Reyt Good Bikepacking: Rider Kit Lists

Some of you who enjoyed yesterday’s A Reyt Good Time Bikepacking in the Dales article will no doubt want to know what sort of kit the riders used. Well, here you go…

Amanda:

Bike & Baggage

• PlanetX Tempest
• Arrow Wheelset
• Specialized Pathfinder 38mm front & back
• Ortlieb Seat Pack QR
• Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Frame Pack
• Bontrager Adventure Handlebar Bag
• Chrome Industries Tensile Hip pack – I used this as a camera bag for the weekend as it’s a really secure fit regardless of how much is stuffed into it

Sleeping Kit

• Alpkit Hunka Bivy
• Fjern Hygge 400 Down Sleeping Bag
• Alpkit Numo Camping mat
• OEX DryBag full of air for a pillow
• [See Vicky for the rest]

Kit

• Exposure Diablo with helmet mount
• Garmin 830
• Fuji XT2
• Oakley prescription riding glasses
• Giro Chrono Expert Halterneck Bibs – Still going strong after almost three years
• Nukeproof Blackline trousers
• Specialized 2FO Roost shoes – Never get cold feet in these
• Patagonia Houdini Air packable windproof – I rarely leave home without this
• Altura Ridge Pertex Women’s Waterproof jacket – reliably waterproof and really useful pockets

Extras

• Tubolito CX/Gravel 700c 30-50mm innertube
• Fabric 11-in-1 multitool – Includes 8mm hex and flathead screwdriver, which are often missing in my experience
• Leatherman Squirt – Just for the pliers
• Chunk of Gorilla tape wrapped around my bars
• Cable ties, tubeless repair, Vaseline, painkillers, inhaler, antihistamine, Orajel (never needed, but if someone got toothache they’d thank me!), snacks, flask etc

Emma:

Sleeping kit:

• Alpkit Ordos 2 tent (I’ve never solo bikepacked, so I always share this with someone)
• Rab Neutrino 600 women sleeping bag
• Alpkit Cloudbase Sleeping mat

Clothing:

• Leggings
• Spare long sleeve merino base layer (I normally sleep in these two items, but also there in case I get sodden)
• Waterproof jacket – Alpkit Gravitas
• 7mesh Chilco (the best thing in the world, it doubles as a pillow as you can pack out the pocket, I think this is a happy design coincidence.)
• Spare merino socks

Other bits:

• Multi-tool
• Tube
• Snacks
• Tubeless repair kit
• Sealant
• Gorilla tape and leccy tape (great for fixing anything)
• Cable ties
• Leatherman Squirt
• Tiny first aid kit (includes a buff + emergency period bits)
• Battery pack + cables
• Headphones for sleeping
• Cash
• Garmin

‘Cause Guiding:

• Map print of the area, emergency shelter, extra primaloft jacket, extra gloves, extra tubes. 
• Loads of snacks, water, and hydration tablets.
• I wouldn’t carry a stove for myself on a one-night trip like this, mostly because I don’t drink hot drinks and I’d find food in a local pub/carry some granola with broken chocolate in for breakfast. 

Bags:

• All Restrap – bar bag small, Medium frame bag, 14L saddle bag, top tube bag. 

Sophie:

Personal stuff:

• Bike – Cotic Soul with Frankenstein’s monster parts
• Bontranger Rally Wavecell Helmet
• Giro terraduro shoes 
• Dakine gloves (maybe covert)
• 7 mesh glidepath pant
• Merino jersey 
• Giro synthetic gilet
• Alpkit bikepacking bags – older styles but similar to Big papa, airlock dual, possum, kanga and roo wallet
• Tent – alpkit prototype – it wasn’t brought into production as its not super wind resistant 
• Salewa down sleeping bag
• Sea to summit comfort plus mat
• Julbo riding glasses 
• Rapha bibs
• Berghaus lightweight waterproof
• Merino socks
• Battery pack
• Lightweight headtorch – alpkit

*Shout outs*

• Toothbrush – cut it in half to match tiny toothpaste
• Tiny chamois cream – a must
• Merino clothes – they are so much less stinky than synthetic countertypes for two days heavy use
• Other people’s snacks always taste better than your own 

Guiding kit

• First aid kit – tick repellent and Israeli/trauma bandage being my favourite bits
• Map and compass – love being able to print on OS maps it matches perfectly with komoot to have a combo of new and old school 
• Electrical tape – for taping bananas to bikes
• Spare snacks including gels 
• Lezyne GPS
• Between Emm and I we had tools etc for the group 

We were lucky this weekend as we were able to pack some bulkier stuff in the car. Normally I would compromise on sleeping bag and mat – go for a smaller pack size. Rely more on buying snacks as we go etc. I’d definitely wear bibs two days in a row as well as socks. 

This was my first bikepacking trip in a guiding role and getting the guide kit as well as camp stuff was a struggle. I scaled my first aid stuff down significantly to what I’d normally carry for mountain biking and carried fewer tubes etc. I think I’d probably still try and keep as much kit as possible on the bike rather than in a rucksack but I’d probably have to have both if we hadn’t had car support. 

