Cycle Travel Overload

Bikepacking & Adventure Cycling

Recommended Bikepacking Gear

On this page you will find all the best gear I have personally tested and recommend the most if you are looking to get into bikepacking. Consider these a confidant choice as I have had first hand experience with all this bikepacking gear and can back it up with real world testing.

All this gear is probably not going to suit everyone. When it comes to bikepacking and bicycle touring, it depends on the type of riding that you will be doing. This results in different bike choices. However most of the gear works with all bikes. But my bike is a gravel/adventure bike which still is capable for MTB trails but if you plan to ride juts MTB terrain a mountain bike is more preferable.

My Bike

The rig of choice is the 2020 Kona Sutra LTD. Designed to be a drop bar bike that felt like a mountain bike and rode like a mountain bike but had the speed of a road bike. Those WTB Venture 50 tires are fast rolling and allow you to maintain fast speeds on the tarmac while also the outside grip helps grap the grit for cornering. The all steel frame and fork, works well for added bump absorption and ride quality. For the riding I like to do, many thousand km adventures across a country. Steel is great for that added strength when carry gear for such long adventures.

It is a little heavy at around 13 Kg but this modern steel is still lighter feeling then older steel bikes. As I am getting more interested in trails and steep MTB routes. The gearing is not setup for steep climbs, So I will be changing that 36t crank to a 32 or 34. And I have some MTB tires for better traction on the rough stuff and that extra suppleness. But this bike is ideal if you plan to go adventure touring and bikepacking on roads, gravel and medium difficulty single track.

Traditional Touring Bike Recommendation

If you are after a more traditional touring bike. My favourite is the Surly Long Haul Trucker. It is built for reliability and strength, one of the most iconic touring bikes ever made!

Still looking for other bike options? Gravel Bike? Or maybe Fat Bikes? Or Traditional Touring Bikes? Below is a list of some of the best bikes from all these categories that have been mentioned here on the blog.

Gravel Bike Articles:

Touring Bike Articles:

Fat Bikes and Other Bike Articles:

Bikepacking Bags

One of the most important piece of kit for bikepacking adventures. Is the bags that hold all your gear. From my own experience you want bags that are strong, durable and ideally waterproof. When I first got into exploring by bike. I purchased the cheapest bags I could find, and they ended up being the worst quality and within day three I had to zip tie the ripped bags together. If you are worried about not being able to take enough gear, most bikepacking bags surprisingly have large enough capacities. Some bikepacking saddle bags can be rather small though. Panniers might be the way to go, but this generally means more weight to carry.

Further down you can see my personal recommendations of all different types of bikepacking bags. But if you also want some other options, these articles include bikepacking bags featured on this blog.

Bikepacking Bag Articles:

Saddle Bag

 I have tried a few different saddle bag options. Some of the more budget options, are okay, but lack quality and waterproofness. That is why I love the Apidura Expeditation 17L Saddle Pack. So much capacity for a saddle bag for some of the lighter weight gear, like; sleeping bag, pillow, and clothing.

When it is not raining and I am feeling that more old school look, I opt for the Carradice Camper Longflap Saddle Bag, which has a huge 23 litre capacity, which means you can go for a multi-night tour with ease. It has three straps to attach to your bike, but I didn’t have enough clearance on my seatpost from the rear tire. So had to get one of the additional saddle bag fixing systems for extra support to lift the bag up off the tire.

Handlebar Bag

When on big bike adventures and I need to carry some extra gear. I use this Restrap Bar Bag Holster and Food Pouch and 14L Dry Bag. Which is waterproof thanks to the dry bag and the magnetic pin system which attaches the food pouch to the rest of the bag and is perfect for your wallet and other personal items that you can take with you into shops. It is on the most durable & functional handlebar bags I have used, that also looks great.

If you are in the market for a smaller capacity handlebar bag, I recommend you check out this article: Best Small Handlebar Bags Or Burrito Bags For Day Rides.

Stem Bag / Feed Bags

Feed bags make a great addition to any bikepacking setup. This can mean storing water bottles for easy access at your handlebars. Or using them to hold snacks and food which is ready to eat on the go. I am a big fan of Wizard Works Voila! Snack Bag and the TreadLite Stache Bag.

Looking for other feed bag options? Read more at : Best Stem Bags / Feed Bags for Bikepacking

Frame Bag

One of the best ways to store those heavier items on your bike. I use this full frame bag to store my laptop, stove, food, water bladder and other heavier items. Storing such items on the frame and lower to the ground. Helps with the handling of the bike and lowering its centre of gravity, when fully loaded. The bag pictured is the, Apidura Expedition Full Frame Pack 14L which is 100% waterproof. And I was so surprised to see how well it fit my 56cm frame bike, almost like it was made for it!

