Where it started for you

[techno]

The seed, in 1996 I spent a week in the highlands with D of E, fell in love with the place but out of love with carrying such a stupid amount of kit on my bike.

Went into bikepacking Hibernation from then till 2008. Seems to be a common theme, disheartening early experience plants seed for future germination.

2008, did trans-pennine trail over 4 days with a mate and loved being out for a long period self supported. Still carrying too much stuff!

Since then have been back to highlands, the dales and the lakes various times, gradually refining kit.
Then about a year ago I discovered that racks and panniers were not the only option!

[Zippy]

When I was a child, I liked outdoors stuff - but always struggled to get away or do something as it required finances to buy equipment and a mahusive amount of grovelling to get a lift off my parents.

So I didn't really even ride a real bicycle until i'd saved pennies from a paper round, and didn't actually start real biking until university.

I started uni 2007, in 2009 I tried what you would call touring. I packed waay too much - and it put me off with the weight and how much speed it culled!


End of Year Tour (2009) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

My first proper "bikepacking" trip was probably in 2012, where I did the West Highland Way in a day and half - fairly lightweight. This was on a whim and I didn't know it was called bikpacking! I had actually packed pretty light


West Highland Way (2012) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

Later that year I was on a walking trip in Wales with some friends, we stopped the night at claerddu bothy when the 2012 BearBones 200 was taking place. Taylor and a gang of merry men popped down later that evening to the Bothy, and we all swapped storied and told us about the "race". I remember us exclaiming that this was a stupid idea (we were all mountain bikers and ridden national XC and MTB Marathons, Kielder 100s etc and were all fairly fast at various points, so we weren't strangers to mountain biking!).


P1000190_2 by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

in 2013, I lined up for the BearBones 200, cycled my little heart out using sub-par navigation (breadcrumb trail only!) and managed to finish it sub 24 hours.
This was my setup then:


BB200 Setup by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

And here we are, with a plan to drive 480 miles after work on Friday to get to the Cairngorms!

[mechanicaldope]

Simultaneously my first and most recent - the trans cambrian about 3 weeks ago. Wasn't without its share of moments (mostly bike related) but was a fine introduction to the midge infested world of cycling then sleeping in a bag in a field.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Don't particularly remember. Camped and stuff as a kid - Outward Bound courses, family, DoE etc. Dossed a bit climbing etc.

Remember vaguely riding up to the viewpoint / hut / mast atop Keilder and getting pished / dossing in the modern folly up there. Carried everything in a rucksack. Never again

[Fat tyre kicker]

Got a pic somewhere of me and my mate with our hand sprayed Raleigh Mustangs,
Mine had Karrimor frame padding on so it was easy to shoulder, we did a zillion miles
On them....thinking on, the pic must be over 30 years old

[danielgroves]

In 2010 I went to uni and started getting really into mountain bikes there. I've been into backpacking forever, and a friend and I decided to do JogLe after uni, so I bought some bike packing bags for it and got on with it. I've loved it ever since, but it was a natural progression for me. I don't get out quite as often the moment, but it tends to go in cycles like that.

Probably plenty of embarrassing pictures somewhere, but I really can't be arsed to dig them out.

[slarge]

Loved camping as a kid, when we all piled into the car to go on holiday with the caravan, I would have a little ridge tent that was my escape. Got to 14 and had a few youth hostel trips with a bunch of mates, fond memories even now.
Fast forward to the early 2000's, and entered a couple of Polaris's, after never getting sorted for a KIMM.
Then did a mountain bike course with a few mates in the Lake District, and decided to ride home 170miles, with a bivvy borrowed from a mate - they all thought I was nuts, especially as that night the temperature dropped to -5, and the gas in my cooker froze so I couldn't heat water in the morning (the water bottle was solid ice).

Then arranged a few multi day rides (coast to coast, Welsh C2C, Lejog) with a few mates, which sowed the seed for epic rides.

Heard about The Welsh RideThing on STW, but have never done it as it's over May bank holiday which is family holiday time, and got in touch with John Houlihan who rode the Trans Cambrian Way in a day the first time, and a year after he did I did it, with full camping kit in a rucksack. 13 hours later I rode into Mach and found a midge infested campsite (hadn't thought of wild camping). Roll forward a couple of years and the 2nd BB200, done evey one since, a few ITTs, kielder 100's, HT550, Tuscany Trail, and really enjoy the longer endurance focused stuff.
I love the adrenaline of the short races, and did many years of Trailquests - which I will go back to one day, basically just love the freedom of being out on my bike, and if it is in the hills then so much better. I have to think hard whether I prefer social rides or solo rides, and am not sure - probably a mix of both

[Alpinum]

My mum says I was born with a rucksack.

[techno]

My mum says I was born with a rucksack.

Sounds like difficult birth!

[Alpinum]

Apparently ice axes were attached to it...

[99percentchimp]

Seeds were sown for me in the very early '80s... family holidays in Scotland where we stayed around Ullapool for a few years on the trot. We had a house in Glen Achall (now on the HT550 route) and I saw folks touring on Muddy Foxs with panniers heading into the hills. I was just beginning hill walking and camping at that age that lead quickly to backpacking in the Rockies a few years later - not lightweight though. This was followed by mountaineering and sea kayaking that got me to some amazing places I wouldn't have seen otherwise, often on multi day trips. I got into mountain biking once the boys were born (less time consuming at that time) and that led me back full circle to the Scottish glens with a tent a stove this year to see the Cairngorms for the first time, following ideas and posts on here, including an early WRT and winter bivvy (I wish I'd had more time to do more!). Too long to close the circle but brilliant

[gairym]

Afternoon all,

Really interesting reading how everyone got into this silly bikepacking malarkey!

I'd been 'bikepacking' of sorts for decades by simply throwing a hammock/tent in a rucksack and buggering off into the hills and I'd done a fair bit of t0uring (not sure if the swear filter might take issue with that word).

But my first toe-dip into modern bikepacking was on the 25th of February 2012 on my freshly built-up Inbred 69er.

Here's a pic of the setup (plus rucksack):



A great little overnighter and definitely whetted my appetite for more.