Three friends set out for an early July five-day, off-road ride in Alberta’s Kananaskis Country. They wanted to keep their loads light to make for a pleasant, nimbler ride during the day. Here's what they packed and took with them.
Aaron Teasdale's Packing List
Sleep system:
- Big Agnes Fly Creek SL 1 flast fly tent, with 9 stakes
- MontBell spiral down 30-degree sleeping bag
- ThermaRest NeoAir 72-inch
- Flex-Air inflatable pillow
Clothing:
- Marmot Essence jacket
- Marmot PreCip pants
- Ibex wool short-sleeve shirt
- Icebreaker wool long-sleeve shirt with thumb loops, chest zipper
- Skins compression tights
- MontBell U.L.Down Inner Half Sleeve Jacket, or “sh-vest”
- Gordini poly/wool beanie OR liner gloves
- Smartwool socks (for camp/sleeping)
- Defeet wool riding socks
- DownUnder insoles
Possibilities bag:
- two SPD cleat bolts
- hydration bladder nipple
- biodegradable toilet paper and matchbook in a baggie
- insect repellant wipes (5) in a baggie
- zip ties (4)
- duct tape, wrapped around a broken pencil
- waterproof matches
- Wet Fire firestarter cubes
- compass
- Princeton Tec Scout headlamp
- Inka pen
Bike tools:
- Crank Brothers mini-pump
- Specialized glueless patch kit
- Park tire levers (2)
- Specialized mini multi-tool
- spare tube
Cook kit:
- MSR titanium cup
- Caldera Cone alcohol stove
- bottle of denatured alcohol
- polycarbonate spoon
Shop Our Store
Nutrition:
- Pro Bars
- Hammer Bars
- Thai curry cashews
- yogurt-covered peanut clusters
- instant oatmeal packets
- Mountain House freeze-dried dinners
- instant soup — corn chowder, split pea
- Elete electrolyte drops
- Hammer Recoverite packets (one per night)
- Katadyn chlorine dioxide water-treatment tablets
Notes:
This is a mid-summer packing list — if we were expecting cold temperatures or consistent wet weather I would have packed differently.
Look for ways to avoid redundancy within your group. For instance, Todd and I shared a stove; I would have brought a Leatherman, but I knew Jeff was bringing one; etc.
What You Find in John Stamsted's Bags
Stamsted has an austere packing style that emphasizes multiple use and avoids redundancy. For instance, he does not use a sleeping bag because, “you can only sleep in it.” A down vest, on the other hand, you can wear as a vest and, if you’re John Stamsted, you can stick your legs through the armholes and sleep in it.
- Louis Garneau Neo Power lycra shorts, one pair
- Skins compression tights
- Patagonia long sleeve wool crewneck shirt
- synthetic T-shirt
- one pair of socks, poly/wool blend
- Patagonia Grade VI waterproof jacket and pants
- Patagonia down jacket
- Patagonia down vest (doubles as leg covering at night, with legs sticking out armholes)
- synthetic beanie
- riding shoes
- short-finger riding gloves
- waterproof, uninsulated lobster gloves (“Because we’re in high mountain,” he says, adding a tip for riders that get caught out in cold or wet weather, “Surgical gloves can really get you out of a jam. Put them on over your short gloves. They’re waterproof and weigh nothing.”)
- neoprene knee covers (“To put over any injury or overused joint — the moist heat really helps.”)
- over-shoe booties
- knee warmers
- arm warmers
- two space-blanket bivy sacks (one regular, one vapor-barrier)
- 3-liter main bladder
- 1-liter backup bladder
- ultralight saw
- alcohol stove
What Jeff Boatman Carried
Clothing Worn:
- bike shorts — Pearl Izumi PRO — 5.9oz
- jersey — Icebreaker GT 180 wool blend zip T — 6.7oz
- gloves — Pearl Izumi Octane — 1.9oz
- helmet — Giro Athalon — 10.6oz
- socks — nylon mini crew — 1.3oz
- shoes — Scarpa Quest climbing approach shoes — w/Superfeet insoles — 35.2oz
- cycling cap — Rapha — Schoeller cotton — 1.9oz
- sunglasses — 1.9oz
Clothing Carried:
- arm warmers — Pearl Izumi Thermafleece — 2.5oz
- knee warmers — Pearl Izumi Thermafleece — 4.2oz
- thermal top — Patagonia Capilene 2 zip neck — 5.8oz
- thermal bottoms — Patagonia Capilene 2 tights — 5.5oz
- wind shell — Patagonia Houdini full-zip jacket w/hood — 3.9oz
- soft shell pants — Patagonia Rock Guide, DWR treated, w/ front pockets & belt loops removed — 8.8oz
- rain jacket — Patagonia Spector full zip jacket — 8.6oz
- down parka — Mont Bell UL Inner Parka, w/hood & handwarmer pockets — 7.9oz
- beanie — light wool w/fleece earband — 2.3oz
- shell gloves — GoreTex nordic ski shells — 2.4oz
- extra socks — Smartwool crew — 1.5oz
Cook Kit, all in custom silnylon stow sack — 6.0oz:
