Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Reader’s Rig: Dave’s Omnium Cargo V3 Dogpacker
We’re rolling into our special Reader’s Rig Week with a detailed look at Wisconsin Waterfalls Loop creator Dave Schlabowske’s purpose-built Omnium Cargo V3 dogpacking rig. Get to know Dave, his furry riding companion Cowboy, and their latest custom adventure wagon here…
PUBLISHED Apr 7, 2025
Editor’s Note: As a celebration of our longstanding weekly Reader’s Rig series, we’re sharing a reader-submitted bike every day this week, starting with this feature edition from route creator Dave Schlabowske in Wisconsin.
Since my wife Liz and I joined the ranks of the semi-retired and moved to Northern Wisconsin, it has been easy for me to go bikepacking on short notice. More free time plus endless gravel forest roads and singletrack out my front door means I no longer need to plan trips in advance. It’s hard for my still-working friends to join me on those spontaneous trips, so I’ve been riding solo more than I used to. I found that I missed some companionship on my adventures, so last year, I bought an Omnium Cargo V3 so I could start dogpacking with my best buddy Cowboy, who is always ready to hop in the basket, no questions asked.
Cowboy started riding in cargo bikes as soon as we adopted him nine years ago when we lived in Milwaukee. At the time, we had a Yuba Supermarche with a plastic tub on it. He took to riding in that with very little training. He quickly learned that Yuba meant a trip to the river, the dog park, or the chance to visit friends with a dog. We sold the Supermarche when we moved, thinking the low clearance would be impractical in the woods up north. When I got the dirt-ready Omnium, Cowboy adapted with almost no training other than making the initial short trips to his favorite nearby lake to swim and fish.
While the Mira-recommended 24” x 16” x 8” mesh straight wall plastic storage tote worked, it was too short for Cowboy to lie comfortably. Finding a longer, lightweight, sturdy basket that he fit in was a bit of a challenge. Basket v2.0 was a cheap plastic under-bed storage bin from Walmart, but Cowboy didn’t seem to feel secure in it because of the short sides. Version 3.0 was a wicker basket with taller sides. Cowboy appeared more secure in it, but when he leaned against the sides, they really flexed. I worried they might unexpectedly break after being exposed to UV rays and rain. I used that wicker basket for a few trips until I finally landed on v4.0, a 32” x 15” x 7½” straight-wall plastic storage bin I found on Amazon. They also make a 48” version for readers with larger dogs.
I couldn’t find a mesh-wall version, so I used a step drill to make lots of holes in the bottom and sides so it drained better. I cut down a relatively inexpensive folding closed-cell sleeping pad for a cushion, wrapped the edges with pipe insulation, and Cowboy hopped in the first time I asked him to. After a couple of overnighters, I realized that the plastic bin was sturdy enough that it didn’t need the support of the webbed steel cargo deck that comes on the Omnium.
So, I removed that deck (cutting four pounds from the bike) and mounted the plastic bin directly to the frame with some aluminum square tubing and flat stock I bought at the local farm supply store. I installed Riv Nut fasteners in the square tubing to mount it with four stainless M8-1.25 button head cap screws, so all I need is a 5mm Allen wrench to remove and install the basket from the bike. I bring a couple of extra cap screws with me on trips in case I lose one, but with some threadlocker on the screws, they don’t seem to loosen up so far.
I have used this v4.2 basket for the last two bikepacking trips and all the day rides Cowboy and I have done together since the summer of 2024. In addition to saving weight by removing the stock cargo deck, drilling the holes shaved almost another pound off the basket.
All those holes are great places to mount water bottles and dry bags with Cowboy’s food, his custom sleeping bag, air mattress, and any overflow gear that I can’t fit in the other bikepacking bags on the bike. Of those, I am most excited about the custom frame pack that the crew at Cedaero in Two Harbors, Minnesota, made for me.
It has a cavernous main compartment, a full side pocket on the non-drive side of the bike, and a long lower pocket that’s perfect for tubes and my tripod. In the back, I use either an Old Man Mountain rack with their Ponderosa Panniers and Juniper Trunk or a Tumbleweed pannier rack with Widefoot triple mount cargo cages that hold Sea to Summit 8L Big River dry bags. This leaves plenty of storage for me, my camera/video gear, clothing, sleep system, shelter, and other camping needs.
The rest of the build is SRAM, an Industry Nine rear wheel, Omnium front wheel, 2.4-inch tires (tubeless), Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, and a Jones bar. The unloaded bike (with the basket but no cargo deck) weighs 42 pounds. That’s only about 10 pounds heavier than a typical steel bikepacking bike. Fully loaded with Cowboy (also 42 pounds) and bikepacking gear, it weighs about 100 pounds.
