Bikepacking Gear

On our current tour I am rolling with a somewhat minimal kit, assembled for covering long distances over mixed surfaces (as much off-road as possible), in fairly primitive environments. Although there are a few slight modifications I would make (noted), this is pretty close to the perfect kit for me.

There are several small, but very useful, pieces of gear that have impressed me on our current tour, and a couple of items that have been with me since our last tour that have definitely proved their worth.

A whittled down kitchen that is perfect for third world cooking and the ideal size and weight for a minimal setup…

Does the Tubus Vega fit the ECR, with 29+ Knards? Well, the answer is… kind of. A few people have asked and commented about the compatibility of the Vega with the ECR. Here are my thoughts.

As of last Friday, I had given up on the Surly ECR being shipped in time and resigned myself to quickly building another bike for our trip…

A few last minute additions and several tips for packing and stowage…

The perfect camera handlebar bag for a DSLR doesn’t exist yet, and it may never. I say this because there just isn’t a bag out there that’s the ideal size, comfortable to carry off the bicycle and ruggedly weatherproof. So I made one, complete with a bar attachment system, with the Crumpler Kashgar camera bag.

Created with classic styling, this longflap saddlebag is like a Frankensatchel, timeless waxed canvas cobbled with modern materials and a few extra useful features.

A quick post showing the final Africa setup for ‘Steve’, as Virginia named her blue Troll, which I think she came up with so she could boldly announce, ‘My ass hurts, must’ve been that long ride on Steve.’

Revelate Designs makes a couple of excellent solutions for toting gear on the handlebars. As I was weighing out which one would be functionally perfect for Gin on our upcoming trip, I jotted down a few notes…

Pedals and shoes have taken up a bit of research time recently. For all my past mountain biking exploits and previous travels I’ve passionately ridden SPDs, with clipless pedals as they are oddly dubbed. Not this time. Here is some minutiae regarding my foray into platforms and bike travel shoes.

Space (and weight) versus comfort is a tricky (and expensive) battle that we cyclocampers fight regularly. Tents, sleeping bags and pads make up the majority of heft and bulk that has to be packed and stowed. In an effort to go as ultralight as possible for an upcoming trip, with minimal luggage, I put together a kit using The Mother of Comfort.