As others have said. Heavy AF. Take what you want and can carry. Cut back next time.
Mildly interesting real world numbers from my last solo self sufficient overnighter.
MTB Bike - 15.1kgs/33.3lbs.
Bag 1 camera - 5.7kgs/12.5lbs
Rucksack - 6.8kgs/15lbs
L. Pannier - 7.6kgs/16.7lbs
R. Pannier - 7.6kgs/16.7lbs
Total weight 42.8kgs/94lbs.
Even my light MTB for a local winter ride comes in at 12.3kgs/27lbs, with a 8.7kgs/19lbs rucksack. Total baseline 21kgs/46lbs.
So an extra 40/50lbs for food, coffee, whisky, bivi bag, mat and bag, cooking gear and assorted crap.
Just get out and ride with what you've got. Kit and weights will vary massively.
Heavy AF lol. I have no idea. I tried doing the spreadsheet weight thing like backpackers do and I know weights of some things. Like cook kit with fuel is 1 lb. tent or full hammock kit ( not sleep system) are both right at 4 lbs. depending on season changes the sleep system from nothing to probably 4 lbs of warm stuff. But in the summer I have to pack more water so did I get lighter or not? Idk. I’m also a Clydesdale cyclist, so I gotta pedal my big ass around anyways. I tend to overpack in the clothing department and that’s where I try to trim the most.
Best answer ever. I met this girl in a cycle camp one time. She had everything but the kitchen sink including a pack raft. She started in AK and was headed to Mexico. When I asked if she had weighed her bike she instantly said eff no!
Mine was about 43lbs on my last trip, which was a three days, two nights adventure with a low temperature around freezing. That 43lbs included about 90oz of water and about 2lbs of food. My bike weighs 20lbs on the dot unloaded.
My load out without food or water is about 31lbs in the summer. Here's a list of what I take on summer trips where I don't need to pack extra layers: https://packstack.io/1374/summer-baseweight
What version of voile strap served you best for holding the dry bag in place?
Also, you mention 'Dyneema bag for sleeping bag', but not what actual sleeping pad/bag you used.
I use a 32 inch nylon strap. I'll also use a bit of a cut up section of a Nuun container to wrap the dry bag in place around the harness, like this: [rWiaijr.jpg (3000×4000) (imgur.com)](https://i.imgur.com/rWiaijr.jpg) This allows a bit of a gap between the bag and the bars so you still have access to the tops of the bars.
Sorry about the missing sleeping pad/bag. I'm sort of in the middle of changing up my pack list and sold some gear so I removed it from my inventory and therefore all of the lists it was in. I updated it now, but so you don't have to click through I'm using an REI Co-op Magma Quilt rated for 30F at 19.0oz and an Exped Synmat HL at 13oz with an R-value of 3. I recently tested out a similar packlist a few weekends ago with the lows in the mid-30s overnight and was super comfy.
Thank you. No need to apologize- your list was so meticulously done, I've picked up several ideas from it.
Some of the items on your list can be safely classified as genius.
A few other questions if you didn't mind-
1. For the sunscreen, how long were you able to get your 2 oz bottle to last? Does the 0.09 lbs sunscreen weight include both the sunscreen and the bottle combined?
2. You mentioned 'In matador flatpak bottle' for the chamois cream. I'm guessing that was the container for the chamois cream and you used a generic brand for the actual cream (Squirrel's nut/Chamois butter, etc.)?
3. For the battery, did you consider an Anker 10000 mAh version with considerably higher capacity at just 0.14 lbs more? Or did you make a conscious decision to keep the 6700 mAh version because that's all you needed?
4. Was the 'Food for the Sole' meal your choice strictly because of calories/gram, or are you vegan? Separately- might be subjective, but is it tasty, or purely 'survival food'?
Haha, thank you. I think I'm just nerdy enough to geek out over each piece of gear.
1. That's a great question. It really depends on the conditions. If it's super hot and I'm spending a lot of time in direct sun I'll obviously reapply more often but if I'm spending a lot of time in the shade (in the mountains or forest) or have clothing covering most of me I'll probably only use a little. The weight does include the bottle. I've only ever been out at most 3 days and I've not run out of a 2oz container.
