While preparing for the Colorado Trail Race, I re-organized my gear placement to account for more singletrack riding. For the Tour Divide, I aimed to place all gear on my bike with the bulk of the weight on the handlebar. The setup worked well for the limited technical riding on the Tour Divide.
For the Colorado trail, most of my gear is packed in a different place. What was in the front is now in the back. What was in the frame bag is now in a backpack. Yes, a backpack has been added to my gear for the CTR, mainly to carry and access water. I wanted my hydration reservoir easily accessible while riding technical trails. Carrying water and other items in a backpack also keeps the bike weight down to hopefully help with long hike-a-bike sections.
What’s been added
Backpack
Ultralight stove setup (must have coffee, must always have coffee)
Under downtube water bottle cage and bottle
What’s been removed
Bear spray
Maps
What’s the same but in a different location
Hydration reservoir (moved from frame bag to backpack)
Clothing (moved from seat bag to handlebar bag)
Down short sleeve jacket (moved from handlebar bag to seat bag)
Sleep system – ZPacks tarp, Borah bivy, Big Agnes sleeping pad, down quilt (moved from handlebar bag to seat bag)
Food (still in gas tank and frame bag)
Rain gear (moved from seat bag to handlebar bag)
Full Spreadsheet
Click the pict
ure to the left to access the full spreadsheet. Some weights are not completely accurate, and some gear is bound to change locations again. As I get closer to the race start, I’ll post a final spreadsheet.
Once major change under consideration is switching from a quilt back to a sleeping bag. Another is forgoing my inflatable pillow for a stuff sack filled with extra clothing.
The bikepacking gear puzzle is strewn all over my garage, waiting for the edge pieces to slide into place followed by the inner pieces soon after. At least I have identified which pieces are edges. That’s an important first step.
