Adventure Cycling Association

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

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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

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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.