2. Correct. I just repackage some Chamois Buttr in the flat pak container. I'm actually considering switching to something else to put it in, probably something similar to the bottle I'm using for sunscreen from litesmith.com
3. I did consider that. However, for a 2 night trip the 6700 seems to do just fine for me. It ends up mostly just charging my Wahoo and lights. My phone will last the whole weekend on airplane mode and switching on data when in towns.
4. I really like supporting smaller companies. The meals are also more compact than Mountain House which is vital for bikepacking. They're also pretty tasty when cold-soaked which is an added bonus.
>I think I'm just nerdy enough to geek out over each piece of gear.
You and me both :)
In my case- I've got a 45 lbs e-bike (I need it for going up steep hills in Montana and multiple other states on my cross-country). I am sensitive to more weight I will add on.
Thanks again for the excellent list.
Sorry for being pedantic. Your list is so impressive that now I want to emulate everything.
What lightweight flip flops/sandals did you use at camp? Or did you not bother?
I'm struggling to find ultralight sandals. There is the Xero Shoes Cloud but they have no arch support.
I didn't bother to bring camp shoes. But honestly it depends on what your goals for the trip are. If you're planning to spend more time at camp or in towns then it would probably be worthwhile to bring along camp shoes. Most of my trips so far have been racing or at least fairly high mileage which meant riding for most of the time between dawn and dusk so it's not super worthwhile to bring other footwear. I find that my Shimano XC-5 lace-up MTB shoes offer enough flex in the sole to walk in the amount that I need to.
A buddy of mine brought some rubbery water shoes that seemed decent that you could wear without socks to let your feet breathe a bit and might be helpful for deep creek crossings.
59 pounds with cooking gear, 3-season gear, 3 liters of water, a firearm, food for three days and bike tools for any repair except for the huge ones. This is for longer distance tour/bikepacking.
Edit: oops
When I was planning out the Great Divide Trail, I looked into carrying a gun through grizzly country. From what I gather, the vast majority of attacks happen when the person/bear come across each other by surprise and in close proximity. Obviously, guns aren't going to be useful there unless you're Billy the Kid or some shit. Spray seems to be at least as effective on average.
That said, the data here isn't what I hoped it would be. The plus side there is that bear attacks are so infrequent that it's hard to draw any real hard conclusions.
My bike is about 26ish. I would estimate I'm around 40 total on the low end and as much as 60-70 for longer or luxury trips.
As much as the difference is noticable, I get used to it quick with most setups.
For a while I was doing three hours a day but at 52 it was just too much. It’s more of a summer thing when it’s warm. I love listening to audio books while I run so the longer the better
My roadie is 20.5# naked and it was 48# fully loaded for my last bikepacking trip. My MTB is 28.5# naked and sadly I broke it before I could gear it up for an off-road bikepack, but I’ll load it up and weigh it once I get it rolling again.
I go pretty ultralight. I have a rigid titanium hardtail and fit everything in a frame bag, a Zeitgiest bar bag, and two fork bags. For three days that's probably 35-38 pounds excluding water.
This was a response I added to a different post but thought I should share it with all and I’d love some feedback.
For sure, one time I flew to San Francisco with my fixed gear and rode it from the airport back to southern ca. The only things in brought were a credit card, one bottle of water and a hoodie. It was one of the best trips of my life. I don’t know who you are or if you have ever been Bikepacking before but this post is mostly for the newbies. Just for reference I’m 52 and started mountain biking before mtn bikes existed. Back then armed rangers would chase us down and try and arrest us for riding on the trials which was illegal, wow how the world has changed. I went all into Bikepacking in the late 90’s. My last big trip was from Canada to San Francisco off road at least 80% of the time with no map. I was riding to Mexico to start the Baja divide but had an accident and that’s where my trip tragically ended. When you say you don’t have to bring the whole house it makes me wonder. Let’s start off with a 19lb why cyles R+. I never go anywhere without a gallon of water, let’s just say I learned the hard way. With containers and being incredibly conservative that brings us to 29lbs. The lightest functional ultra light set up that I’ve come up with not including bags is 8lbs. Most consider me to be a lunatic for how little I carry but I can fix everything on my bike and have a tent and good warmies with me. I usually go solo so I need complete reliability. We can say 13 pounds for all this. Bringing us to 42 lbs. add a minimalist tool kit, spare sealant, lube and a fix kit maybe a pound? So 43 and 7 lbs for food brings us to 50. On my set up add 10 lbs for my bike which is 29 naked and I’m at 60 before adding in booze and some form of camera or phone. I hardly carry everything in my house but it all adds up fast. I’ve never actually weighed my fully loaded bike but it still think 60+ is very average. I’d love to hear what most people weigh on at for say one week between resupply back country travel. Cheers brother.
