Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

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redefined_cycles
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Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Your favourite piece of kit. Hopefully advised or inspired from the forum. You'd (obviously) have to include make and model of said bit of kit and why it's been nominated..

Pics appreciated. Links to where you got or it can be gotten a bonus. Anything with a conflict of interest or affiliation to the makers need not be included (please :smile: ).
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Hydrapak Shape Shift 3L

My trusty water bladder. Asked many a question off the forum here before buying it. Hydrapak... Much better than the camelbaks before it as well as the Osprey. Can't recall why I disliked em but this one's amazing.

https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/sha ... -resevoir/

Today on my ride out of (somewhere near Peterborough which looked like I was an alien, from some of the stares I got through the town centre)... -thinks and thinks and goes to check Strava - Stamford, I'd realised I had no water and I needed a co-op or Spar. Not a pub or a restaurant. Went for the Pizza Express and asked the nice lady nicely.

Got an affirmative from both the nice lady and gent, so pulled off my backpack and undid the hose. I was expecting a gasp of 'wow' in all honesty but it never came. Maybe they were ultra runners and 5 minutes later after a few more "thanks" and "have a lovely day", I was off.

What else does it do... Well, it rains tasteless after 2 years of use. The 2.5L thin can expand to 3L if needed and it locks amazingly at the top. Hose is wrapped with some insulation I got off Scotroutes/Colin and the bladder is kept inside a Patagonia, remanufactured (by Ledburner, thanks again Dan) cosy. On the 40c ride to London last year I wrapped the bladder inside my down jackwt and stuffed inside my framebag. Got me to London with cool, clean water.

Oh... and it comes with a lifetime warranty that works apparently. Not that I ever plan on using it as it'll just be wear n tear and it shows no signs of it yet. The hose connection never leaks and nor does the mouth piece (not that CB or Osprey ever did but they just weren't as tough.

Lovely kit and I love it. 11/10 and saved me from going into kidney failure more than once, I'm certain. I should go give it a hug... Apparently can be turned inside out for a thorough clean but I don't think I've used that function except for when first bought (to test).
jameso
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by jameso »

A SOM dynamo hub with a USB charging system powering a Garmin Edge Touring.
Ok that's 3 products but to me it's a single system. Obviously need to include lights but many lights would do (I use and rate the SON Deluxe F and mini rear). I'd nominate the USB-Werk charger I use but the durability of the wires don't fill me with enough confidence and mounting it isn't ideal. Room for a better design there. Still, a good few years from one so far.

Though better for road/gravel riding than pure off-road, that's how most of my longer trips are done. This system has done more for keeping me moving, navigating and riding as much as I wanted to in the dark than anything else. I could ride for a week on batteries, or rechargeables and a map but there's something so good about the unbroken ride that comes from power self-sufficiency, it's in harmony with the feeling of travel self-sufficiency I get from the bike.
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RIP
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by RIP »

A tiny little thing - Joe's shop bamboo toothbrush (head only) and paste tablets. Integral part of my dossing down / waking up rituals. The rest of the day can be entirely unpredictable but I like those little rituals as anchors to both ends of the day.
Last edited by RIP on Tue Aug 09, 2022 11:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Lazarus
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Lazarus »

A SOM dynamo hub with a USB charging system powering a Garmin Edge Touring
You should get a sinewave beacon light - not cheap but
1. its a light
2. Its a USB charger
3. it can be used off road as you can run it off your battery [ whilst charging the battery]

Really really rate mine [ and has an output for a rear light]

Bikepacking wise i would say GPS its just far nicer to have a dot/line to follow than carry loads of maps* [ not the most popular answer on here but for me they were a game changer]

* I can map read [ in zero visibility on foot]and do it its just the constant attention required does not suit cycling IMHO but its fine for walking speeds
jameso
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by jameso »