Top Tube Bag

For storing phone, wallet, tools and snacks. I have used a number of top tube bags. At the moment I like Moosetreks Top Tube Bag which is an affordable option. Was lucky enough to get their full bikepacking bag set. Which I am currently testing for a later review.

Cargo Cages and Dry Bags

For those bikes that have a couple braze on points on the fork, a cargo cage with dry bag combination. Is a great way to add another 5 to 8L in extra storage capacity on either side of the fork. Or you can use the cargo cages to store water bottles.

These Sea to Summit Dry Sacks 8L are great quality and work well as cargo cage dry bags. (They also make the River Dry Bags, which have a lop attachment on the side of the bag for attachment material to pass through for added security.) But the cage I use does a good job at holding the dry bags in place. Such dry bags are perfect for storing lighter and easier to shape items. Like my tent in one bag and all my clothing in another. Attached onto the bike via the Blackburn Outpost Cage Cage, which is also great for carry my water bottles.

Looking for more dry bag options for bikepacking? Or what about cargo cages?

Bikepacking Mounting Straps

What better way to make your bikepacking bike more versatile? With mounting straps of course! The Stretch-Loc TPU Straps from Sea to Summit allow you to mount just about anything to your bike on just about any area of your bike. Available in a number of different sizes.

Water Bottles & Bladder

With water bottles you can just about use whatever you have to mount on your bikes water bottle cages. I use two, Nalgene Silo 1.5L Water Bottles. And a Camelbak Omega Water Beast Reservoir water bladder.

Bikes Saddles & Seats

The Brooks B17 Saddle. Has to be one of the most comfortable saddles I have ever used. Moulding to your bum, at some point after riding this saddle you don’t even need to wear bib liners for padding, even on month long tours! Read my review here.

Also looking for other bike saddle information?

Pedals

I change it up when it comes to pedals. One of our most popular pages on this blog is, 13 Best Gravel Bike Pedals 2020 – Flat and Clipless Pedals for Gravel Bikes. My top three from that article are the ones picture above. Best flat pedal goes to the RaceFace Chesters (review here.) Then more expensive clipless pedal made from carbon and ideal for mountain bikers, is the ATAC XC8 Pedals which have that carbon body and a durable hollow, oversized steel axle. Then if you are on a but for some great clipless pedals you can’t go wrong with some SPD. The Shimano PD-M520 pedals.

Preferred Tires

Tires can make or break the way a bike rides. As I got more interested in exploring off the beaten path, my touring bike had clearance for 45mm tires which helped explore those rougher roads. But the more I liked riding off road, the more equipped my tire selection become.

Gravel Tires

My favourite gravel tires are the WTB Venture 50. A fast rolling tire the works very well on roads without slowing you down. But also give grip off road. Not the best when it comes to MTB terrain.

MTB Tires

Which is why I recommend the Teravail Ehline MTB tires. I got a set in 29 x 2.3 inch. Which is just enough clearance for my gravel bike. But this turns my gravel/adventure bike into more of a gravel/adventure/MTB bike. Making it more capable on some of the more extreme singletracks and off road routes then would be with the gravel tires.

Touring Bike Tires

 If traditional bike touring is more your style, the Schwalbe Marathon tires are bomb proof. And many tourers form all over the world, highly recommend these tires.

Comfortable Clothing

Wearing clothing that is comfortable for long term bike adventures is key to having one of the best times possible. My goal with bikepacking clothing is to wear gear that is comfortable for riding days on end, on bike but also comfortable off bike and ideally look like normal clothing. Above is most of the clothing I take on bikepacking adventures.

Some more bikepacking clothing options:

Cycling Shorts and Bib Liners

I am a really big fan of two pairs of cycling shorts that are on the market today. Eleven Pine Men’s Uprising Shorts which also have the option to come with their Liberator Liner for Men, (which I also have used and are rather good). Then there is the 7Mesh Farside Shorts. Both are excellent quality and super comfortable. The Uprising Shorts feature a form-fit on the bike and loose, comfortable fit off the bike. Thanks to the Adjustable Velcro closure on the lower leg. While the Farside Shorts are surface-adaptable summer shorts, built for all-road adventures and styled for stops at the shops and in town. I like to keep both of these shorts packed on my bike for long term adventures.

When it comes to Bib Liners and that extra comfort to be worn underneath the above shorts. I highly recommend the Velocio Men’s Trail Mesh bib Liner. These are so comfortable but are the mesh option and are not really good for wearing just alone, due to the transparent nature of these particular liners.

Shirts & Tops

When it comes to tops I like to keep it casual but with a dose of function. That’s why I highly recommend Velocio’s Trail Collection. Men’s Delta Long Sleeve and their Men’s Trail Base Layer. Which has pockets at the back like a cycling jersey for extra storage, for snacks and such. Then I just have a lightweight, fast drying polyester long sleeve button front shirt, I purchased from the thrift store. And the Velocio Trail Cap to finish of my kit! Also if you are a hardcore gravel grinder, Velocio have quite the Gravel Collection.

