Part of the fun of bikepacking is trying to figure out the ideal gear kit for a trip. Each trip gives you a chance to try out new gear or a new way of organizing gear on the bike. Being the numbers geek that I am, I decided to build a gear list spreadsheet that would help with distributing weight evenly on the bike.
What It Does
When packing for a bikepacking trip, my goal is to get as much weight as possible in the frame bag and keep the backpack lighter. Your goal may be even distribution of weight or the elimination of a backpack. The spreadsheet assists in these tasks by showing how the weight is distributed across the handlebar bag, frame bag, seat bag, and backpack. It also shows the total weight of each gear category (sleep system, clothing, food, electronics, cook kit, etc).
Of course, a spreadsheet will never, ever substitute for real life trial and error testing of your gear setups, but it can give you a gauge of how evenly your gear is distributed. The category totals can help you find areas of your kit where you could focus on weight reduction.
As you add or remove items from the gear list spreadsheet, the top section with the bike picture automatically updates the weights, percentages, and color indicators. The color indicators function like a stop light with the heaviest area of your gear setup red, the lightest area green, and the remaining two areas yellow.
How To Use
- Don’t edit any of the grey shaded areas. These values auto calculate based on the data entered in the lower section of the spreadsheet.
- Go to the “Setup” tab and enter your preferred categories. I have created categories that work for me, but feel free to edit them. A maximum of 15 categories can be created, but hopefully you don’t breakdown your gear into that many categories.
- Go back to the “GearList” tab and start entering your bikepacking gear.
- Watch the calculated weight distributions and make any necessary changes.
Future of the spreadsheet
This spreadsheet gives you an idea of the weight distribution of a particular bikepacking setup, but it doesn’t allow you to list all of your gear. On each bikepacking trip, the gear changes due to weather, new gear, or trip distance.
The ideal solution would be a single spreadsheet that allows you to enter all of your gear on one tab and then use another tab that lets you choose a gear setup for a trip. This would allow you to create several gear setups and compare them against each other.
That’s my idea for the spreadsheet, but please let me know if you have another suggestions or problems using the spreadsheet. Just don’t get too caught up in spreadsheet fun and forget to go ride your bike.