Tasha:

Bike

• Custom build Niner TLR 9 Steel with Mavic Allroad SL wheelset, Hope R4+ brakes, Teravail Rutland tyres and a sprinkling of Wolf Tooth, GRX/Ultegra and Hope bits.
• Tool bottle on the underside of my downtube with spares and repair kit
• Giro Source MTB Helmet
• Julbo Fury photochromatic glasses
• Camelbak podium bottles
• Exposure Trace and Moon rear light, plus an Exposure Race should we have ended up riding in the dark

Camping kit

• Terra Nova Solar Photon 2 tent – very cosy for 2 (you need to be very good friends/married/tiny), roomy for one, super lightweight and the poles fit in a 53 cm frame bag but it is a little bit fragile if you are not careful.
• Ground sheet and selection of pegs
• Rab Neutrino Pro 400 Down Sleeping Bag 
• Exped SynMat HL mat – I have tried super lightweight mats (like the Alpkit Numo) over the years but I just get too cold; this has become my default option
• Sea To Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow – only invested in one during an impromptu purchase in Glasgow last year before a Highland bikepacking adventure – wow, what a game changer!  Totally worth the 60g.

Warm dry set of clothes for the evening:

• Womans merino boxers 
• Rab powerstretch thermal leggings – a bit bulky but given the time of year, totally worth it for the warmth!
• Montane Allez microgrid base layer
• Rab Womens Xenon-X Jacket – this was a brilliant purchase 4 years ago – fully used and abused as its super packable and warm thanks to the Primaloft gold insulation 
• Beanie and dry gloves
• Darn Tough merino socks – honestly obsessed by these socks, with lifetime warranty!
• Berghaus Paclite waterproof trousers

Riding clothes (given it was just one night, I didn’t bother with a second set of kit):

• Rapha trousers
• 7-Mesh bib shorts – these were recommended by Emma and others at Reyt Good as they make the mid ride wee stop so much easier; peeling off all your clothes to go to the loo in the pouring rain wears thin pretty quickly on a multiday trip!
• Morvelo base layer – I sweat a lot on the bike and this really helps keep me drier
• Panache wired sports bra
• Rapha core long sleeved jersey
• Rapha insulated brevet gilet – I just like the warmth to weight/packability and carry it probably 6+ months of the year
• Gore C5 womans trail Gore-Tex trail jacket – I love the fit, pack size and breathability, but do wish I had bought one with a hood that goes over your helmet
• Buff
• 100% brisker gloves
• Shimano MW7 winter boots – yes it was only October but I like warm feet
• Another pair of Darn Tough socks 

Other bits!

• Sea to Summit foldable mug and bowl – filled with all Carly’s amazing cooking
• Spork – which ended up snapping; you can still eat with half a spork!
• Small pack towel and biodegradable soap – I made full use of the excellent campsite shower
• Medicine and hydration salts – my heart can be a bit sensitive to exercise and salt imbalance
• Small first aid kit
• Small tub of Chamois Butt’r Her
• Earplugs and headphones – I can get a bit anxious in a tent at times, and an audiobook or blocking out the sound of the wind/rain does result in a happier Tasha the next day!
• Oxford Micro XA5 Alarm Disc Lock – on that anxiety thing, I can worry about the bike being outside, so after a recommendation on the STW Forum, I carry one of these and put it alarmed round the cranks overnight!  Wow it is loud!  
• Small hairbrush and spare hair tie – my luxury item of choice and I am fine with it
• Headtorch – being honest I almost certainly forgot spare batteries
• Credit card – for those worst case scenarios 
• Garmin 530 and HR strap
• Powerpack and charging cables for lights, phone and Garmin
• Voile straps – just in case
• Drybags – many of them!  I have a reputation at Reyt Good for the amount of drybags and ziplocks I have on a ride – plus always a spare!
• Restrap bags – matching set of course!  Bar Pack (works great with drop bars), custom sized frame bag, bolt on top tube bag and 14 litre saddle bag.  Given I was the only one who carried all their overnight kit (I found out 24 hours later – haha!), it fitted everything in and I have carried the same set up, including stove and cooking kit for last year’s Sisters in the Wild weekend.
• Many, many snacks – favourites being Outdoor Provision bars and Snickers creamy peanut butter bites 

Vicky:

Bike

• Sonder CAMINO (AL RIVAL1 HYDRAULIC)
• Standard build but with tubeless WTB Resolutes (42 x 700c)
• Nukeproof flat pedals
• Fidlock 700mL bottle with half a tab of Hi5 Berry
• Sonder cage with 500mL water
• Lifeline rack
• Madison Strada Saddle

Bike Luggage

• LifeLine Adventure Handlebar Bag, 11litre
• Bontrager Adventure Boss Frame Bag, 1.3litre
• Tailfin Aero Pack, 20litre

The Camino is my first gravel bike and it earned the nickname “The Mule” after being stood next to Amanda’s rather swelvt Ti machine! Chunky tyres meant I survived with no punctures and didn’t suffer from a sore back or hands. The wide flair bar gave me a good choice of hand positions and kept the weight of my dicky thumbs. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow all my luggage from STW, the bar bag fitted well between the Camino’s flared bars and while neither the frame bag (which had holes in the top for bottle boss mounts on a Trek) or the tailfin pack (which had holes in the bottom for attachment to their fancy rack) were being used to their full potential they worked really well.

