Editor’s Dozen: Miles and Emily’s Favorite Gear of 2024 (Summer)

Following a busy winter down south scouting Joe Cruz’s new Madrean Rugged Ramble route in Arizona and some shorter bike trips along the coast with Emily, enjoying a relatively slow-paced spring was nice. We both like spending time at home and ending the day early with a mug of tea in hand. I usually have a bikepacking trip to plan, but when I don’t, I lean into it.

That changed a month ago when we started a new bikepacking route project in the West Kootenays of British Columbia. For the last month, it’s been full-on between regular website duties, a mid-summer heat wave, and scouting more routes back-to-back than I’ve ever done before. Emily and I have both been trying new gear and falling in love with old gear, and because of how much bikepacking we’ve been doing, it was oddly easy to come up with our summer Editor Dozen picks. Find them all below.

Dispersed Handlebar Roll

325 grams / Made in USA / $175 at Dispersed

Although we love the expandability and versatility of a well-made top-opening handlebar bag, such as the Bags by Bird Piccolo we use regularly, sometimes it’s nice to simplify things. A fixed handlebar roll is one of the simplest setups out there, but they’re often awkward to pack, which is why cradle and harness systems have become so popular. Earlier this year, Dispersed Bikepacking, owned and operated by Katie and Andrew Strempke, released their Handlebar Roll to address the shortcomings of a traditional roll by integrating a dual-bag system to make packing and unpacking more efficient.

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The beauty of the Dispersed Handlebar Roll is that the exterior roll lives on your bar, and the inner waterproof dry bag is quick to remove, unpack, pack, and insert back inside the roll. It offers the convenience of a harness system with the simplicity and efficiency of a roll. The dual bag design also allows you to pack wet gear separately from the gear inside the inner bag, which has been useful on some route scouting trips this summer where Emily and I swam often. Paired with Voile Straps that run around the entire roll and over the handlebar, it has proven to be one of the most stable but impressively lightweight handlebar bag setups at just 325 grams (11.5 ounces). We also both appreciate the front UltraStretch pocket, which is perfect for snacks, hats, glasses, and anything else you want close by. Read my full review here.

Ornot UV Hooded Trail Shirt

182 grams (men’s large) / Made in USA / $85 at Ornot Men’s Women’s

Both Emily and I have a family history of skin cancer, and protecting our skin has become more of a priority as we’ve gotten older. We spend so much time in the sun, whether we’re bikepacking, mowing the lawn, or honing our tennis skills at the local courts, and sometimes avoiding the sun altogether isn’t a realistic option for us. I can’t count on myself to reapply sunscreen throughout the day, so when Ornot released their new UV Hooded Trail Shirt earlier this summer, I figured it could be my ticket to a summer of UV-free outdoor frolicking. The Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts are some of my favorite bikepacking, living, do-everything shorts, and I appreciate that their products are made in the USA, so I was hopeful about the UV Shirt.

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The Ornot UV Hooded Trail Shirt is made from a quick-drying, recycled UPF-30 fabric and is available in men’s and women’s sizing. The fabric is Oeko-Tex approved, meaning it’s manufactured without GMOs and tested for pesticides and other harmful substances, consisting of 85% polyester and 15% lycra. It has a bike-specific fit that’s not too tight or loose, the hood is stretchy enough to fit over a bike helmet, and there’s a little hidden pocket on the back for sunglasses or other small items. We were surprised at just how breathable the shirts were despite riding all day in 32°C (90°F) temperatures the last two weeks, and it was refreshing to finish the day without a layer of sunscreen and dirt all over our arms. We’re both sold on sun hoodies.

HydraPak Breakaway+ Bottle Filter

122 grams (600ml) / Made in China / $46+ at HydraPak

As someone with Crohn’s Disease, I don’t go bikepacking without a water filter and never mess around with untreated natural water sources. I’ve had Cryptosporidium, and the last time I had a parasite, I ended up in the hospital for a few days because Crohn’s complicates anything gut-related. However, I have a love/hate relationship with filters. I find them to be bulky, slow, or sometimes just awkward to use. That’s where the new HydraPak Breakaway+ Bottle Filter comes in. Released earlier this year, the Breakaway+ Bottle Filter is simply a cycling bottle with a water filter integrated directly into the underside of the cap. It’s not a new concept, but it’s the fastest and most effective version I’ve used, and it has accompanied me on every bikepacking trip since I reviewed it.