Pants

With pants I will often have a cheap part of trackies I buy from places like Kmart or Target. That can just be trashed at camp and sleep in. But when it is raining and I want to stay dry. I use Showers Pass Men’s Refuge Pants.

Jacket

Jackets are a must, for when it gets really cold at camp. And even riding on the bike in the rain. This jacket above, features, ventilation, wind shielding technology and even a magnetic bum protection flap. The Showers Pass Refuge Waterproof Jacket is all you can ask for in a cycling rain jacket.

Shoes

There are more and more bikepacking and gravel shoes hitting the market. My favorite are the Quoc Gran Tourer Shoes which are perfect for all backcountry adventures. Using these with SPD pedals is a breeze! Also very comfortable for hike a bike sections.

Handlebars & Aero Bars

I am a big fan of the flared gravel drop bars at the moment. Along with some aero bars for that extra positioning on long adventures. Want to learn more about bikepacking with aero bars? The Aero Bars I use are the Red Shift Quick-Release Aerobars. Also, use Butterfly Bars on my touring bike.

The Fred Bars

I am most excited about this bikepacking aero bar accessory at the moment! More often than not when riding with aero bars while bikepacking. It caused quite a lot of discomfort than it was worth.

Learn More

Yes, it’s true that aero bars are for efficiency and aerodynamics. But this doesn’t matter as much when using them for bikepacking. It’s all about comfort! And Fred Bars turns your aero bars into a comfortable solution.

More articles about handlebars :

Cycling GPS Computer

Have been using the Wahoo Elemnt Roam for some time now it it has never let me down. Read the review and buyers guide here. Looking for more bike GPS options?

Check out this article : Best Bike GPS Computers For Touring & Bikepacking

Camp Stove & Mug

Weight and space is a huge factor now for me when it comes to bikepacking. Back in my early touring days, I had the full size Trangia. Now I have cut down and opted for the Mini Trangia Stove. Which is almost too small, especially when you want to cook a big meal. But you can make it work. Also have the Snow Peak Ti-Double 600 Mug. I got Titanium so I can use it to boil up water directly from the mug over the Trangia. And this 600 ml size just fits nicely over the Mini Trangia.

Other Camp Kitchen Gear

Also I have had some fun using some camp kitchen gear from Sea to Summit. Including their take on a collapsable kettle. Known as the X-Pot™ Kettle with a 1.3L capacity. It is more then enough to boil up some water for breakfast and a coffee. The best part is it packs away into a small volume, making it the perfect addition to your bikepacking gear list!

Also their X-Mug™ is pretty cool too. A collapsable mug which takes up no space at all! It also nests neatly with other X-Series dinnerware and X-Pots in the Sea to Summit lineup.

Bikepacking Hammock

At the time of updating this article in mid 2021. My most preferred way of camping is in a hammock. The hammock I use is the Sea to Summit Ultralight Hammock XL which has won awards! weighing only 205 grams it can hold up to 135kg or 300lb. Made from extremely light fabric and packs down to a tiny size.

Bikepacking Tent

The current tent I have been using, I don’t recommend. But I have heard some great things about the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Bikepack Tent. I just ordered one and hope to use it very soon.

Looking for some other Bikepacking tent recommendations?

Sleeping Pad and Pillow

Are you in the market for the best bikepacking sleeping pad? I have you covered! This sleeping pad is the lightest and most comfortable pad on the market by far. The Sea To Summit Ether Light XT Sleeping Pad. With a R Value of 3.2 and a thickness of 10cm or 4″. Its a insulated sleeping pad that keeps me nice and toasty on those really cold nights. The Sprung Cells operate in the same way as a pocket spring mattress, so as you lay on the pad it acts like a mattress does and conforms to your body shape which  feels softer and more comfortable.  

These sleeping pads from Sea to Summit are compatible with their inflatable travel pillows, which pack down to nothing. I personally have their Aeros Premium Pillow the pillow case construction allows the outer shell to retain maximum softness while still being supported by a high strength TPU bladder. And it connects in place to the sleeping pad thanks to The Pillow Lock™ System

BikeRaft

Endless adventure possibilities! I just recently purchase a Alpacka Caribou Packraft from Pack Raft Australia, which is the perfect option for bikerafting. Allowing you to combined your bike adventures on the water. Designed specifically to carry your bike on the raft allowing you to explore a whole new world.

My Camera Gear

Taking camera gear while bikepacking might not be a priority for you. Depending if you are into photography and all that. I personally have all this gear above. To capture my adventures on camera and share it via YouTube. From a drone, to cameras, tripod, lens and cycling camera straps.

Here is a list of all gear pictured above:

More reading about cameras :