Lets imagine ...

[Bearbonesnorm]

that you fancied giving the whole bikepacking thing a whirl. You already have a suitable bike and cycling gear but you don't have anything else. Let's also say that you're on a budget of £150 ... how would you spend the money ? Specific items (make/model, etc) and links most welcome*

*No B&B ... you're trying to buy kit you can re-use

[Ray Young]

You talking everything you think you would need which I think would be sleeping mat, bivi bag, sleeping bag, tarp, pegs, guys, couple of dry bags and a cook set. Can you have MYOG?

[Bearbonesnorm]

You talking everything you think you would need which I think would be sleeping mat, bivi bag, sleeping bag, tarp, pegs, guys, couple of dry bags and a cook set. Can you have MYOG?

Pretty much whatever you think you'd need to get started. I reckon MYOG is fine as long as you allow for material costs.

EDIT: Just thought - you might decide to splash out on a more expensive sleeping bag and not bother with any cooking gear or some such combination.

[Ian]

Does "suitable cycling gear" include a 20-30 litre rucksack?
And, is there a sewing machine at your disposal?

[Bearbonesnorm]

Does "suitable cycling gear" include a 20-30 litre rucksack?

No but nothing to stop you buying a cheap one.

And, is there a sewing machine at your disposal?

I'll say yes. I think that just about everyone could either beg, borrow or steal a go with one. If they can't then there's always hand sewing ... time consuming and tedious but it still works.

[Zoglug]

Well, i dont have any experience of bike packing, but i have recently bought a whole raft of equipment so i could begin 'wild camping'. Whilst it was geared at walking, stumbling across this site made me realise what i purchased could be used for bike packing too, so i thought id share my inexperience of the matter - :D Please be aware, that these are based on a simple overnight camp and not multiple day events!

I took 'suitable cycling gear' to mean i had a bike , water bottles, cycling clothing (ie shorts and t-shirt), spare inner tubes and tools to allow me to carry out basic maintenance on the bike.

Bivi Bag - Alpkit Hunka - £30 (376g)
Sleeping Mat - Alpkit Airo - £40 (i got the 180 version) (582g)
Alpkit Airlok - 8l and 13l - £13.50 (76g)

Theses were the first things i looked to buy. I wanted a mat to keep me comfy when sleeping and a bivi bag to keep me dry. Id read lots about sleeping under the stars, so thought it would be fun. These appeared to be the best value for money when i was looking for 'value for money'. The dry bags were bought at the same time, as i knew id need placed to keep my sleeping bag and other valuables dry. I didnt feel a tarp was necessary, as the plan was to go out when the weather was 'reasonable'

Stove - Coleman F1 Lite - £15 with canister
Peregrine 30l Backpack - £18 (discount)
Cooking set - £10 (no name, quite bulky)

In my mind (remember, i have little experience), baring a sleeping bag i had everything i needed for a night wild camping. The sleeping bag caused me no end of problems! If i was just trying this out, id probably beg/steel/borrow one, or just purchase a cheap one and use a liner/clothes in order to keep me warm. Something like this http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-comfo ... 0-2775.prd from Tesco caught my eye initially. Yes, it is a little weighty at 1.9kg's and probably wont pack down too small, but for a single night, i think it would be more than adequate. The final £30 would allow me to get something, which would keep me reasonably warm for a single night. Personally, i extended my budget and purchased a Skyehigh 600 down sleeping bag.

In my eyes, this gave me everything i needed, something to keep me warm, something to keep me dry, something to keep me comfy and something to cook with. I then had a large enough bag to throw everything in. If i was going on on bigger expeditions id look at gear to navigate with (maps or a gps system) water purifiers etc.

I am sure i have made a glaring mistake and missed something, which is obvious to someone more experienced. To me, in my head, i had everything i needed.

Cheers

Zog

[Eoghan]

I'm in a similar position to this, (want to dabble, not quite sure where to start)

Question is whether people are coming to bikepacking from a MTB background or camping/hiking perspective. My guess would be that anyone "intrepid" enough to want to do bikepacking will probably have done a bit of both and won't be a complete novice when it comes to camping etc. I'd be surprised if most people considering bikepacking didn't already have a sleeping bag and mat of some sort, and possibly a tent.

Suitable bags is probably quite high up a lot of lists (certainly in my case) - if I was to go out tomorrow it would either be with a 70 litre rucksack or a very fully stuffed 30 litre with a couple of dry bags dubiously strapped on somehow. Unfortunately wedding planning means that realistically it's likely to be next year before I manage to get the necessaries...

[Bearbonesnorm]

Please be aware, that these are based on a simple overnight camp and not multiple day events!

I find that there's very little difference between what I take on a single night and what I'd take on a multi-day. The time of year usually plays a much bigger part in the decision than trip duration.