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Emily’s New Esker Japhy

Made in Taiwan / $3,000+ at Esker Cycles

More often than not, the bikepacking trips Emily and I go on together involve some singletrack, rough doubletrack, or, at the very least, chunky gravel roads. Emily has been using her All-City Super Professional for most of her bikepacking needs, which works but is limiting when it comes to singletrack or anything too technical and rough. She also has an Ibis Ripley AF full-suspension MTB, but on a size medium with the awkward shock placement, it’s difficult for her to carry much gear. We started throwing around the idea of getting her a steel hardtail as her go-to bikepacking rig. The idea of a bigger main triangle, dropper post, and big tires had Emily digging into different brands and models.

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What solidified Emily’s choice to go with an Esker was the announcement of Alexandera Houchin becoming Esker Cycles’ first sponsored athlete. “Bikes are expensive, and I’m trying to be more intentional about where I spend my money. It’s cool to see Esker sponsoring a badass athlete that isn’t your typical mountain bike bro,” she said. Emily landed on the Esker Japhy because of its slightly rowdier geometry that’s better suited to downhill singletrack due to its longer and slacker angles. She’s already tackled two route-scouting trips here in British Columbia with me and is loving it. Paired with a Mica rack, she can carry more gear and use the full travel of her dropper post, which is a struggle for folks on small/medium bikes. We’ll be sharing more on Emily’s Japhy later this year, so stay tuned.

Ergon SMC Sport Gel Women’s Saddle

280 grams / Made in Taiwan / $99.95 at Ergon Jenson USA

Emily has been busy testing some of the top-rated women’s saddles over the last year, and though she’s found some top contenders and will be sharing her thoughts on them soon, the Ergon SMC has quickly become a personal favorite. According to Ergon, the SMC Sport Gel saddle eliminates common complaints with thicker and more plush orthopedic foam padding, thin gel inserts, and a shape designed for mountain bike touring and trail riding. The SMC Sport Gel Women’s Saddle is designed to alleviate sensitive soft tissue pressure with the tapered relief channel preventing numbness and pain. It comes in two width options, S/M and M/L, and has Chromoly steel rails.

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Emily has found bikepacking bliss thanks to the right amount of plushness and the women’s-specific relief channel, a combination that has stood out compared to some of the other saddles she has been using. She’s logged hundreds of kilometers while bikepacking, dozens of day rides, and has found it works best on a mountain bike. It first lived on her Ibis Ripley, but has found a home on her Esker.

Five Ten Trailcross CL Shoes

466 grams (per shoe with cleat) / $165 at REI Jenson USA

Five Ten describes the Trailcross CL as “an all-terrain clipless mountain bike shoe.” They are constructed around a simple lace-up closure, an additional velcro strap on the tongue, a molded toe cap and reinforced toe box, and a breathable mesh upper. They have an EVA midsole, the upper is made from at least 50% recycled materials, and the outsole features Five Ten’s Stealth Marathon rubber with their trademark dot-shaped tread with slightly more aggressive lugs toward the front and on the heel of the shoe. There are men’s and women’s specific models, and they come in a wide range of sizes from 6-15 (US men’s). I’m generally a size 11.5, and the 11 fits me perfectly, with just enough room in the toe box to not feel cramped.

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I’ve logged over 40 days of bikepacking mileage and another 75+ day rides in the Trailcross CL shoes this year. I can confidently say they excel in dry/warm conditions when ventilation and breathability are crucial for all-day comfort. My feet are generally sweaty, so breathability is essential to reduce the chance of hot spots and discomfort on long rides. Thankfully, the mesh panels and overall lightweight construction of the Trailcross CL’s upper lend themselves to an airy design that’s both breathable and quick to dry out after a long day. I like how secure yet simple the lace-up and velcro strap closure is, they aren’t showing any signs of wear, and they are quick to dry out at camp if I accidentally get them wet. Read my full review here.