- Titanium folding solid fuel tablet stove w/Esbit fuel
- .6L Evernew titanium pot w/lid and handle
- Snowpeak Ti spork w/cut handle
- custom trimmed & vented MSR aluminum windscreen & heat reflector w/paper clip
- 3”x 3” pack towel square
- mini lighter
Sleep System:
- tarp shelter — custom made silnylon tarp w/awning style ends & guy lines in custom silnylon stow sack — 13.6oz
- ground sheet — custom cut and tapered Space Blanket — 4.9oz
- 7 MSR aluminum needle stakes and 10’ accessory cord for seat post triangulation w/ bike supported tarp pitch method — in DyneemaX stow sack (also used as a durable rock sack when bear bagging) — 2.8oz
- Mont Bell UL Super Stretch Down Hugger #3 sleeping bag in custom silnylon stow sack w/hang loop (also used as food bag when bear bagging) — 23.2oz
- Thermarest Prolite 3 XS sleeping pad — used as torso pad w/ backpack and water bladder for pillow & extra clothing under legs — 8.2oz
Sundries:
- backpack — Osprey Talon 22 — w/ straps trimmed — 27.7oz
- water bottle — Specialized Big Mouth 24oz — 3.0oz
- water bladder w/filter — Platypus Big Zip 3L bladder w/cord for hanging in camp & Sawyer inline filter w/custom neoprene sleeve — 8.1oz
- head net — Outdoor Research Spring Ring, no-see-um mesh w/spring steel insert — 1.6oz
- food bag — Loksak 12”x20” odor-proof zip lock bag — 1.1oz
- Princeton Tec EOS 2 headlamp w/helmet mount and lithium batteries — 3.0oz
- digital camera in 5”x 4” H2O proof Aloksak — 7.9oz
How to Mountain Bike Tour
Tool/possibilities kit, 14.6oz:
- Crank Bros Multi 17
- Crank Bros Power Pump
- patch box w/2 tubes of glue, 9 small patches, 1 large patch, and 2 speed patches in poster paper sleeve
- spare derailler hanger
- 2 chain links
- Power Link
- 3 alloy spoke nipples
- 4 cable ends in baggy
- chain lube in micro dropper bottle
- poly grease in flip top container
- 6”x10” T-shirt rag w/bottom hem for cassette flossing
- old toothbrush w/cut handle
- 2 plastic tire levers
- all above in Carousel Design Works 5”x 7” zippered DyneemaX ditty bag
- 2 Maxxis Flyweight 26” tubes in Carousel Design Works 5” x 7” zippered silnylon ditty bag — 7.2oz
- Leatherman Juice S2 w/pliers, knife, & scissors — 4.4oz
- fire starting kit: 10 Tinder Quik tabs, 1 Wet Fire cube, Light My Fire mini fire steel in 5”x 4” waterproof Loksak — 0.8oz
- bear bagging kit: 40-foot AirCore Pro Ursalite urethane coated Dyneema cord & Nite Ize #2 S biner in baggy — 1.3oz
- Colgate Wisp mini toothbrush & travel-sized Glide floss in baggy — 0.2oz
- 1” camp roll toilet paper & 0.5oz bottle hand sanitizer in 4.5”x 7” Aloksak — 1.6oz
Medical kit — all in 5”x 4” Aloksak — 1.9oz:
- 3 2”x 3” non-stick dressings
- 4 Band-Aid Tough Strips
- 10 wound closure strips
- 4 Neosporin applications
- 5 Q tips
- Swiss Army knife tweezers
- 1” roll of Leukotape
- 2 tincture of Benzoin applications
- 10 Advil & 4 Benedryl in flip top container
Repair kit/emergency kit — all in 5“x 4“ Aloksak — 3.8oz:
- 4 large zip ties
- 4 small zip ties
- 4 safety pins
- 1” roll of Gorilla Tape
- 6ft. 22 gauge bailing wire
- 1 ¾” male buckle end
- 1 application of Krazy Glue
- GoreTex repair tape
- Kleartape universal repair tape
- Thermarest repair kit w/one Hot Bond adhesive and 5 patches
- 2” x 3” signal mirror
- 1” roll orange flagging
- mini compass
- 6 Micro PUR tablets
- 19”x 23.5” oven-roasting bag in baggy (used as pack liner in extended inclement weather)
Sewing kit — in metal tube w/thimble cap — 0.3oz:
- 1 spool 46wt nylon thread
- 1 spool 69wt nylon thread
- 1 heavy needle
- 1 light needle
- 2 pins
Journal kit:
Rite in the Rain 24-page pad w/4” pencil in baggy — 0.8oz
Other items:
- 5”x 5” square pack towel — 0.2oz
- Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap in micro dropper bottle — 0.4oz
- SPF 30 spray-on sunscreen — 1oz
- Brave Soldier Lip Defender SPF 15 lip balm— 0.3oz
- Brave Soldier Friction Zone chamois cream— 2.0oz
- 100% DEET insect repellant in micro dropper bottle — 0.3oz
You can find the story of Aaron and his friends' trip through Alberta’s Kananaskis Country in the Dec/Jan 2011 issue of Adventure Cyclist.
This story has been updated and was originally published in 2011.
Comments
Forgot Password?
Enter your email address and we'll send you an email that will allow you to reset it. If you no longer have access to the email address call our memberships department at (800) 755-2453 or email us at memberships@adventurecycling.org.
Not Registered? Create Account Now.