Bivi Bag - Alpkit Hunka - £30 (376g)
Sleeping Mat - Alpkit Airo - £40 (i got the 180 version) (582g)
Alpkit Airlok - 8l and 13l - £13.50 (76g)

Theses were the first things i looked to buy. I wanted a mat to keep me comfy when sleeping and a bivi bag to keep me dry. Id read lots about sleeping under the stars, so thought it would be fun. These appeared to be the best value for money when i was looking for 'value for money'. The dry bags were bought at the same time, as i knew id need placed to keep my sleeping bag and other valuables dry. I didnt feel a tarp was necessary, as the plan was to go out when the weather was 'reasonable'

Stove - Coleman F1 Lite - £15 with canister
Peregrine 30l Backpack - £18 (discount)
Cooking set - £10 (no name, quite bulky)

Nothing wrong with the above list, you could add a MYOG Polycro tarp and groundsheet for a few quid which might be handy in summer

Question is whether people are coming to bikepacking from a MTB background or camping/hiking perspective. My guess would be that anyone "intrepid" enough to want to do bikepacking will probably have done a bit of both and won't be a complete novice when it comes to camping etc.

I'm sometimes surprised how many folk have no prior experience when they start.

[Dan_K]

£150 would be a pretty basic but functional kit list probably more for summer, dry weather territory.

I'd echo previous and opt for mainly Alpkit - hunka bivvy bag, airo mat, couple of dry bags, cutlery from indoors, army mess tin and a hexamine burner.
I started out with a couple of cheap sleeping bags - one from millets for £30 in a sale (Eurohike Down 500) which is a 3 season for about 1.2kg and then I also got a Lifeventure Downlight 600 for about £30 as a summer bag at 700g ish.

I think with all of the above, i'd come in at under £150 and with the addition of a cheap tarp (ebay/TW) could cover most situations. Could opt for an Alpkit Delta tent or Gelert Solo instead of the Hunka bivvy.

[Chew]

The usual advice is always something to sleep in, something to sleep on, something to sleep under and something to carry it in.

So,
Snugpac sleeping bag £20
http://www.daleswear.co.uk/?action=shop ... &ref=gbase

Alpkit Hunka £30
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?tar ... ory_id=253

Foam Sleeping mat £5
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003P2KNWK/r ... B003P2KNWK

Drybags £8
http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?tar ... ory_id=295

Say a few quid to strap the drybag to your bars and the rollmap onto your normal riding bag, all in for about £70

Add in a few maps and you'll be WRT ready*

Personally i feel cookware isnt an essential as you can live off cold food/pub stop for a night so i've left that out.

If you liked that then slowly upgrade a few items (probably a good sleeping bag would be the first thing on my list) and then maybe add a few items, MYOG tarp (£20) MYOG stove (£0) + mug & spork (£30) MYOG seat pack (£10)

*assuming the weather is kind this year

[Bearbonesnorm]

Just to put a slightly different spin on it.

TenthWonder Jungle 1 hammock - £31.50
TenthWonder Untralite tarp - £21.99
http://www.twhammocks.co.uk/index.php?m ... oducts_all

Karrimor foam mat -£5.99
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-tw ... mat-782136

Karrimor Hibernate sleeping bag - £24.99
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-hi ... bag-781009

Karrimor Kodiak 30L rucksack - £32
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-ko ... ack-792153

MSR Alpine bowl, used as pot/mug - £5
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/msr-alpine-bowl-787086

Karrimor lightweight down jacket - £25
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-li ... ens-443081

That leaves me with £3.53 for a bottle of meths which I'll need for my MYOG meths stove

So I've got shelter, somewhere comfy to sleep, something to keep me warm and something to sleep in ... I reckon you'd survive most 2/3 season conditions with that lot.

[Ian]

So I've got shelter, somewhere comfy to sleep, something to keep me warm and something to sleep in ... I reckon you'd survive most 2/3 season conditions with that lot.

But nothing to put it all in?

[slarge]

2nd hand gear is where it's at. Rab down sleeping bag £60 on ebay, foam mat (or balloon bed) <£20, rucksack £50, siltarp £35, MSR pocket rocket stove £25, and build up from there. Half the enjoyment is researching lighter/better gear and then finding the cheapest place to get it, surfing ebay and bidding on that bargain sleeping bag etc, then actually using it. I found Polaris events a good start, and the challenge there was to go as light as possible for as cheap as possible - the safety net is the relatively safe environment etc.

Alpkit gear now seems to fit the gap between expensive light gear and cheap nasty gear - good stuff at a good price, but obviously the more obsessive we get the more we spend on lightweight fabrics and specialised kit.

[TheBrownDog]

Gonna go off on a tangent cos this got me thinking (great thread BTW), mostly about how cheaply I could put together gear for a night away rather than spending the full £150. In fact, as a tight (former) Northerner, I felt it necessary to push the budget down to £20 and spent a half hour on eBay.

Tarp - 3x3m blue number for £2.80 - probably not a the highest HH rating on the planet and the grommets will pull out in a light breeze, but it should do for one night

Rope for guys and, if needed, a ridge line - 6m for £1.80. I'm not taking poles as would use the bike/wheel or a couple of handy trees.

Pegs - easy to get a bundle of 20 for £1 and I think 8 would be more than enough

Bivi - went for an emergency shelter bag on the assumption that I'd only use it in the unlikely circumstance of rain blowing under my beautifully pitched tarp - £1.99

Sleeping mat - blue foam jobby that is just like the ones we all used for years before we decided we needed upgrades - £2.69.

