Christophe Noel
Expedition Leader
With the popularity of bikepacking gaining speed, it's become obvious it's not cheap to assemble a proper bikepacking kit. Because space, weight and efficiency are such critical considerations, many of the go-to products commonly used in bikepacking circles are pretty spendy. A couple of us have been kicking around options for a less expensive kit, but one that doesn't sacrifice too much performance. To quote Keith Bontrager, "Light, strong and cheap. Pick two." We think we've uncovered some products that might defy Keith's quote.
The three major components to a good bikepack system are: Storage, Shelter, and Food/Hydration. That last one is relative to not just cooking and eating, but transporting and treating water on route.
Storage:
Storage has long been the bugaboo of the budget bikepacker. Custom frame, bar and seat bags can run well over $500 for a complete set. We've found some fun alternatives.
Bar Bag - Outdoor Research Lateral Dry Bag, $45
This is a fantastic alternative to a costly custom bar bag.
Cons: Lacks durability. Hard to complain as this was not designed as a bar bag, even though its a fantastic bar bag. It may not be a good long term solution.
Frame Bag - Revelate non-custom Tangle Bag, $70
Hard to believe they've been able to produce these hand-made bags at this price. This is half the price of a custom bag.
Cons: There's a little wasted space as the lower half of the main triangle is unused. It does however, permit the use of your two bottle cages.
Backpack - Camelbak Cloud Walker, $80
There are few good hydration pack options below $100 these days. This pack has the capacity and low weight to make it a very viable bikepacking option.
Cons: None that I can see, and I've used previous generations of this pack for many bikepacking trips.
Shelter
This category includes everything you need to survive the elements whether at rest or on the bike. It's tough to save money here.
Bag - Kelty Lightyear 40, $159
At 2 pounds, 2 ounces this 600 fill down bag is a cool $100 cheaper than similar bags from the premium bag makers.
Cons: There are lighter bags available. It's not the smallest $159 bag, but the best quality for that price.
Bivy - Adventure Medical Kit (SOL) Thermal Bivy, $35
This barely made our list, and it's still a marginal option. This really would need to be used in tandem with a light tarp, but it is a waterproof fabric. If there a genuine threat of weather, this would be dicey. It's a great product, and worth owning, but it might be sketchy to call this your only shelter in some areas.
Cons: not fully weather proof.
Pad - Thermarest Trail Scout, Med, $45
Pretty hard to beat this value. At a pound and a half, it's darn close to it's $150 cousins.
Cons: Slightly bulky. This may present a storage problem for some. It will likely end up on the bars. Pretty darn thin, too.
Food/Hydration
While many riders opt to go without a stove, we've found warm water in the morning can greatly increase comfort with a good cup of joe, oatmeal or tea. Plus, a hot meal can make recovery after a hard day better all around. It's also possible to use freeze dried meals as a means of conserving weight as whole foods can get very heavy.
Stove, pot, fuel - Esbit Stove and Cookset, $35 ONE OF OUR FAVORITES
This is another value winner. We've tested this system again and again with surprising results. One bonus - as you burn fuel, you reduce carried weight AND bulk. This system weighs a scant 197 grams for the stove, pot and lid. Each eight minute boil expends one 14 gram fuel cube. That means hot water for a four day trip would only weigh 281 grams with the stove, pot and six fuel cubes. Hard to not pack that. It's not nearly as fickle and delicate as an alcohol stove. We've found this to be far lighter than alcohol once you factor in fuel weight
Cons: Have yet to find one if all you need is hot water. Clearly you can't "cook" on this very well.
Water purification - Aquamira tablets, $8
This is a great alternative to a filter, or a Steripen, which many of us have found to be a great option in certain areas.
Cons: Time. It takes 4 hours to treat your water, so you better plan ahead. The drops are 2 ounces instead of 50 grams, but they're much faster.