RIP wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:48 am A tiny little thing - Joe's shop bamboo toothbrush and paste tablets. Integral part of my dossing down / waking up rituals. The rest of the day can be entirely unpredictable but I like those little rituals as anchors to both ends of the day.
I have one of those, it's great. Just much nicer to use and packs away usefully. I'm a convert from the usual plastic engineering BS types in the supermarket. Recommend.
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RIP
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by RIP »

jameso wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 10:08 am
RIP wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:48 am A tiny little thing - Joe's shop bamboo toothbrush and paste tablets. Integral part of my dossing down / waking up rituals. The rest of the day can be entirely unpredictable but I like those little rituals as anchors to both ends of the day.
I have one of those, it's great. Just much nicer to use and packs away usefully. I'm a convert from the usual plastic engineering BS types in the supermarket. Recommend.
I use bam brushes at home too. Was going to get some more Joe's but Mrs Perrin bought a bulk order of 20 off tinternet at 70p each.
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »


I use bam brushes at home too. Was going to get some more Joe's but Mrs Perrin bought a bulk order of 20 off tinternet at 70p each.
I think Mrs Perrin should be made aware that she's owes Joes shop 20 brushes worth of compensation. :lol:
jameso
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by jameso »

Lazarus wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 9:50 am You should get a sinewave beacon light - not cheap but
1. its a light
2. Its a USB charger
3. it can be used off road as you can run it off your battery [ whilst charging the battery]
Does look good for off-road use. But I'm a big fan of the SON beam pattern for road use and a lot of my riding time with lights on is done on road or easy tracks.
With the USB-Werk I don't need a cache battery but I expect I'll try the Cycle2Charge next with a small battery in line.
If they made a Beacon with the SON reflector or similar it'd make the list next time, would be an ideal product for me and tidy up some wiring.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Just a note (so the discussion doesn't get caught out from the actual nominations) if anyone can please. When making your nomination then (if can be bothered please) you could add the nomination as a highlighted thing at the start of the post. Top left hand corner shpuld open the highlight function and you just type the name in there.

:-bd
Lazarus
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Lazarus »

Cycle2Charge
let me know how you get on with this as i find it a bit mad to have light when riding in summer and could do with something for the long road trips

Agree the beam is 100% for off road - though i mainly use it for commuting purposes and its fine [ though not actually legal and the best spread]
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Glad to see the good old SON brought up again btw. I get range anxiety as soon as the sun goes down and alwasy fettling the Exposure TORO when off road to use the lowest possible setting. Gets annoying fiddling all the time though.

Many moons ago I decided against a dyno hub but am slowly getting to the realisation that I could do with a SON. Next bike I build will God-Willing be set up for one and the options above should help a little. Thanks...
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TheBrownDog
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by TheBrownDog »

Stormin Norman meths stove and windshield/pot holder.
I've got two of these: one for a 650ml mug for grand adventures and another for a 400ml for a simple brew. It works like a Calderra cone but is in two parts so fits into the cup/mug together with the little meths stove, lighter and a silicone lip burn protector thingy. The stove holds enough for 2-3 burns depending on temps, but the best thing about it is that even a cack-handed idiot like me cannot tip it over. Norman passed away a few years back and I don't know if anyone picked up the mantle, but I've never seen anything as simple, effective and dickhead proof as this set up.

Image
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Mariner
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Mariner »

Shout out for the humble Snood/Neck warmer.
Not talking about the three-foot-long Merino buff things but a cheap dhb one I bought in sale at Halfords years ago. It’s about eight inches high slightly fleece lining and got a pull cord for adjustment.
I wear it all year. It keeps the sun off my neck in the summer and acts as a fly catcher too if I am quick enough. In the winter it is the bottom half of a balaclava combined with a beany under my helmet and catches all the snot.
Zazen - nothing happens next this is it.
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voodoo_simon
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by voodoo_simon »

Salsa El Mariachi

Frame and fork new from shop cost something like £500 9 years ago. Absolute bargain (especially with todays prices). Can’t believe the price people sell them for in this forum these days!

