Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Bikes or Death hosted its second annual Bikepacking Basics campout a few weeks ago, welcoming 30 riders for a chance to try out bikepacking in a supported environment. Find a written recap and photos from event organizer Patrick Farnsworth here…
Words and photos by Patrick Farnsworth
Last weekend, Bikes or Death hosted its second annual Bikepacking Basics Group Ride & Clinic. We welcomed 30 riders to the East Texas Piney Woods for a bikepacking trip on a modified version of the Sam Houston Restaurant Tour. Bikepacking Basics was created to teach folks how to bikepack and give them opportunities to try it out in a safe and supported environment. Participants are encouraged to carry all of their gear, but we have a sag vehicle that can help carry any additional gear to camp or give riders a lift if needed. New this year, riders were able to choose between 32- and 43-mile route options.
Ultimately, the goal of this event is to make bikepacking feel accessible to anyone who’s interested in trying out this great sport. Anyone was welcome to join, but the weekend was 100% geared toward beginners and first-timers. Some fun facts: 40% of the participants were on their first bikepacking trip, 45% of the field were women, and we had three riders who were 10 and under! I love podcasting and interviewing elite athletes, but there is nothing that excites me more than helping reduce the barriers to entry for newcomers to this sport, so I was thrilled to see such a diverse field coming out to play bikes with us!
On Friday evening, folks from all over the country arrived at the Bullet Grill, home to the East Texas Showdown, for a bikepacking basics clinic. My good friend Ariel Marlowe kicked it off by presenting his film The Route to Emancipation, followed by a discussion on the importance of understanding the history of the places we ride. Afterward, I taught a course on route finding and building, the topic that generated the most interest in a survey of participants sent out prior to the event. The Bullet Grill offered free primitive camping on their property for bikepacking basic participants, so several of us camped out on-site that night.
Saturday morning, we departed the Bullet Grill mid-morning and rode 16 or 26 miles, depending on course selection, before meeting back up at a primitive camping spot in the Sam Houston National Forest. That evening, everyone gathered around a campfire, heated up their dinners, commiserated over their bug bites and aching legs, cursed the sand, and swapped stories and laughter with their new (and old) friends. We held a fireside chat that included a demonstration of different ways to pack everything you need onto your bike followed by a Q&A about all things bikepacking. Participants took notes, talked gear and logistics, and made plans to go ride their damn bikes together. While we slept, the air grew thick and heavy and the wind howled and shook the giant trees above us as the occasional rain drop threatened (but never delivered) stormy weather.
Sunday, we broke camp early in an attempt to beat the storms that were forecasted for the afternoon. The entire group would ride the 16 miles back to the Bullet Grill together on quiet gravel roads sheltered by the giant loblolly pines native to this region of East Texas. The pace for both days was ProSlow, and there were mandatory breaks for everyone to regroup and rest up before moving on. The breaks ensured that no one felt left behind and gave everyone an opportunity to stop, smell the flowers, and soak in the last bit of a wonderful weekend in the woods that would be over all too soon. When the ride was over, 30 tired and smelly bodies crammed onto the back porch of the Bullet Grill to eat lunch and celebrate an awesome weekend together before saying their goodbyes and see-you-soons. The heavy storms that had been looming all weekend unleashed their fury on East Texas just in time for everyone to load up safely into their vehicles and head home.
There is a lot of natural beauty in the Sam Houston National Forest, but the real beauty of these trips is in the people, and this group was no exception. Thirty brave souls from ages 7 to 70 set their fears and to-do lists aside and drove to the middle-of-nowhere Texas to journey into the woods with a bunch of strangers. Each of these individuals brought with them their adventurous spirits, good energy, and everything they’d need to survive outside for the weekend. The result was a wonderful weekend of riding bikes, making friends, pooping in the woods, and sleeping under the towering loblollies.
Introducing people to the outdoors through bikepacking has been one of the goals nearest to my heart since the beginning of Bikes or Death. My aim with these events is to help make our niche little community a welcoming and inclusive environment for every single person who seeks it out. If the idea of bikepacking lights a spark in folks, I want to help stoke that flame. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing people step outside of their comfort zone, challenge themselves, get acquainted with the outdoors in new ways, and expand the horizons of what they thought was possible. Bonus points if they do that while riding their damn bikes. These trips are affirmation of not only the vitality of this growing sport, but of the quality of humans who are attracted to it.
The next Bikepacking Basics will take place on April 25th-27th, 2025. Follow @bikesordeath on Instagram for updates on future events.
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