Initially, I was concerned that the ride might be too bumpy for Cowboy, and I would need to find a 20” suspension fork. Thankfully, the long wheelbase of the Omnium Cargo V3 has a magic carpet ride that takes the edge off the small vibrations and even most washboard found on gravel roads. I have a PNW Coast suspension dropper post to take the edge off any unseen big hits since I broke three vertebrae a couple years ago.
Dave’s Omnium Cargo V3 Build Kit
- Frame/Fork: Omnium Cargo V3 (Medium)
- Wheels: Omnium (front) / Industry Nine (rear)
- Tires: Kenda Booster Pro 2.4″
- Handlebars: Jones H-Bar Bend
- Grips: Ergon
- Headset: Omnium
- Crankset: SRAM GX
- Pedals: Fyxation Mesa MP Subzero Pro
- Cassette: SRAM GX
- Derailleur(s): SRAM GX<
- Brakes: Hayes Dominion A4
- Shifter(s): SRAM GX
- Saddle: Specialized Bridge Comp
- Seatpost: PNW Coast Dropper
- Stem: FSA
- Front bags: Carradice
- Frame bags: Cedaero custom
- Rear bags: Old Man Mountain Ponderosa Panniers and Juniper Trunk, Sea to Summit Big River dry bags
- Accessory bags: Revelate Gas Tank, Revelate Mountain Feed Bags
- Rear Rack: Old Man Mountain or Tumbleweed
- Other accessories: Customized crate
I have learned a few things worth mentioning on my Northwoods adventures with Cowboy. The most important was how we dealt with biting flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and ticks during the summer bug season. It turns out that Cowboy hates them as much as I do. Biting flies are the worst, as they can fly as fast as we can ride and swarm around Cowboy’s head.
For years, I have been using a cheap bug net over my helmet when the flies are bad, so I tried one on Cowboy. He was weirded out at first, but it only took him about five minutes to figure out that it kept the flies off him and he settled into it. I also got him a summer-weight vest from Insect Shield treated with Permethrin. I treat my clothes with Permethrin during tick season, and that, plus his oral tick medication, has reduced the number of ticks I find on him (and me) to almost zero.
The other unusual thing I did to make Cowboy’s dogpacking experience a little more comfortable was to upcycle a sleeping bag for him out of an old 45° Big Agnes bag I no longer used. I cut that bag in half and sewed the bottom together. Then I did the same thing with a Thermarest Neoair Uberlite air mattress that I stopped using because the old-school valve is so slow to deflate, and the fabric is very noisy. All you have to do to weld the cut air mattress back together is heat the seam with an iron.
I can slip the air mattress inside the Big Agnes system bag so Cowboy doesn’t slide off during the night. When it’s warm, Cowboy sleeps on top of it, but when it gets colder, he balls up inside his cozy bed. He wants to go in his sleeping bag, so I know he appreciates not being on the cold ground.
So far, our two to three-day adventures have averaged about 40 or 50 miles a day. Of those, Cowboy typically runs 20 miles a day in total. He averages 8 to 10 miles per hour with rest periods in the basket every four to six miles. He runs up all the big hills, rougher gravel, and singletrack. In his younger days, he could have run the entire day, but he’s going on 10 years old. I’m not race-fit anymore, anyway, so with a heavy bike, I don’t mind his slower pace or short riding days. Part of what I like about bikepacking is stopping to explore old Civilian Conservation Corps camp ruins, grabbing a swim at an inviting lake on a hot day, making photos/videos, and hiking to waterfalls or scenic vistas.
This spring, I plan to extend our daily mileage and try more longer trips, but I don’t want to push him due to his age. Cowboy honestly seems stoked to come with me, making like my shadow when he sees I am packing the Omnium. I’m stoked to have a riding partner ready on short notice who enjoys exploring new places and doesn’t mind how slow I ride or complain that I talk too much.
Video Walk-Through/Packing List
You can keep up with Dave at LifeAboveEight.com.
Send Us Your Bikepacking Rig
Use the form below to submit your bikepacking rig. We’ll choose one per week to feature in a Reader’s Rig Dispatch and on Instagram. To enter, email us your best photo of the bike (preferably at a 90° angle), your Instagram username (optional), and a short description of you and your rig. If your bike is selected, we’ll need a total of five photos and a little bit more info.
Readers Rig
Further Reading
Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...
Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.
