I recently went on an awesome bikepacking and trail running adventure, where we rode 100 miles, stayed in a motel, ran a trail marathon, then rode back home the next day, another 100 miles. We traveled light since we were staying in a hotel, and honestly, if I was to do this all over again, I wouldn’t change much.
In addition to the long sleeve jersey and bib tights that I wore, I packed into a hydration vest: 2 long-sleeved tops (one to run in, one for regular wear), tights, trail running shoes, casual socks, toothbrush/toothpaste, tank top, cycling/running vest, packable raincoat, scarf/buff, and a pair of bathing suit bottoms. I ran it pretty tight on the amount of clothing I had, but the bag was STUFFED to the gills. I’ve written about how I’m a fan of working with what you have, especially for the first time out, but I’m also all about optimizing for next time and learning from each trip.
Read more: On Just Get Started in a Sport — Or, What I Learned My First Time Bikepacking
http://ConsummateAthlete.com/on-just-get-started-in-a-sport-or-what-i-learned-my-first-time-bikepacking/
If I was getting really specific about gear, here are the tiny swaps I would make for a better bike/run/bike experience, without buying much by way of specific bikepacking gear, just thinking towards more all-purpose packing. Some of these are swaps I could make with stuff I already have, some I’d need to buy… But even the stuff I would need to buy, I focused on pieces that I would want for the rest of my life, not just a trip like this. I know most people don’t need full panniers unless they’re doing bikepacking that involves camping, and because we do a lot of fastpacking, I started thinking more in terms of cutting down on clothing bulk while focusing on COMFORT, which is what I want at the end of a long day:
Long sleeve cycling jersey + long sleeve run top for… Velocio’s Delta Long Sleeve + Trail Baselayer
This would allow me to cut down on one of the two long-sleeve tops that I packed, since I could run in Velocio’s Delta Longsleeve Jersey (it is super comfy!), while the Trail Baselayer would still let me have three full pockets for my phone and other extras that wouldn’t fit in my pack.
(This is the jersey:)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFm010nloJi/
Running hydration vest for… Camelbak Chase Vest
I love my Nathan hydration vest, but it’s not perfect for biking since the run vest shoulder area is designed to be worn while upright, not leaning over the bars. The Camelbak Chase Vest is technically a cycling vest, but Peter and a few people we know swear by it for running as well. It may not be what I would choose for a long run if I had all of my gear, but for the sake of a more comfortable ride AND a decent run, this would be my swap.
Get it here: https://amzn.to/34bRbLV
Small bar bag + saddle bag for… Slightly bigger bar bag and saddle bag
I wouldn’t go way up in size on either of these unless I was planning a much longer trip, but I would consider getting slightly heftier models if I was to do this again, or plan to be gone for 4 days instead of 3 and needed to pack a bit more. I think the shift in gear mentioned above would all leave me with plenty of space, so I put these at the bottom of the list.
Chill-out tights for… Thin merino wool sweatpants
Tights were all well and good for this trip, but I’ll be honest, after hours of riding in spandex, I was ready to let my body BREATHE a bit more and having some sweatpants that could still be worn out of the town would have been a huge plus… and I also wasn’t loving a high-waist on tights after hours of riding or running, since often, I end up feeling that runner/cyclist gut and really need a bit more room to let food and water digest/my gut chill out. I also specify merino wool here because I’m a big fan of being able to wash-and-wear, so if we were to stay a bit longer on the road, these could last a bit longer. I’m digging these merino wool joggers from Icebreaker.
Shop it: https://amzn.to/3l1axJl
Regular underwear + socks for… Merino wool underwear + socks
Nothing against regular cotton cheap options, but if I was going for a trip even a tiny bit longer than this one, I would have gotten merino wool options that would wash more easily in a sink, hold their shape, and not get super smelly.
2nd LS run top for… Merino wool loose top
Same reason as above — I love my Tracksmith Henley, but I was really craving something a bit baggier to lounge in after really long days. I’m eyeing up this V-neck from Icebreaker since it seems like it would be comfy enough to hang out in, but decent looking enough to wear to dinner.
Shop it: https://amzn.to/2GhocwD
What I’d Leave Behind…
I used everything except for the rain jacket, but if I were to do it again in similar conditions, I’d leave the riding vest and the silk scarf at home since the rain jacket covered most of what I used them for and would have been better for emergency situations. That was the only overlap, really! I also didn’t need the bathing suit bottoms, but I’m glad I had them because if the chance to hop in the bay had presented itself, I 100% would have done it. Plus, they act as bonus underpants just in case.
