Bikepacking tips

[vorlich]

There's a thread over at STW asking the question:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic ... ry-details

I thought I'd post up the same over here, but open it up to general tips and knowledge you've picked up over the years. I've seen the 25 tips via the blog before. What else you got?

Here's my contribution to the STW thread:

Eat little and often whilst riding and take some electrolyte tabs - I've found I'm less susceptible to headaches after a long day in the saddle if I use 1 or 2 over the course of the day.

Dr Bronner's isn't so bad for brushing your teeth with.

IMO, don't bother wasting your time heli taping your frame at framebag strapping points, just use some decent duct tape and remove it after the ride. Easier to work with and it may come in handy in a pinch too.

Consider bibs/tights even if it's forecast to be warm, should help reduce tick/cleg issues. (I react badly to cleg bites). Carry antihistamines and a tick removal tool. And Ibuprofen, obviously.

If you'll be fording streams/rivers, some goretex socks or freezer bags keep your clean socks dry in camp once back in damp shoes.

[SimonD]

Folding stainless steel trowel from poundland, to dig with of sharpen a stick for a hole to dump in.

[Dave Barter]

I'm to blame for starting it.

I've done a lot of touring lightweight on road via B&B's WRT will be my first foray off road carrying everything. The thread has a lot of great ideas but there are a few I am still dithering about.

1) GPS. I'm torn between using my Edge 800 with a cable to my PD hub for recharging or a Dakata with batteries. The Dakota seems more failsafe
2) Food, wouldn't mind some ideas on things to carry for evening meal and breakfast. For sure takeways/pubs are options, but nice to get into the spirit of things
3) Getting drenched. On my last Lejog I had one day with biblical rain. Every single inch of me got wet despite goretex, waterproofs etc.. That evening I basically wrecked a B&B in an attempt to dry everything off. How do you cope with a bivi and sleeping bag? How do you stop dripping all over the place. towel? Or sit naked for as long as you can bear?
4) Packing tips appreciated. I have a wildcat mountain lion bar harness and Tiger seatpost bag. Currently dithering on how to pack my jetboil and what to put where (I have dry bags as well) best advice seems to be keep dry stuff up front and wet/dirty stuff at back. I'll probably have a backpack as well, I've done a 1000 mile tour with one so it will not be a problem.
5) water. I was planning a bottle cage mount for cooking water and then bladder for ride water. Fill the bottle at last moment.

Anything else greatly appreciated. Although I'm not stressing about it all, quite the opposite, adventure is all about the unknown ain't it.

[Ben98]

Wear your wet clothes as long as you possibly can before getting into bed, this will help dry them out far quicker than taking them off. Though never get into bed wet (I'm gonna assume you don't have a buffalo (pile and pertex) sleeping bag) as this will be heinously uncomfortable and you will stay cold, especially with a down bag.

[vorlich]

I quite like 2x oats-so-simple for brekkie. I just make it with hot water and it's fine. Starbucks via if you can tolerate it.

On food/nibbles for riding - I take trail mix, Tesco do it quite cheap each bag has ~1000k/cals. I also take babybels and peperami and John West Tuna lunch. Oatcakes are great for bulking up dinner/slop.

Focus on having warm clothes for camp, if the rain is that bad, nothing you can do will keep you dry. Neoprene boots can help keep toes warm when wet.

I don't use a proper GPS, but found viewranger invaluable for confirming position, OS mapping. I also take printed maps, just in case.

[Mart]

I make breakfast bags (using the kitchen food bags) which are lightweight to carry
Into each i put 2 or 3 Oatibix, Nuts, Raisins, Honey, Kids fruity flakes, 2 tablespoons of milk Powder.... anything else you fancy really
In the morning, just add water and eat straight out the bag

[Matt]

I like the Fingernails tip, that Tiger chap over on STW is a bit of a genius.

[Ian]

I like the Fingernails tip, that Tiger chap over on STW is a bit of a genius.

Better for sorting through spare change with too

Wear your wet clothes as long as you possibly can before getting into bed, this will help dry them out far quicker than taking them off.

I read that on the forum recently too...

As far as how to survive in a downpour in concerned - keep riding until you can find a roof over your head, then apply the above. Stopping in even a mildly exposed place may risk getting cold, which if you're wet is bad news.