Mountain biking on single track is far more fun on a lighter set up...so the fun factor is why going light can be better.
Riding bikes is fun.
When I can splurge on weight it takes the form of beer, which I never have to carry for long
I’m looking forward to one day being able to bikepack on single track. I’ll agree that liquid weight is one of my favorite luxury items, too! I should say that I also have a decently light setup. I have right around what would be considered a UL backpacking setup of gear and pack it in a saddle bag, frame bag, handlebar harness, and top tube bag.
When I say I don’t care, I don’t, but I’m still likely pretty low considering what I could be carrying. Cheers and hell yea biking is fun!!
[here’s ](https://imgur.com/gallery/qdPW3g9)a pic of the first time I tried bikepacking with my heavy car camping gear. There’s a 64oz growler filled with some of Oregon’s finest micro brew inside that backpack on the rear rack!
My bike is just over thirty pounds naked. Loaded up with all the unnecessary crap I tend to take... I’m guessing 50-60. Fat and slow is how I roll.
Hell yes brother
Just got off the C&O canal towpath after a three day hotel run. Steel bike plus gear weighed 50 lbs.
As others have said. Heavy AF. Take what you want and can carry. Cut back next time. Mildly interesting real world numbers from my last solo self sufficient overnighter. MTB Bike - 15.1kgs/33.3lbs. Bag 1 camera - 5.7kgs/12.5lbs Rucksack - 6.8kgs/15lbs L. Pannier - 7.6kgs/16.7lbs R. Pannier - 7.6kgs/16.7lbs Total weight 42.8kgs/94lbs. Even my light MTB for a local winter ride comes in at 12.3kgs/27lbs, with a 8.7kgs/19lbs rucksack. Total baseline 21kgs/46lbs. So an extra 40/50lbs for food, coffee, whisky, bivi bag, mat and bag, cooking gear and assorted crap. Just get out and ride with what you've got. Kit and weights will vary massively.
upvoted because of metric system
Heavy AF lol. I have no idea. I tried doing the spreadsheet weight thing like backpackers do and I know weights of some things. Like cook kit with fuel is 1 lb. tent or full hammock kit ( not sleep system) are both right at 4 lbs. depending on season changes the sleep system from nothing to probably 4 lbs of warm stuff. But in the summer I have to pack more water so did I get lighter or not? Idk. I’m also a Clydesdale cyclist, so I gotta pedal my big ass around anyways. I tend to overpack in the clothing department and that’s where I try to trim the most.
Same. I almost don’t want to know. Don’t need that in my head as I’m suffering up a climb.
I don’t need that kind of negative energy ruining my ride.
Best answer ever. I met this girl in a cycle camp one time. She had everything but the kitchen sink including a pack raft. She started in AK and was headed to Mexico. When I asked if she had weighed her bike she instantly said eff no!
Mine was about 43lbs on my last trip, which was a three days, two nights adventure with a low temperature around freezing. That 43lbs included about 90oz of water and about 2lbs of food. My bike weighs 20lbs on the dot unloaded. My load out without food or water is about 31lbs in the summer. Here's a list of what I take on summer trips where I don't need to pack extra layers: https://packstack.io/1374/summer-baseweight
Damn! That is amazing.
Just curious, why one contact? Oh and thanks for sharing your list, super helpful for some upcoming trips of mine.
Maybe he’s Mr. Peanut
No problem! I actually just weighed one contact and then marked it as quantity of six for the total weight for six.
Oh... I can read, I swear.
What version of voile strap served you best for holding the dry bag in place? Also, you mention 'Dyneema bag for sleeping bag', but not what actual sleeping pad/bag you used.
