I’ve had many people ask about the gear we use while bikepacking. My husband and I are getting ready to do a week-long ride in Nebraska, so I photographed my gear and what I’ll be bringing. When we got started bikepacking, I found this kind of information very helpful in learning how it all goes.
First – a note about this particular ride. We will be riding the Cowboy Trail, which is a 195-mile route across north central Nebraska. This trail is part of the national Rails to Trails Conservancy, which converts old unused railroad routes into trails for use by hikers and cyclists, and in some areas, horseback riders. If you’re interested in bikepacking, I’d really encourage you to take a ride on one of these trails to get started. Some are paved, but most consist of hard-packed fine gravel, so they are easy to ride. And since they are old railroad beds, they’re also pretty flat. They’re located all over the country, so you’re sure to find one close to your home. Cowboy Trail guide
My first taste of a rail-trail was on the Katy Trail in Missouri, which was a fantastic experience. I used a different bike and gear, but I’ll cover that in another blog post.
This trip, I decided to ride my gravel bike, a Salsa Fargo. I’ve had this bike for a couple years, and really love how comfortable she is to ride. (Her name is Suzanne Sugarbaker.) Since I hadn’t taken her bikepacking before, I had to get a few new pieces of gear to get her ready to haul a load. Here she is before I loaded everything on her. She has an aluminum frame with a carbon fork.
![Fargo unloaded](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/fargo-unloaded.jpg?w=500)
I already had the two feedbags at top left, which I usually use to hold water bottles, the tank bag that’s mounted on the top bar, the saddle bag (mounted under the seat), and the frame bag. I purchased a Salsa Alternator Standard Rear Rack, which you can see mounted. I’ll be putting Ortlieb panniers on it. I also purchased two Salsa Anything Cages, which you can see mounted to the front fork, and will be carrying two Salsa Anything Cage Bags on those.
I’ll now show you each bag and what I’m putting in each one. After I got them packed and on the bike, I did have to move a couple things around to make sure weight was distributed equally. Will try to note those changes below.
![RP camp](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rp-camp.jpg?w=500)
One rear pannier will carry my camp gear (kind of listed clockwise beginning with the sleeping bag): a Sea to Summit lightweight sleeping bag (its compression bag is the yellow/green and black bag at top right), REI down compactable pillow, sleeping bag liner, towel and washcloth, solar camp light, head light, mini first aid kit, bug spray, liquid camp wash, sleeping bag pad, a couple of clips, TP, sleep socks, and flip flops. I forgot to include a small portable battery in this photo.
My husband, Keith, will be hauling our tent.
I just realized I didn’t note the brand/model of most of this gear, and since it’s already packed, I’ll add that info later.
![RP clothes](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rp-clothes.jpg?w=500)
The other rear pannier will carry my clothes for the week. Clockwise-ish, beginning at the ball cap: Patagonia lightweight khaki pants, t-shirt, and shorts (all for off-bike), midweight jacket (black), windbreaker (yellow), silk long underwear, yellow shopping bag (handy for carrying clothes to and from shower), five pairs socks, shorts and t-shirt to sleep in (grey at center), sleeves (white), riding gloves, Buff, two pair cycling shorts, two short sleeve jerseys. I’m also bringing several pairs of underwear, but you don’t need to see them.
With the exception of the gloves and sleeves, I’m not including the riding clothes I’ll be wearing when we start out. Again, I’ll get info on specific brands for this stuff.
Some other people I ride with don’t carry as much clothing as I do. It’s personal choice. I’m not comfortable if I’m not reasonably clean, so I bring more. I can and have washed clothes on the trail, so there’s always that option. Again, personal preference.
![cage food](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cage-food.jpg?w=500)
One of the cage bags will carry food-related items. Clockwise, from top left: bag of Skratch and Shockblocks, bag of Starbucks Via instant coffee, bag of sweetener packets, a couple packets of instant oatmeal, travel-size packets of HooHa Ride Glide (ended up putting this in the clothing pannier), koozie, spork, pocket knife, collapseable bowl and cup, bandana.
Keith will be carrying our Jetboil camp stove. This is one of our favorite pieces of gear, and I’d absolutely recommend spending the extra money to get one.
We are planning to stop at the many small towns along the route for our meals, so didn’t bring much in the way of food, except the oatmeal (I have better endurance throughout the day if I get something in my stomach before starting a ride). We also each brought one packet of Mountain Home dehydrated food in case we are unable to find a cafe at any given day. I stowed that in my clothing pannier.