Bike clothes (worn)

• Merino bike base layer (long sleeved, Aldi’s finest, full of holes)
• Favourite Dharco jersey
• Sports bra
• Decathlon padded shorts
• Nukeproof Blackline pants (mens as the womens are just too damn short!)
• Showers Pass waterproof jacket
• Waterproof socks
• Gloves
• HR monitor
• Five Tens Freerider Pros

Bike Bits

• Standard spares in Velopac pouch (brake pads, gear cable, valve cores, mech hanger, multi tool, leatherman squirt, reusable cable ties, tubeless repair poker and worms)
• First aid kit, also in the Velopac pouch (foil blanket, bandage, steri-strips, adhesive pad, tape, squirty eye wash, painkillers, antihistamine, tick twizzler)
• Pump with duct tape, inner tube and levers (STW strap behind the seat tube)
• Front and back lights

The Velopack pouch is really useful as it just goes in whichever bag I’m using on whichever bike, in this case it was in the frame bag. Didn’t need any spares but the eye wash/antihistamine was used following a sheep poo in the eye incident!

Sleep System

• OEX Traverse IMX Sleeping Mat, 410g
• Fjern Hygge 400 Down Sleeping Bag 870g
• OEX Big Bush Bivi, 403g
• Large dry bag, 13litre

Packed my sleeping bag in the bivi in the compression sack so that it would stay dry if it was raining when we set up camp. Then added everything to a dry bag (extra protection) and packed it in the bar bag. There was also enough space in the bar bag for my warm jacket so that went in there too. The sleeping bag was toasty but I hadn’t realised that the mat inflation port was at the foot end – so after setting it up before dinner it had cooled and deflated somewhat before bed and I was too lazy to take it out and re-inflate. Which meant I had a cold arse!

Other stuff:

Tarp Palace

• Alpkit 4 square Tarp
• Random cheap thin groundsheet
• 8 pegs and some cord
• Pedal socks (to stop my flat pedal pins snagging sleeping bags/tarps)

The Alpkit tarp was Amanda’s, and originally intended as a between 2 vans shelter. But after a bit of garden testing, it made a very handy double shelter – 2 upside down bikes in the middle, pegged down on 3 sides for weatherproofing and a rope at the front to keep it tight over the wheels. To take the slack out for the back side the excess material was wrapped around the corner pegs (bit hard to explain!). The “almost” tent kept us nice and dry despite the downpour overnight.  The bikes in the middle gave us a bit of peace of mind for security and had the added benefit of frame bags full of snacks being located next to your face, making a midnight snack super easy!! In full disclosure, the tarp/pegs were originally in the Tailfin bag but as we had the option to stick some things in Carly’s car to be transported to the campsite, it seemed rude not to take her upon the offer.

Packed clothes

• Spare Gloves
• Fresh pair padded shorts
• Fleece lined leggings
• Posh merino (thick, no holes)
• Thick socks
• Alpkit Katabatic Primaloft Jacket
• Home-made bobble hat
• Small dry bag 3litre

No spare bike clothes except padded shorts as was betting on being able to dry clothes at the campsite if needed. Everything except the primaloft jacket went into the dry bag – which also doubled up as a pillow!

Extras

• Wash Bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, meds, Bum butter and ear plugs
• Banff mug
• Lightmyfire Spork
• Random plastic bowl from the camping box
• Frame bag full of snacks including; baby bells, jammie dodgers, Peanut M&Ms/salted cashew/dried cranberries trail mix, Nutella bagel, dessert themed fruit pastels (these were AWFUL!)

All the rest of the stuff went into the tailfin bag, which still had plenty of room and could have fit a stove and extra food if needed. The roll top was also really useful once we were set up as stuff could just be thrown in due to the upright sides.

Things to consider…

• Take a headtorch – bike likes are just annoying and don’t leave your hands free
• More savory snacks –  sweets are good some sometimes the are just too much
• Do yoga – mostly so you can get your leg over the saddle and not need to do a comedy leg through the leaning frame movement
• Rear racks are good –  don’t assume you have to use panniers and you can’t put a pizza on a seatpost bag
• Test runs are good – me and Amanda did a gear test on foot on the hill behind our house
• Borrowing kit is good –  when I mentioned bike packing in my RideDrinkPie (local bike club) I got loads of offers of kit to borrow, and from ReytGood also had kit to borrow so it doesn’t need to be an expensive adventure

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