What to Take on a Bikepacking Trip

I am about to ride for 13 days from Butte Montana heading south on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. I normally ride on paved roads through more populated places, but this trip will be more remote and it will be on dirt roads where pushing the bike or carrying it over obstacles is a real probability. Bikepacking is like biking and backpacking mixed together, so the gear list leans towards lightweight like backpacking. I find it helpful to take a list of everything I plan to bring and compare it to what I come home with. 

The bike will look something like this when everything is packed on it

Missing from these photos are:

• Water bottles which are on the bike
• A small cooking pot which I shipped out already 
• Stuff sack full of food

This is what I am going to be wearing on the plane. This will all come along with me on the trip. A long-sleeved red synthetic top, a simple cotton t-shirt for sleeping and for in-town wear, a pair of nylon "Prana Stretch Zion" pants, underwear and a hat. 

This is my handlebar pouch, so it will have maps, phone+battery+charger, earbuds, a rain shell, a water purifier, sunscreen, two buff/facemask things and a spoon. Basically, things I will probably need several times a day. 

The orange stuff sack and blue backpack are very lightweight and will be used when I have to carry a lot of food. As the food gets eaten, they disappear into the other packs. There are also two small bags that fit on the handlebars that hold a water bottle, phone, snacks, sunglasses, and other small items that should be readily available.  

This is my sleeping stuff. It all fits into the black bag shown in the photo which will be mounted on one of the bike forks. Clockwise from top right is a ground cloth, a green tarp, a hammock and the yellow inflatable sleeping pad. In the center is a yellow inflatable pillow and two poles for pitching the tarp. In nice weather, I can sleep in the hammock. The poles are from my hiking poles with the handle section removed. Turns out that they are the perfect length for pitching a tarp. The poles and the food bag will be held in front of the handlebars. 

The sleeping stuff also includes a headlamp, ear plugs, an eye shade (it is just a headband) and a sleeping bag. It all fits into the blue bag which goes on one of the bike forks. 

This is an odd assortment of items. From top left, there is a bag with repair items and first aid stuff, then a piece of aluminum to be used as a wind shield for the stove, four orange clothespins and some string, a propane canister, toiletries including a washcloth and a tube of chamois cream. Next is the spice kit with a few spices a fork and a lighter, a blue cup and a very small MSR "Pocket Rocket" stove (the silver and red thing). Tent stakes and a spoon round out the list. 

For clothing, I have a red merino wool t-shirt, a blue puffy jacket, some camp shoes, socks, underwear, two bike shorts, a hat and gloves, one bike jersey and a compression stuff sack that holds it all. All of this and the airplane clothes will join the cooking pot in the big bag that goes under my saddle. 

In the black frame bag, I will have tubes and chain lube, a repair kit, a leatherman, some zip ties and extra batteries. The frame bag looks a bit empty but it will get filled up with things like the spice kit, toiletries, the hammock and other items.