Going on my first bikepacking attempt this weekend. Trying it on the cheap with what i have lying around and a new Gelert solo tent – i am quite excited!

I am meeting up with some fiends at a private bit of woodland near us where we have been given permission to camp, have a fire etc.

So the plan is to strap the tent and thermarest to the bars and sleeping bag under the saddle. The rest will have to go in a rucksack. Riding a rigid orange P7 singlespeed. Any basic tips for a first timer. What may i have forgotten? Off to the army surplus store on Friday to see what goodies they have.

The other bike/bivi thread not good enough for you? 😉

Chain tool?

Don’t forget ear plugs, they can make or break a trip! The clear silicone ones work well.

All the usual sensible stuff (bivvy bag/sleeping bag/warm clothes) plus booze – a nip of something sat about the fire in the wilds hits the spot. My preference is sloe gin.
And remember water, for overnight and breakfast – unless you have a stream nearby.
Enjoy 🙂

To be honest – that thread has become so big that it’s unusable!

I thought i could lure some direct replies.

Anyway – what is the best/lightest way to transport beer 🙂

Oh and if you are having a fire, sod the Ray Mears stick rubbing. Take a few supermarket plastic bags. They will melt and burn slowly coating sticks with flammable gunge. Just avoid breathing and the dripping molten plastic.

Take cans and tape them underneath your top tube. 😀
Squash empty cans flat to fetch back.

decant wine into platypus. Beer not sure, decanting would loose fizz!
Stick to spirits for high alcohol to weight ration. Avoid Woods though. It may be 50% but it tastes worse than meths.

Ear plugs – nice one. I always forget them.

Not that much of a spirit drinker tbh. Bottle of red or some real ale – bit too heavy though.

Also – what is the food of choice for bike packing and a camp fire?

How about a nice liqueur? Maybe a hipflask of Glayva, or my prefered choice, Drambuie? 😀

Now i do like drambuie. Hip flask of that and a bottle of red in a camel back it is 🙂

For one night, you could could up some slop (chilli, curry etc) at home and carry it in doubled ziplock plastic bags. If you can’t be arsed the Look What We Found range does this for you albeit with rather meagre portions. Cake and custard is simple and warming.
And if you have a fire, make some cooking sticks and do twists, or take a knackered pan and make pancakes. Recipes on the web.

A bin bag or two. Great for keeping gear dry that you don’t want/won’t fit in your bivi or tent. Maybe not an issue if you’re using a tarp.
I would say it will be too cold for midges now? If not, mozzie headnet and make sure you’ve got something to cover your legs. I was somewhere where I was eaten alive, I only had shorts on and my eyes and ears were full of them! It’s making me shudder thinking about it. Oh, and spraying repellant on, once you’ve been bit feels like being set on fire! 😯

Sainsburys do a 1.5l plastic bottle of red wine that I rest upside down in the bottle cage and tape to the down tube. Can make early starts difficult.