Summary of cost and weight:
Cost of the items above: $477
Rough estimate of weight including storage systems: 8.7 pounds
This doesn't include food, clothing, or various bike accessories, but it gives you a good idea what's possible with a smaller budget. Stay tuned for our list of "Price is no factor" bikepacking stuff. You'll be surprised to see the weight is very similar.
The three major components to a good bikepack system are: Storage, Shelter, and Food/Hydration. That last one is relative to not just cooking and eating, but transporting and treating water on route.
Storage:
Storage has long been the bugaboo of the budget bikepacker. Custom frame, bar and seat bags can run well over $500 for a complete set. We've found some fun alternatives.
Bar Bag - Outdoor Research Lateral Dry Bag, $45
This is a fantastic alternative to a costly custom bar bag.
Cons: Lacks durability. Hard to complain as this was not designed as a bar bag, even though its a fantastic bar bag. It may not be a good long term solution.
Frame Bag - Revelate non-custom Tangle Bag, $70
Hard to believe they've been able to produce these hand-made bags at this price. This is half the price of a custom bag.
Cons: There's a little wasted space as the lower half of the main triangle is unused. It does however, permit the use of your two bottle cages.
Backpack - Camelbak Cloud Walker, $80
There are few good hydration pack options below $100 these days. This pack has the capacity and low weight to make it a very viable bikepacking option.
Cons: None that I can see, and I've used previous generations of this pack for many bikepacking trips.
Shelter
This category includes everything you need to survive the elements whether at rest or on the bike. It's tough to save money here.
Bag - Kelty Lightyear 40, $159
At 2 pounds, 2 ounces this 600 fill down bag is a cool $100 cheaper than similar bags from the premium bag makers.
Cons: There are lighter bags available. It's not the smallest $159 bag, but the best quality for that price.
Bivy - Adventure Medical Kit (SOL) Thermal Bivy, $35
This barely made our list, and it's still a marginal option. This really would need to be used in tandem with a light tarp, but it is a waterproof fabric. If there a genuine threat of weather, this would be dicey. It's a great product, and worth owning, but it might be sketchy to call this your only shelter in some areas.
Cons: not fully weather proof.
Pad - Thermarest Trail Scout, Med, $45
Pretty hard to beat this value. At a pound and a half, it's darn close to it's $150 cousins.
Cons: Slightly bulky. This may present a storage problem for some. It will likely end up on the bars. Pretty darn thin, too.
Food/Hydration
While many riders opt to go without a stove, we've found warm water in the morning can greatly increase comfort with a good cup of joe, oatmeal or tea. Plus, a hot meal can make recovery after a hard day better all around. It's also possible to use freeze dried meals as a means of conserving weight as whole foods can get very heavy.
Stove, pot, fuel - Esbit Stove and Cookset, $35 ONE OF OUR FAVORITES
This is another value winner. We've tested this system again and again with surprising results. One bonus - as you burn fuel, you reduce carried weight AND bulk. This system weighs a scant 197 grams for the stove, pot and lid. Each eight minute boil expends one 14 gram fuel cube. That means hot water for a four day trip would only weigh 281 grams with the stove, pot and six fuel cubes. Hard to not pack that. It's not nearly as fickle and delicate as an alcohol stove. We've found this to be far lighter than alcohol once you factor in fuel weight
Cons: Have yet to find one if all you need is hot water. Clearly you can't "cook" on this very well.
Water purification - Aquamira tablets, $8
This is a great alternative to a filter, or a Steripen, which many of us have found to be a great option in certain areas.
Cons: Time. It takes 4 hours to treat your water, so you better plan ahead. The drops are 2 ounces instead of 50 grams, but they're much faster.
Summary of cost and weight:
Cost of the items above: $477
Rough estimate of weight including storage systems: 8.7 pounds
This doesn't include food, clothing, or various bike accessories, but it gives you a good idea what's possible with a smaller budget. Stay tuned for our list of "Price is no factor" bikepacking stuff. You'll be surprised to see the weight is very similar.