Did everything from touring through to tight twisty trails, most of its life was singlespeed but works pretty damn well geared. Remember building it up and going for a ride, felt absolutely perfect on its first ride. Used it, abused, was a hoot :-bd

Sadly it doesn’t seem to work now, need to spend some time looking at it (last two sets of wheels keep locking up when the spin :cry: )
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thenorthwind
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by thenorthwind »

Geigerrig (Hydrapak) 2l bladder
redefined_cycles wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 11:32 pm Hydrapak Shape Shift 3L

My trusty water bladder. Asked many a question off the forum here before buying it. Hydrapak... Much better than the camelbaks before it as well as the Osprey. Can't recall why I disliked em but this one's amazing.
My hydration bladder was my first thought when I read the thread title, though that might be partly because it's low 20s in the shade today, and I'm currently drinking from it. Funny because I think it might have been me that recommended it to you Shaf.

Who knows how many hundreds (thousands?) of litres of water have been through this thing. I use it for everything - walking, running, all types of cycling, days out, long car journeys. Just so much easier than bottles. It's been stuffed in and out of frame bags and rucksacks and it's still solid (which is really quite important).

Just checked and got the hose and bite valve replaced under warranty in 2015 when it was at least a year old, so it's at least 8 years old now. I'm not including the bite valve in this nominations since the replacement didn't last either, and the flow rate was crap anyway. Replaced it with Camelbak ones, but just broken the valve lock on the second of these which is weak by design. Think the newer ones are different though.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Wierd about the valve there Dave (I went and checked my emails to confirm name :grin: ). Mine has been amazing so far but I don't bother using the locking mechanism. I did have to remind my young one to make sure he doesn't literally bite (it's head off) as he's the culprit for knackering all my previous Camelbak valves.

Good recommendation btw. :smile:
Dean
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Dean »

Thermarest Prolite Plus

Had this thing for 14 years, probably put 250 nights' sleeping on it. Still going strong. Not the lightest or smallest, but comfortable.
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Asposium »

Specialized Power Mimic Pro saddle
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

Sorry Shaf, not really in keeping with your "rules" but mine is soft-luggage which, in comparison to racks and panniers, is just great. It makes so much *sense* and is so easy and straightforward in comparison.

Time and place for either, sure. But for BP that's what gets my vote.
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

Cheeky Monkey wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 9:49 am Sorry Shaf, not really in keeping with your "rules" but mine is soft-luggage which, in comparison to racks and panniers, is just great. It makes so much *sense* and is so easy and straightforward in comparison.

Time and place for either, sure. But for BP that's what gets my vote.
Not a problem at all. Soft luggage is indeed amazing and if it were that the my vote would've been my Spinelock. Hopefully the last saddlepack I'll ever buy :smile:
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TheBrownDog
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by TheBrownDog »

Dean wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 10:06 pm Thermarest Prolite Plus

Had this thing for 14 years, probably put 250 nights' sleeping on it. Still going strong. Not the lightest or smallest, but comfortable.
I've got two of these: a big long one for 20 years and a little short one for 25. They're chunky and heavy but completely reliable and give great insulation, if not great comfort for side sleepers. Great product
I'm just going outside ...
redefined_cycles
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by redefined_cycles »

My awarded item (the Shapeshift Hydrapak) just had a little niggle whilst trying to pop the hose back into the bladder. Ended up fitting in again but no click. Popped some olive oil (read as 'food grade lube' onto the interactions. Sorted it right out and now feels new and clicky again. In fact I did a few extra removals and additions for the feel good 'click'...
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by fatbikephil »

Another one for the BB meths stove. Weighs very little, induces a sense of calm and decorum to your bivvy and very effective if you are not in a hurry.
Rob S
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Re: Bikepacking awards, your best bit of kit, ever!

Post by Rob S »

OS maps subscription

Obviously not kit in a physical sense. I received this as a birthday present and think it's great. It's encouraged me to do a lot more exploring since I've had it, I've found bridleways that I didn't know existed only twenty minutes away. I know it gets some stick for not being the best for making gpx's, but I find it ok. Not that I've ever tried using anything else mind.
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