Foodpacking (Vol. 2): Bikepacking Food by Brendan, Skyler & Donnie

By Logan

PUBLISHED May 28, 2015

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In the first post of the foodpacking series we heard from Glenn Charles, Joe Cruz, and Eszter Horyani. Volume 2 continues the exploration of how bikepackers eat when they are out on the typical long weekend (three day) trip. On the menu: Brendan Collier, Skyler Des Roches, and Donnie Kolb:

Brendan Collier

Brendan is co-owner and operator of The Hub Cyclery, a bikepacking-focused shop in Idylwild, California. Brendan also founded and started the famed bikepacking route, the Stagecoach 400.

For me, there is no standard food packout, just as there isn’t really a standard gear packout for a bikepacking trip. I have wild variation in my bikepacking menu from one trip to another. The route, the crew I’m headed out with, and even my own fitness level are all factors to consider. On some trips I might be able to carry heavier, more luxurious gear such as a proper camp stove, but on other trips I might need to keep the packing lighter & simpler for less time and effort. And everything in-between.

Touring Pace, Riding With Friends

These are the trips when many of us in the Idyllwild bikepacking crew like to wow one another with delicious treats in camp.

Bikepack Racing or Big Personal Efforts

When I’m going light & fast, I might only carry “robot food” and other items we likely won’t find on the route.

Skyler Des Roches

Skyler Vancouver based climber, bikepacker and ski mountaineer. Follow Skyler’s travels at OffRoute.ca. And find his full 3-day desert pack list here.

“My general objective while packing food is to assemble some collection of foods that weight about 1kg per day, and have an average calorie density of at least 4Cal/g. Pure carbohydrate and pure protein are about 4Cal/g, fats and oils are 8-9Cal/g. (Pure alcohol is 7Cal/g) But that’s about as scientific as I get. Few items in the grocery store are pure anything, so I shop for a combination of the important athletic fuel nutrient sources – carbs, fat, and salt – and try avoid buying too many items with a low energy density.”

On particularly strenuous trips, which usually means skiing or climbing trips where the weight is on my back, I might aim to increase that average calorie density with fattier foods, and/or to bring less than 1kg per day. On easier, more social, or very short trips I will include low energy ‘luxury’ foods like fresh fruits. Fresh fruits and vegetables are made almost entirely of water, so they can also count toward my water weight on Day 1 of any trip.

Other requirements are that the food is relatively cheap – I have never purchased a prepared dehydrated camping meal – and, depending on what stove and pot I have with me, that it can be cooked by just boiling water.

Cooking

These days I usually carry a Jetboil Zip (0.8L) stove for myself. Occasionally, when I worry about finding fuel mid-trip, I use a Trangia alcohol burner and a home-made pot stand with my Jetboil pot. With either burner, it’s simmering is a challenge, and so I plan meal that just need boiling water like couscous, instant mashed potatoes, or instant dehydrated refried beans. I eat from the pot, and clean it by scraping every last scrap into my mouth with a GSI scraper – I can live with the oil slick on my coffee in the morning.

Packing

I usually carry the majority of my food in my frame bag. Beside my tool kit, food is usually the densest thing I’m carrying, and I like to keep weight low and central. The day’s snacks can go in my bar pocket, and delicate foods (like avocados) go in my seat pack, padded with clothing, if there is space. I don’t like riding with a pack, and prefer drinking from bottles than from a hose, so I mount bottle cages on each blade of my fork. When I need the capacity, I’ll use 1L Zefal Magnum bottles, and add a 1.5-2L bottle below my down tube. Otherwise, I just use two 0.8L bottles.

Packlist

As long as it’s delicious, I have no problem eating the same thing every day. Within reason. So, here are some ideas of what I like to eat:

Donnie Kolb

Bikepacking has recently exploded in popularity, especially in Oregon. No other person has helped this movement more than the man behind VeloDirt.com and OregonBikepacking.com, Donnie Kolb.

“Although I have no hard and fast rules, I prioritize space over weight and value simplicity for dinners. I focus on calorie dense foods even though they tend to be heavy – think nuts, cheeses, butters, cured sausage, etc. And because I don’t want to have to think hard about meal planning or cooking at the end of a long day, I prefer easy meals that taste reasonably good under all circumstances. Compared to folks I usually ride with, my dinners are boring. But I’ve never rolled into camp from a hard day and been too tired to boil water and eat a batch of salty ramen.”

I hate oatmeal. No matter what you do to it, instant oatmeal is boring and I’m usually hungry almost immediately afterwards. I prefer something simple and tasty, usually a bar of some sort. And after various iterations, I’ve given up on real coffee. It never tastes good enough to justify all the extra stuff/effort to make. Instant 3-in-1 from the Asian grocery is decent enough for a couple days on the trail.

I’m not a racer and I rarely ride hard for extended periods of the day – I’m a plodder. As such, I find I do better on the slow burn, focusing on fats as my main energy source (nuts, cheese, etc.). If I start feeling my energy levels drop, I add some sugar to mix (candy, candy bars, etc.). Towards the end of long hard days when I’m more likely to feel bonky I add in things like Nature Valley Sweet & Salty bars, which always taste good even when I’m not feeling great, and Cliff Bloks.

Day food gets packed in the frame bag, with food specific to that day right inside the front of the zipper for quick access. The rest, including dinners and breakfast, typically ends up in the seat bag with the stove and pot.