[Matt]

1) GPS. I'm torn between using my Edge 800 with a cable to my PD hub for recharging or a Dakata with batteries. The Dakota seems more failsafe

I haven't got a GPS but I would imagine either are fine and not worth worrying about

2) Food, wouldn't mind some ideas on things to carry for evening meal and breakfast. For sure takeways/pubs are options, but nice to get into the spirit of things.

Every WRT/ Bivi Trip/ There n Back I've done I end up bring food back Which is just silly, even this weekend I did it again.
I have found that the OatsoSimples that come in 1 shot pots are great, decant into a zip bag and just add water for Breakfast
Pot noodles work well, again ditch the plastic pot, smash into pieces and zip lok, add boiling water and Bombay Bad on Welsh Hillside is okay
For the WRT this year I will take, 2 x OatSoSimple, 2 x Pot Noodles, a Pack of Jelly Babies
THe rest I will pick up in Pubs, Spars, Petrol Stations

3) Getting drenched. On my last Lejog I had one day with biblical rain. Every single inch of me got wet despite goretex, waterproofs etc.. That evening I basically wrecked a B&B in an attempt to dry everything off. How do you cope with a bivi and sleeping bag? How do you stop dripping all over the place. towel? Or sit naked for as long as you can bear?

Never had rain that bad, but if it was pea sized rain that would get through GoreTex then I'd be off the bike hunkering under something and not riding, find shelter , put a tarp up, get a coffee on. Don't get drenched.

4) Packing tips appreciated. I have a wildcat mountain lion bar harness and Tiger seatpost bag. Currently dithering on how to pack my jetboil and what to put where (I have dry bags as well) best advice seems to be keep dry stuff up front and wet/dirty stuff at back. I'll probably have a backpack as well, I've done a 1000 mile tour with one so it will not be a problem.

I tend to stick stuff together in groups,

Up front on Bars
Sleeping bag in own dry bag goes into bar drybag first
Then Bivi bag
Then Tarp

In seat pack
Tend to put stove, mug, meths at the bottom near seatpost
Then Down Jacket

In Framebag
Tarp poles
Windshield
Water filter
Spare tubes, repair kit
Sleeping Mat

On my back
Water Bladder
Kagool
Spot


5) water. I was planning a bottle cage mount for cooking water and then bladder for ride water. Fill the bottle at last moment.

Or pick a spot near water and just take bladder?

[Bearbonesnorm]

On similar lines to Ian ... if it's raining, slow down and keep riding until you come across some kind of roof (don't dismiss anything). I say slow down because it might be a while before you find said roof and as long as you're moving you won't die.

Try and keep everything tidy, don't just empty you kit out all over the floor ... you'll lose something.

Pack you shelter so it's easy to get at, get it up before you do anything else.

Make sure you buy a 50p lighter just prior to setting off ... but make sure the shop doesn't have any notes and can only give you change in, 50p and pound coins ... this one's always better when it happens to another member of your group.

When it all starts to get a bit grim (and it will sooner or later) just remember that the hardest trips make the best stories.

It's much easier to dry off and get changed under a big(ish) tarp than it is inside a 1 or 2 man tent.

If you're sleeping in a bivvy bag, don't put anything wet or damp inside it ... it won't dry it out because there'll be so much condensation in there. It'll come out just as wet and everything else will now also be wet.

Flapjack and coffee makes a fine breakfast.

[jBay]

Look What We've Found food
cheap in supermarkets currently
can be eaten cold without reheating, if required
bulk out with rice etc

[slarge]

On the GPS via SP hub subject - don't connect the hub straight to the GPS - you risk expensive damage to the GPS. You need to smooth out the fluctuating voltage using a small voltage stabiliser - see other threads on Sinewave or other units. Or you can do what I do: buy a PortaPow battery pack (£15), Use the GPS while you charge the battery pack. Then overnight use the battery pack to charge the GPS. My current battery packs are £17, 8400mAh and do 3.5 charges of the Garmin 800. And you can charge a phone from them (or lights etc).

Food - currants, cranberries etc make excellent alternatives to jelly babies - brilliant for grabbing a handful as you are riding and getting some instant boost.