Also, you will notice I didn’t skimp on the coffee. Civilized life would cease to exist (at least around me) if I don’t have a couple cups of coffee in the mornings. Besides, it weighs next to nothing. Non-negotiable.
![cage toi](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cage-toi.jpg?w=500)
I am using the other cage bag to carry my travel-sized toiletries and some trail mix refills. I think I got the little toiletries bag at Walmart, but can’t recall right now. I like it because it’s much sturdier than a ziploc bag to carry toiletries. It’s not a large bag, but it carries all I need.
![tank](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/tank.jpg?w=500)
The tank bag doesn’t hold a lot, but I use it to carry my phone, a small bag of trail mix, and an emergency TP bag. I mix my own trail mix to get the stuff I like. I prefer larger chunks of nuts, such as walnuts, dried apricots and blueberries, and M&Ms, plus a few other things. I like having chocolate in the mix, but learned to use M&Ms or those cocoa powder-covered almonds, or the chocolate ends up melting and you wind up with a mess.
I ended up having to put my small notebook and a pen in my camp pannier.
![frame](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/frame.jpg?w=500)
My frame bag is holding my sunglasses case, sunscreen, a small pack of tissues, my wallet, and a mesh bug net. I also have a compact bike lock in there that I forgot to add to this photo.
![chair](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/chair.jpg?w=500)
I’m carrying my Helinox camp chair on the rear rack. Easy to strap it on using a couple of Roc straps. This chair is another item I think is worth splurging on. It’s very lightweight and much more comfortable than sitting on the ground in the evenings.
![feed bags](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/feed-bags.jpg?w=500)
Top view looking at my Revelate feedbags. I use these to carry water bottles. They have a little bit of insulation, so they do keep the water cool for awhile. On short rides, I usually put my phone in one and a water bottle in the other. They have drawstrings if you want to secure something.
This photo also shows my bike computer, and the other mount is for my headlight. I probably won’t need it on this ride, but I put it and my taillight in one of the panniers.
![cage bags front](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/cage-bags-front.jpg?w=500)
Just a shot showing the cage bags mounted. I also forgot to mention the bottle cage mounted underneath the frame. You can see it at right side of this photo. I will carry three bottles of water this trip.
![front](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/front.jpg?w=500)
Here’s a different view of the front of the bike after it was loaded.
![tank and frame](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/tank-and-frame.jpg?w=500)
A view of the loaded Revelate tank bag and Banjo Brothers frame bag. The feedbags have little mesh compartments (top left) on the side where I usually keep stuff like a tissue and lip balm.
![rear](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/rear.jpg?w=500)
A view of the rear of the bike after it was loaded. You can see how neatly the Ortlieb panniers and my chair sit on that rack. The weight is pretty much equal between the two bags, even though one looks puffier than the other.
A word about Ortlieb panniers … I have this large set and a smaller matching set that fits on the front rack of my touring bike. I also have a matching handlebar bag. So far, I’m very happy with these bags. They are durable, seem to be holding up well, and they seal well. They’re also nice looking. There are less expensive brands out there, but these are doing a great job for me.
I failed to take a photo of the gear I always keep in the saddle bag, which is a spare tube, a patch kit, a folding bike tool, and a tire lever set. I also always carry a mini tire pump, which can be seen mounted to the lower post.
![Fargo loaded](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/fargo-loaded.jpg?w=500)
And here she is – all loaded. What a beautiful rig!
I have 27.6 pounds of gear, not including the three water bottles. I think that’s a pretty reasonable load. I will again note that I’m lucky to be traveling with my husband, as he’s a stronger rider and can carry our tent and camp stove.
Of course, the load will vary for each person, according to their personal needs or preferences. It doesn’t take long to figure out what items you can ditch, and what items are essential. (Honestly, you don’t need as much of that crap as you think you do.) You will also need to determine your specific ‘extras,’ which aren’t essential, except for your own well-being. My personal must-have items are coffee, a pillow, chair, and baby wipes. Oh, and definitely sunscreen.
![Keith gear](https://cindysheets.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/keith-gear.jpg?w=500)
Here’s how Keith is organizing his gear. He has basically the same stuff I do, with the addition of the Jetboil, our tent, and a first aid kit. He also threw in a water purification system. I didn’t bring mine because we will be going through towns every 10-15 miles or so on this trail. FYI – he rides a Surly ECR and will be using small rear panniers and cage bags on the front fork.
So that’s it! If you have comments or questions, fire away and I’ll try to answer them. And I will update this info with specific brand/model info for the gear. I just don’t want to unpack everything now.
I hope to make some posts while on the Cowboy Trail, but if we don’t have good internet service, I’ll do it when we return.
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