previously mentioned Luci Light. On the left is the phone charger I was carrying that fell off. (Dang it!) It can be charged from a plug at home to carry extra power for your phone and is then supposed to recharge from the sun. I can attest to the fact that is will indeed charge from the wall, and hold a charge to refuel your phone. Because it fell off and got lost, I can't attest to how well the solar part works. If you want to try one yourself, it was very inexpensive. I had one similar to THIS. I'm hoping for a new one for Christmas and once I test out the solar functioning, I'll let you know. For the price though, even if the solar part isn't perfect, it is worth it for the bonus battery pack aspect. 

That's it! That's how I packed for my relatively lightweight backpacking trip. Do you like to move fast through the countryside? What are your best tips and tricks for stowing your gear? Have other questions? Leave a comment below and let me know! 

(This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you use the links on this post to purchase the item described, or any other item these vendors sell, a tiny percentage of your purchase will be sent to me at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the lights on here in my little corner of the internet and earns you my undying gratitude.)           

Blog RSS

If you find this blog and my writing valuable in any way, please consider starting your next Amazon purchase below. You'll get the same service, selection, prices and shipping you expect from Amazon and they will send me a small percentage of the purchase price for the referral. Many Thanks!

Southern Colorado with a Toddler Part 2

Tag teaming is an essential part of co-parenting for my husband and I. We both have things we need to do to fill our souls that are impractical to bring the Little Bear along for.

Mountain biking is arguably how my husband and I met, and as you can imagine, it is one of those things we both need to to do from time to time to feel like a functional human (or at least a polite one).

On beta from a good friend, we planned to take turns for the next two days of our trip riding the Hermosa Creek Trail, with the non-riding adult picking the rider up at the bottom of the trail. For any friends or readers who are fellow mountain bikers, especially those from Flagstaff, you might have an ethic one way or another about shuttling trails. Shuttling is where a rider is dropped off at the top of a trail and rides (usually downhill) to the other end where the car is waiting for them, preferably with a cold beverage at the ready. In Flagstaff, we never shuttle. Ever. Even driving to the trailhead better have a good reason. From most of our town you can ride straight from your home to connect with a vast network of trails, most of which have decently thought out alignment minimizing erosion and unrideable grades. So there is little reason to use a vehicle to get you up the hill only to ride back down it. Just pedal! Use the quads yo mama gave you son!    

So many spots along this trail demand that you stop to appreciate the beauty, and tempt you to want to jump in. 

In my younger childless days, I first rode in Colorado bringing my “never shuttle” Flagstaff ethic along like so many rocks in my panniers. After a number of frustrating bike hikes and crossing too many potential rides off the list because they were impractical to self shuttle, I have learned better and become a lot less smug. Folks, Colorado is not Flagstaff. Nearly every trail I have ever ridden there is steep to the point of stupid, has long and brutal road sections between trails making the self shuttle impractical or impossible. Hermosa Creek was no exception. Self shuttling would have meant almost 50 miles of riding, only 18 of which would have been the trail in question and the majority of the remaining miles on shoulderless mountain highway. No. Thank. You. If you are still worried about shuttling because it is important to you to “earn” your downhill, don’t fret. Even “downhill” trails have climbing in Colorado. Hermosa creek spends most of the last 6 miles in a 1600 vertical foot climb.

Does this mud splashed face look like it cares about shuttling anymore? Nope. 

This letting go of perfectionism has been a huge and excruciating lesson for me in motherhood. There was a time, younger, fitter and faster that I would perhaps have insisted on a self shuttle. I would have spent an entire day from dawn til dusk killing myself to do the whole thing without a car shuttle, because it’s the “right” way to do it and to compromise would have bruised my ego. If I had been unwilling to just shuttle this trail I would missed 18 miles of some of the most sublime, inspiring single track in the Four Corners area. Want to keep your own passions, hobbies and adventures a priority in parenthood? Let go of perfection and get it done. Take the one hour ride you can get instead of the 6 hour ride that is rarely available. Host that imperfect dinner party with chinese take out, instead of waiting for enough time to have a spotless house and gourmet four course meal. Buy the ticket to travel to the place you CAN afford instead of waiting around for a windfall to go to the place that is financially out of reach. In the end, it will be the things we consistently do that make up the story of our lives. If we never get out there because we need the conditions to mimic some preconceived notion of perfection, years will pass and we will have failed to spend our time the way we wanted to. We will continue to mutter some mantra about a fictitious “someday” that isn’t coming.   

My steed, a top one of the many bridges along Hermosa Creek. Surface water is a huge treat for us dry country folks. 

What a spectacular payoff it is to just get out there and do it! The first half of Hermosa Creek trail follows a wide and welcoming path along, unsurprisingly, Hermosa Creek. Mixed conifers, flowing stream, and gorgeous water holes hiding fish that tease local anglers to come and get em. This first half, though trending downhill, isn’t particularly steep, and would make a very reasonable out and back ride or hike for those not wanting to do the whole length or who are just getting started and want a ride with minimal technical challenges. The trail changes to single track where it continues to follow the creek for another third of the ride, though it frequently winds a little further up the hillside than in the previous section. The high moisture level of the area in general, mixed with some heavy rains in the previous days made the ride fairly slick and felt a bit like riding on a muddy slip and slide. After one of a number of creek crossings, the last one with a wooden bridge, the trail begins the final climb in earnest. It winds its way up to a bench dotted with scrub oak, ponderosa pine, and cedar. A amusing concoction of species frequently found in Flagstaff, but rarely seen together at the same altitude. Having gotten a later start than I had hoped, I hit the steep climbs just as the afternoon rainstorms began. I attempted to pedal up what had become a creek in its own right. The water and mud made traction non-existent, making the attempt to move forward a real life replica of those dreams in which you are running as hard as you can and not getting anywhere. I eventually had to get off and push the bike up through the pouring rain, smiling all the way. Eventually the rain cleared, and I made the final descent to the trailhead to meet my ride. I was inspired, full of dopamine, and satisfied.

It got a little rainy out there! 

Each evening after our rides, Iorek was full of energy and ready to ride himself. Pre-dinner evening strolls for us and bike ride for the Little Bear became a lovely part of the day. It is satisfying to the soul to have the opportunity to not only pursue my own passions, but to share them with my son and watch him get so much joy out of it too.

The kid loves to ride! Does a mamas heart good.

Is waiting for perfect conditions keeping you from doing the things that would feed your soul and nourish your spirit? I would love to hear what you want to do, and how you think you can get out of your own way to do it. Leave me a comment and let me know.

Of an evening. 

One more installation in the series coming next week! 

Blog RSS