Sleeping bag - found a Gelert Hebog 2 season for £9.99. Weighs 1kg and wont pack small but would certainly do the job in late Spring/Summer

Stove - if we were really pushing the envelope we'd be gathering twigs and sticks and a few nicely shaped rocks as a pot stand, but in the spirit of the exercise (and assuming open fires are a no go) a Gelert solid fuel stove (just like an Esbit only cheaper and completely crap) and 24 fuel tab can be had for £2.49. As an alky stove devotee, I'd knock up (yet another) pop can stove.

Cooking pot - army surplus suppliers will sell you a quite reasonable mess kit for £3.99. Spoon from the cutlery draw.

Dry bags - rubble sacks, or in this case, a couple of the 200 old fertiliser bags that I liberated from a skip two years ago - fold and roll the top and tie it down. It might not survive a dunking, but they will do the job fine even in heavy rain - £0

There's heaps more bits and pieces we all carry, like a head torch and small first aid kit etc, but that's the big ticket items covered. Might also need a backpack, but only if Im taking way too many clothes and food.

Doing the maths, I broke the £20 budget mostly because I didn't factor in the usury postal charges we're now paying. I also don't imagine this kit would make for the most comfortable night ever spent in the wilderness, but it would be a perfectly serviceable intro to the world of bikepacking. In fact, warming to the subject and ranting now, I might actually go through with this and see how it works out. This guy (link below) has taken the cheap AND lightweight thing to a whole other level, saving money on a spoon by using the plastic one a flight attendant gave him (hmmm ... )

http://ultralightcycling.blogspot.co.uk

[Bearbonesnorm]

But nothing to put it all in?

Pay attention

Karrimor Kodiak 30L rucksack - £32
http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-ko ... ack-792153

[Ian]

You sure you didn't put that in afterwards? :?

[Ben98]

OK, so
I've done this similarly for my kit (15 year old with no money)
I've got
Snugpak softie 3= bought from the factory- £35 (950g)
Cheap foam mat, cut down ~£3 (70g)
Alpkit hunka= £30 (376g)
Gelert phoenix mini cook set= Trangia mini copy- £15 (300g)
Alpkit gourdon 30= £25 (700g)
Quechua tarp= Leave the poles at home- £25 (700g)
Alpkit gamma= added in to complete things £15 (80g excluding battery's)
Aldi AAA battery's~ £2

There we go
Abseloutly everything I need for several nights out, £150 on the nose
Weight~3180g

[gairym]

Some folks above echo what I was thinking:

- Cheap snugpak bag
- Dirt cheap foam mat
- Alpkit 'Hunka'

I also agree about a cookset not being essential at first too.

But.....a homemade meths burner would cost nothing (assuming someone in the house uses deodorant) and a decent cookset is pretty cheap (the GSI Halulite 'Minimalist' is available for under £30 including shipping here) and so it's not impossible to sneak cooking capabilities in under £150.

Seems that for £150 you'll get survival and moderate comfort and a reasonable weight but no luxuries.

Not a bad way to start and would certainly enable anyone interested but not flush to 'get out there' and see if they like it!

[rudedog]

My first couple of bikepacking trips I used -

Tesco micro-lite sleeping bag - £8
Lidl rocktrail tent - £15
cheap sleeping mat - £4
coleman pan set - £8
gelert lightweight stove + canister - £12
8l & 12l airlok xtra bags - £15
alpkit gamma headtorch - £12

This was still a pretty lightweight set up for a total cost of £74 (summer only though)

My set up now is

Vango ultralite sleeping bag - £35
Vango Helium 200 tent - £110
Exped Synmat 7 UL - £60
Coleman pan set - £8
gelert lightweight stove + canister - £12
8l & 12l airlok xtra bags - £15
alpkit gamma headtorch - £12

total cost £252

[Ray Young]

Terra nova adventure tarp 1 from RVops £30
Vango alloy channel pegs 2 packs from go outdoors £6
Alpkit hunka bivi bag £30
Alpkit airlock 13l dry bags x2 £14
Alpkit fredd 3 mmx20m utility chord £4.50
Gelert guy line runners 2 packs from go outdoors £2
Hi gear foam mat from go outdoors £5
Gelert solid fuel stove from go outdoors £5
Quest 4 piece cook set from go outdoors £5
Gelert Arno straps 2 packs £4 from go outdoors
Vango planet sleeping bag £35 from go outdoors
Hi gear Auckland 20 day pack £7 from go outdoors

Comes to £147.50

[tommid]

Ok this would relie on some making of a tarp and ground sheet, but easily done.

Mountain Wharehouse Microlite 500 sleeping bag £26.99
http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/walkin ... RANGE#Desc

Sheet of Window film for Tarp and ground sheet £7

Tent pegs £3.50

Paracord £3

Alpkit airlok xtra dry bags 8l £7 for seat pack, 13l £8.50 as a bar bag

Straps to attach the dry bags £8

Alpkit Airo 120 £35

Alpkit Hunka £30

gelert Phoenix cookset £20

=£148.99