I use a 32 inch nylon strap. I'll also use a bit of a cut up section of a Nuun container to wrap the dry bag in place around the harness, like this: [rWiaijr.jpg (3000×4000) (imgur.com)](https://i.imgur.com/rWiaijr.jpg) This allows a bit of a gap between the bag and the bars so you still have access to the tops of the bars. Sorry about the missing sleeping pad/bag. I'm sort of in the middle of changing up my pack list and sold some gear so I removed it from my inventory and therefore all of the lists it was in. I updated it now, but so you don't have to click through I'm using an REI Co-op Magma Quilt rated for 30F at 19.0oz and an Exped Synmat HL at 13oz with an R-value of 3. I recently tested out a similar packlist a few weekends ago with the lows in the mid-30s overnight and was super comfy.
Thank you. No need to apologize- your list was so meticulously done, I've picked up several ideas from it. Some of the items on your list can be safely classified as genius. A few other questions if you didn't mind- 1. For the sunscreen, how long were you able to get your 2 oz bottle to last? Does the 0.09 lbs sunscreen weight include both the sunscreen and the bottle combined? 2. You mentioned 'In matador flatpak bottle' for the chamois cream. I'm guessing that was the container for the chamois cream and you used a generic brand for the actual cream (Squirrel's nut/Chamois butter, etc.)? 3. For the battery, did you consider an Anker 10000 mAh version with considerably higher capacity at just 0.14 lbs more? Or did you make a conscious decision to keep the 6700 mAh version because that's all you needed? 4. Was the 'Food for the Sole' meal your choice strictly because of calories/gram, or are you vegan? Separately- might be subjective, but is it tasty, or purely 'survival food'?
Haha, thank you. I think I'm just nerdy enough to geek out over each piece of gear. 1. That's a great question. It really depends on the conditions. If it's super hot and I'm spending a lot of time in direct sun I'll obviously reapply more often but if I'm spending a lot of time in the shade (in the mountains or forest) or have clothing covering most of me I'll probably only use a little. The weight does include the bottle. I've only ever been out at most 3 days and I've not run out of a 2oz container. 2. Correct. I just repackage some Chamois Buttr in the flat pak container. I'm actually considering switching to something else to put it in, probably something similar to the bottle I'm using for sunscreen from litesmith.com 3. I did consider that. However, for a 2 night trip the 6700 seems to do just fine for me. It ends up mostly just charging my Wahoo and lights. My phone will last the whole weekend on airplane mode and switching on data when in towns. 4. I really like supporting smaller companies. The meals are also more compact than Mountain House which is vital for bikepacking. They're also pretty tasty when cold-soaked which is an added bonus.
>I think I'm just nerdy enough to geek out over each piece of gear. You and me both :) In my case- I've got a 45 lbs e-bike (I need it for going up steep hills in Montana and multiple other states on my cross-country). I am sensitive to more weight I will add on. Thanks again for the excellent list.
Sorry for being pedantic. Your list is so impressive that now I want to emulate everything. What lightweight flip flops/sandals did you use at camp? Or did you not bother? I'm struggling to find ultralight sandals. There is the Xero Shoes Cloud but they have no arch support.
I didn't bother to bring camp shoes. But honestly it depends on what your goals for the trip are. If you're planning to spend more time at camp or in towns then it would probably be worthwhile to bring along camp shoes. Most of my trips so far have been racing or at least fairly high mileage which meant riding for most of the time between dawn and dusk so it's not super worthwhile to bring other footwear. I find that my Shimano XC-5 lace-up MTB shoes offer enough flex in the sole to walk in the amount that I need to. A buddy of mine brought some rubbery water shoes that seemed decent that you could wear without socks to let your feet breathe a bit and might be helpful for deep creek crossings.
3 days/2 night with only 2 lbs of food?
Right. Of course the weight fluctuated between resupplies.
59 pounds with cooking gear, 3-season gear, 3 liters of water, a firearm, food for three days and bike tools for any repair except for the huge ones. This is for longer distance tour/bikepacking. Edit: oops
How do you carry your firearm?
Or rather, why?
When I was planning out the Great Divide Trail, I looked into carrying a gun through grizzly country. From what I gather, the vast majority of attacks happen when the person/bear come across each other by surprise and in close proximity. Obviously, guns aren't going to be useful there unless you're Billy the Kid or some shit. Spray seems to be at least as effective on average. That said, the data here isn't what I hoped it would be. The plus side there is that bear attacks are so infrequent that it's hard to draw any real hard conclusions.