Equipt Sardine and Cucumber

39-217 grams / Made in Taiwan / $70+ at Equipt Japan

A few years ago, Alternative Bicycles, a distributor of Wolf Tooth, PNW, Apidura, and more in Japan, launched a new brand called “Equipt.” They debuted with a tiny, unassuming multi-tool called the Sardine. Earlier this year, they followed up with a pedal wrench using a similar design called the Cucumber. Aside from loveable names and flashy anodized finishes, both tools share a minimal design with pivoting bits, but they’re intentionally limited to just a few functions to deal with common trailside issues.

The Sardine is made from a lightweight, CNC-machined aluminum body with forged steel bits. It weighs just 39 grams according to my scale, making it one of the lightest and most packable multi-tools I’ve used. The three bits are held in place with bolts and threaded sleeves and can be tightened and secured with Loctite if they loosen up (after a few months of use, the bits have only loosened up slightly, but they don’t swing around or rotate unintentionally). Because the tool is so small, it’s easy to switch between the end bits with a single finger and as deploy the 6mm hex in the middle thanks to a small ledge near its base.

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While in use, I’ve found it handy to have the ability to use the end bits straight on, at a 90° angle, or somewhere in between. In most cases, I hold the bit at 90° to loosen a bolt and then switch to straight on to quickly unthread it. It’s a small tool, but its body is comfortable to hold and provides more than enough leverage for headset adjustments, tightening stems, installing bottle cages, removing axles, and pretty much any other basic adjustment you can expect to make on your bike.

The cylindrical and tapered profile of the Cucumber’s body is much more comfortable to hold than other pedal wrenches I’ve used. The finish quality and construction are solid, and there is only a slight amount of play in the swiveling bit, but it’s not noticeable unless you yank on it. There’s a small hole at the bottom for hanging it up in a shop, because after all, this isn’t a packable tool like the Sardine. Just like the Sardine, the swivel end is functional for switching between a 90° setup for high-torque situations and using it lengthwise for faster rotation. The Cucumber weighs 217 grams, which doesn’t seem particularly lightweight or heavy, but that really isn’t a concern to me as it’s designed to live in a shop. Equipt has dealers in the US, Europe, Singapore, and the UK, including our friends at Rogue Panda Designs, who stock the Sardine. In all, they’re quirky and not the most practical tools, but I’ve developed a fondness for them nonetheless.

LOGiiX Power Cube 20 Duo

106 grams / Made in China / $30 CAD at LOGiiX

I’m not sure where or when I purchased this nifty little wall charger block, but it has become my go-to for longer bikepacking trips when I’ll eventually need to re-charge some gadgets. A quick Google search shows a number of similar options, but this particular charger has two outputs: a 20W max USB-C and a 18W max USB-A, and a standard 100-240V wall outlet input. I’ve found it useful for charging my phone and my Canon R5 thanks to the fast-charging USB-C output. It’s small, cheap, and does what it’s supposed to.

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The Driveside

Made in Canada / $25-55 CAD at The Driveside

The Driveside is a passion project co-created by Jimmy Judgey and Gurinder Sandhu from Hamilton, Ontario. The idea was born after they transitioned into adulthood and started to feel that riding bikes was exclusive, a pastime for the privileged, and far from the freedom they experienced riding bikes as kids. They organize community group rides, share local routes, showcase fun bike builds on their website, and have made it their mission to create space for bike adventures for everyone.

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Although Emily and I haven’t lived in Ontario for nearly a decade, we both love what The Driveside is doing. We fully agree that bikes are for everyone and fully support spreading this powerful message. They’ve currently got hoodies and T-shirts in stock, and the hoodies come with enough Milkweed seeds to start your own monarch and bee way station, including cute instructions on how to plant them. Head to their web store here.