Dry stuff up front (bedding, some clothes). It's out of the way of all the crap thrown up by your wheels.
Rattly stuff on your back (it can drive a man potty having that constant rattle of cooking utensils)

Carrier bags - make great camp shoes, cold foot warmers (put them over dry socks in wet shoes and they keep your dry socks dry, and the wind out). Also good for limited strolling round at night (for a leak etc). And most shops give them away (except in Wales where they charge 5p)

Warm food before you bed down - keeps the night a bit warmer.

Have a good look at the map to check out where you can pick food up along the way - just bear in mind opening hours (Wales is open between 2 and 3 on some days - except Spars that are the saviour of many a bikepacker)

Enjoy yourself!

[voodoo_simon]

Food, mix of fruit n nuts with jelly babies mixed on (chopped up into small pieces). Lotd of calories that can sit in a bottle attached to the frame

Waterproof shorts are a must for me as it keeps most water out and almost all the mud

And Dave, for toilet habits, wee first and then drop your pants for a number two

Pack of small wet wipes doesn't go amiss either, great for hands etc

[Bearbonesnorm]

And Dave, for toilet habits, wee first and then drop your pants for a number two

Waterproof shorts are a must for me

I know where you're coming from

[Dave Barter]

And Dave, for toilet habits, wee first and then drop your pants for a number two

I learnt that the hard way halfway up the Aonach Eagach

[Chew]

Top Tips for those who may have missed them.

Always use kit that you are comfortable with. Nothing worse than having that niggling doubt in the back of your mind.

As for food most people take to much, so go a bit lighter and plan a Spar stop in somewhere to resupply.
I'll take trail mix for ridding and some flat jack for breakfast. Evening meal will be instant mashed potato, bit of grated cheese and some kind of dryed meat/sausage in a pour and store bag.

Its easier to find a bivi spot in day light, so an hour before it gets dark (about 8:30) start to look out for bivi spots. If the weathers nice find somewhere with a view, if its not somewhere with some natural cover (trees, wall, Wendy House). You'll rarely find the perfect spot so once you've found something 8/10 go for that.

Once you have your spot put up your tent/tarp first so you have somewhere to shelter if it does start to rain. Then get yourself warm. Personally i'd take off any wet clothes off my top half and put on my dry top/jacket/hat/gloves and then pop my waterproof back on. Once you're warm your brain will work better and you wont make silly mistakes which will cause other problems.

Pack things in groups. Stuff that must be kept dry (sleeping bag, etc.), stuff that doesnt matter if it gets a bit damp (tarp, bivi, mat...), Heavy stuff (stove, tools). Have a practice packing the bike up in the kitchen, rather than leaving it until you turn up in the field. Also if you're in the habit of putting stuff in the same place its easier to find in the dark or if you're tired.
Also pack some space. When its raining, your fingers are cold and everything is wet it never packs as small as it did in the dry and warm kitchen.

Just because you have a plan, it doesnt mean you have to follow it. Be flexible and go with the flow

[Yorlin]

Lorne sausages are the most efficient sausages!

Make sure you buy a 50p lighter just prior to setting off ... but make sure the shop doesn't have any notes and can only give you change in, 50p and pound coins ... this one's always better when it happens to another member of your group.

What are the coins for?

[slarge]

What are the coins for?

I'm guessing condom machines.....

Not sure why - emergency water carrier perhaps?

[Yorlin]

"Welsh Ride Thing"...?

[Ian]

What are the coins for?

I'm guessing condom machines.....

Not sure why - emergency water carrier perhaps?

To weigh you down, obviously. It's become a bit of a standard joke - it's traditional to start a bivvy trip with at least £15 in shrapnel, as Matt (first winter bivvy) and Stu (Radnor Ring trip) will testify.

[psling]

Bit unfashionable but I'm a fan of a lightweight poncho for wet camps, even keeps you dry when taking a dump
Another useful bit of kit if you hear every little noise through the night is a pair of ear plugs.

[Zoglug]

Can't believe I hadn't read this thread earlier! It's given me some decent tips!

The thought of cycling along the canal tomorrow fills me with dread! I was planning to do it to hebden bridge tomorrow but with how gritty I got cycling only 6 miles home from work along the canal and having to get in a sleeping bag/Bivi bag I'm not sure how it will work without ruining everything I'll give it a go though and may be back in the market for more gear soon!