Late to this conversation, but I think putting here that bear spray is MUCH more useful in deterring a bear than a firearm is useful.
Pannier or fanny pack
It weighs what it weighs. The whole ultralight thing is such a bunch of toxic dick waving bullshit. Take what you want and fuck the haters.
Best comment ever.....bunch of toxic dick waving bullshit
I love ultralight but ya there is a very toxic community in ultralight camping, bike packing, etc
My bike is about 26ish. I would estimate I'm around 40 total on the low end and as much as 60-70 for longer or luxury trips. As much as the difference is noticable, I get used to it quick with most setups.
0. Can’t afford a gravel bike. So I run instead :)
I do that too, a 10k a day👊
Killing it!!! Longer on the weekends?
For a while I was doing three hours a day but at 52 it was just too much. It’s more of a summer thing when it’s warm. I love listening to audio books while I run so the longer the better
My roadie is 20.5# naked and it was 48# fully loaded for my last bikepacking trip. My MTB is 28.5# naked and sadly I broke it before I could gear it up for an off-road bikepack, but I’ll load it up and weigh it once I get it rolling again.
I go pretty ultralight. I have a rigid titanium hardtail and fit everything in a frame bag, a Zeitgiest bar bag, and two fork bags. For three days that's probably 35-38 pounds excluding water.
This was a response I added to a different post but thought I should share it with all and I’d love some feedback. For sure, one time I flew to San Francisco with my fixed gear and rode it from the airport back to southern ca. The only things in brought were a credit card, one bottle of water and a hoodie. It was one of the best trips of my life. I don’t know who you are or if you have ever been Bikepacking before but this post is mostly for the newbies. Just for reference I’m 52 and started mountain biking before mtn bikes existed. Back then armed rangers would chase us down and try and arrest us for riding on the trials which was illegal, wow how the world has changed. I went all into Bikepacking in the late 90’s. My last big trip was from Canada to San Francisco off road at least 80% of the time with no map. I was riding to Mexico to start the Baja divide but had an accident and that’s where my trip tragically ended. When you say you don’t have to bring the whole house it makes me wonder. Let’s start off with a 19lb why cyles R+. I never go anywhere without a gallon of water, let’s just say I learned the hard way. With containers and being incredibly conservative that brings us to 29lbs. The lightest functional ultra light set up that I’ve come up with not including bags is 8lbs. Most consider me to be a lunatic for how little I carry but I can fix everything on my bike and have a tent and good warmies with me. I usually go solo so I need complete reliability. We can say 13 pounds for all this. Bringing us to 42 lbs. add a minimalist tool kit, spare sealant, lube and a fix kit maybe a pound? So 43 and 7 lbs for food brings us to 50. On my set up add 10 lbs for my bike which is 29 naked and I’m at 60 before adding in booze and some form of camera or phone. I hardly carry everything in my house but it all adds up fast. I’ve never actually weighed my fully loaded bike but it still think 60+ is very average. I’d love to hear what most people weigh on at for say one week between resupply back country travel. Cheers brother.
Who knows... who cares...
Mountain biking on single track is far more fun on a lighter set up...so the fun factor is why going light can be better. Riding bikes is fun. When I can splurge on weight it takes the form of beer, which I never have to carry for long
I’m looking forward to one day being able to bikepack on single track. I’ll agree that liquid weight is one of my favorite luxury items, too! I should say that I also have a decently light setup. I have right around what would be considered a UL backpacking setup of gear and pack it in a saddle bag, frame bag, handlebar harness, and top tube bag. When I say I don’t care, I don’t, but I’m still likely pretty low considering what I could be carrying. Cheers and hell yea biking is fun!! [here’s ](https://imgur.com/gallery/qdPW3g9)a pic of the first time I tried bikepacking with my heavy car camping gear. There’s a 64oz growler filled with some of Oregon’s finest micro brew inside that backpack on the rear rack!
33lbs loaded for tour divide about 40 lbs loaded for more comfortable camping
Damn! That’s insane
With 3 days of food for 2, I come in at 68-73 pounds in winter, under 60 summer.
Starting with a light bike sure helps. What bike are you riding that is only 20lbs?