Ornot Lightweight Mission Pants

300 grams (Size 34) / Made in USA / $165 at Ornot

Released earlier this spring, the new Ornot Lightweight Mission Pants are based on the same design as their original Mission Pants but are lighter, stretchier, and cooler. They are made from a lightweight bluesign-approved four-way stretch fabric (85% Nylon/15% Elastane), have a full panel gusset, reflective details on the cuff, and there are five pockets, including three zippered ones.

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Just like my all-time favorite Ornot Lightweight Mission Shorts, the pants are incredibly comfortable and look great on and off the bike. Lucas has a pair and loves them too. They’ve also become my go-to pants because of their smart aesthetic and medium-slim fit. The fact that they are cut and sewn in California, Ornot is a 1% For The Planet member, and they are Climate Neutral certified makes them one of the easier cycling apparel brands to support. Sure, $165 isn’t cheap for pants, but considering I’ve logged thousands of kilometers in my shorts, I expect these will also prove to be well worth the money in the long term.

Rogue Panda Bismarck Bottle Bucket

113 grams / Made in USA / $65 at Rogue Panda

My usual bikepacking setup includes some sort of handlebar bag or harness paired with two stem bags or feed bags, and I’ll add in a top tube bag if I need extra quick-access storage. Normally, I use one stem bag for a standard cycling water bottle and the other for snacks or a second bottle. Most stem bags are based around a similar design, with a cinch closure and exterior pockets, and they attach to your handlebar, stem, and headtube using a series of velcro straps. While this design works okay for bottles, it can sometimes be a little awkward, and I’ve never found basic stem bags particularly stable. The Rogue Panda Bismarck Bottle Bucket addresses these concerns with a bottle-specific design, ditching the drawstring closure and replacing it with an integrated bottle cage.

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The Bismarck Bottle Bucket requires no stem strap, which makes it play nicely with mountain bikes with super short stems and crowded cockpits. It attaches to the bar using two Voile Nano Straps, plus there’s a simple plastic bottle cage bolted directly inside the bag, and a third Voile strap attaches to the fork crown for an impressively stable setup. Because of the integrated cage, it’s far more stable and rigid than other stem bags, and it’s easy to get at the bottle with one hand without having to worry about cinching the drawstring closed again. There are roomy mesh pockets on three of the four sides that are perfect for small tools, snacks, or wrappers. And, as always, they are handmade in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Road Runner Wedge Mountain Frame Bag

340 grams / Made in USA / $150 at Road Runner Bags Dismount (Canada)

I picked up my Velo Orange x Road Runner Wedge Mountain Frame Bag over four years ago to pair with the original Hudski Doggler I got in for review. Although it appears Velo Orange is sold out of the collaboration version, Road Runner Bags in California still offers the Wedge Mountain Full Frame Bag, and the specs are identical. I landed on this particular frame bag because the measurements matched the Doggler perfectly, still leaving room for a bottle on the seat tube, but it has jumped between several bikes over the last few years and accompanied me on a number of bikepacking trips. I liked it so much during my initial scouting trip of the Tree to Sea Loop on Vancouver Island that I recommended it to Emily during her solo ride on the same route. Oh, if this bag could talk!

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The Road Runner Wedge Mountain Frame Bag is a simple and functional wedge-style frame bag that fits bikes with a sloped top tube the best. It’s handmade in California from burly 1000D Cordura, 18-ounce vinyl strap protectors under the top tube attachments, and removable/adjustable velcro straps everywhere else. The interior is finished with a lightweight 200D Nylon fabric, and the drive-side and non-drive-side compartments are accessed via YKK water-resistant zippers. The main compartment is kept clean and simple, with no organization sleeves or additional straps, but at 3″ wide, it can hold a good amount of gear and I’ve always found it perfect for stashing a Jet Boil stove vertically against the rear panel with my tools/repair kit stuffed below it. It has proven to be exceptionally durable, showing no signs of wear beyond a slightly slower zipper, and after giving it a wax treatment this winter, it’s still reasonably weather-resistant too.

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Further Reading

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