A downloadable list of all my bikepacking gear can be found in this post, first some background information.
Clothes and personal items
If you’re riding as I did, taking your time, enjoying exploring the remote sierras, towns and pueblos and staying a few days, you will want more clothes than if you’re on a mission to finish a route as fast as you can. You don’t have to be dirty and smelly all the time! After having a shower, it was so good to be able to put clean clothes on. I washed my dirty gear in the hostal bathrooms and dried them where I could.
I had packed for warm to hot weather in the day, with chilly mornings and evenings (above freezing temperatures) I would swap out some items if I was riding in colder weather. My clothes were packed in a vacuum bag, to keep the volume down.
Sleep System and camping
My preference was to have a completely free-standing tent. I really can’t be doing with staking out the guy ropes every time I put it up. I was generally happy with my choice of tent, although in strong winds it felt quite unstable. It’s tall and thin and must be pitched with the thinner end facing the direction the wind is coming from, which isn’t always easy to establish. It survived, was roomy enough for me and all my gear, except my bike, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in it. It's very good at keeping the bugs out!
Bike
Standard, out of the showroom Specialized Camber FSR 2017 except for tubeless tyres and Promend Quick Release pedals (See pedal review here). The bike is fitted with standard tyres - Ground Control and Purgatory.
My only criticism of it would be that a full suspension bike is obviously heavier than a gravel bike, but not to a point where I wanted to throw it down a mountain, unless I was on it of course!
Bike Luggage
I chose the Arkel Rollpacker luggage as they looked the most suitable for a full suspension bike. At 25 litres they are some of the largest bags around. When I fell off my bike riding down from the Puerta de la Ragua, the luggage took a hard hit. On my final day of the ride, the front Rollpacker bracket snapped, I managed to fudge a repair to continue. I can only think I may have cracked it in the aforementioned shunt. I also think I put excessive stress on it by strapping my tent to it, now I don’t do that. After contacting Arkel, they promptly sent me a new front bracket free of charge, I did have to pay the postage though.
My rear Rollpacker has been problematic from the get go. It comes adrift from the seat. The only way I have been able to fix this is to put two cable ties on the tightening lever, so it can't move up or down, AND I put a Voile strap around the bracket and the seat, these two modifications seem to hold it in place, even on fast gnarly trails.
My fork luggage bags are Gorilla Cages, I bought new ones after I had my accident, which was caused by one of the bags falling into the front wheel. I also bought the correct bags for them this time, which is a great improvement! The cleats holding the bracket on to the fork are the same, but the brackets are the V2 ones, these are much bigger that the previous version.
Rucksack
I carry a lot more things than a bikepacker on a mission would. All the extra gear doesn’t fit into the bike bags, so I carry some in my rucksack. The rucksack is quite heavy, and when I’m tired it feels extra heavy! I carry my laptop, electronics, some of my food, some of my water, paperwork, and a fleece in it. I would like to not have to ride with it but can’t see how I can keep my 'luxuries' if I didn’t use it.
Cooking equipment
I’m happy with my cooking stuff. My Sea to Summit titanium cooking pot was problematic for the first perhaps 10 cooks, the food or water tasted of chemicals. I think a hard anodising by-product was leeching into the food. I would suggest, if using a new pot, testing it at home before you leave for your ride, or you could end up like I did, unable to eat or drink.
At some point I’ll need to buy a new stove, the one I have is around ten years old and it sometimes falls apart! But I will stick with the screw on gas canister type I think. I found it difficult to find screw on canisters in the small pueblos in Spain, luckily I’d bought an adaptor that fits into my existing canister, so I can refill it with a butane aerosol type bottle, which are easily found in ferreterias in Spain.
Gas refill adapter - threaded canister to butane aerosol can be found here
Electronics
My YouTube films are very basic, I only use a GoPro, without gimbal and don’t use a drone. My notebook laptop and camera are very basic too.
As far as navigation goes, I use RidewithGPS on my phone to navigate, and Komoot to plan a route. I like to have a spare mobile phone, in case of disaster, such a that I had in Spain when I smashed my navigation phone to pieces!
I carry an emergency beacon, in the form of a Garmin Inreach Explorer
Gear List
Below is an XLSX sheet of my gear that you can download, in case you want to adapt it for yourself. It shows what I carry, product details, where I store it, and if I use it on an overnighter. II hope it's useful to you!
Full Gear List Item
Check Upload offline route to all devices
Check Subscribe to Emergency Beacon
Check Test emergency beacon
Check Charge all devices
Check Check water filter is working
Check Check tyre sealant
Check Tell someone where you're going
Check Luggage mountings are secure
Bag of Vitamins
Cooking Pot
Tea, Coffee And Sugar
Bowl
Cup
Mozzie Headnet
Stove
Lighter
Spare Batteries
Gas Canister
Pillow
Quilt
Sleeping bag liner
Windshield For Stove
Beanie Hat
Cable Bike Lock
Hand Sanitizer
Insect Repellent
Shit Tickets
Sun Hat
Trowel
2xBungees
Allen Keys
Chain Oil
Eye Cover
First Aid Kit
Emergency Blanket
Makeup
Rain Jacket
Sawyer Filter
Snake Bandage
Spare Plastic Bags
Spare Sawyer Bottle
Suspension Pump
Tyre Sealant
Tyre Tube
Washing Stuff
Water Bottle
Wrist Straps
Solar Charger
Towel
Umbrella
Clothes bag
1x Pair Of Leggings
1x Pair Of Short Shorts
1x Pair Of Knee Length Shorts
1x Pair Of Padded Cycling Pants
2x Pairs Of Knickers
1x Sports Bra
1x Long Sleeve Tops
1x Tidy T Shirt
1x Vest Top
1x Fleece
2x Pair Of Socks (Short/Ankle/Long)
1x Pair Of Long Johns
1x Pair Of Riding Gloves
Buff
Fisiocrem
Flannel
Front Bike Light
Head Torch
Headband
Lighter
Neck Cooler
Puño
Rear Bike Light
Spoon
Sun Screen
Swiss Army Kife
Wet Wipes
Tissues
Snacks
Emergency Repair Kit
1 x 3 Metres Paracord
3 x Safety Pins
1 x Sewing Kit
1 x Large Darning Needle
1 x Chain Splitter
1 x Derailuer Hanger
1 x Darning Thread
1 x Plugs For Holed Tyre
1 x Toothbrush To Clean Chain
1 x Silicon Gloves
1 x Sawyer Washer
1 x Double Sided Spongy Tape
1 x Super Glue
1 x Tube Of Adhesive
1 x Small Reel of Tank Tape
1 x Pen
2 x Brake Caliper Piston Spacer Blocks
1 x Repair Patch for Airbed
1 x Repair Patches for Tent
3 x Tyre Levers
10 x Cable Ties
1 x Small Reel Of Wire
2 x Spare Strap Clip
1 x Fire Lighter Rod
1 x Co2 Canister And Adaptor
1 x Spare Chain Link
Puncture Patches
2xAdaptor to Fill Gas Canister
Empty Holdall
Incense Sticks
Water Bottle
Spanish Fan
Rain Poncho
Power Bank
Airhorn
Compass
Face Mask
Notepad
Pencil
Lip Salve
2xGorilla Cages
2xRollpackers
Bike Mounted Bottle Holder
Handlebar Telephone Mount
Knife
Securing Straps-Large
Securing Straps-Small
Telephone For Navigation
Tent Bag
Tent Body
Tent Rainfly
Ground Sheet
Tent Poles
Sleeping Mat
Sleeping Bag Liner
Top Tube Saddle Bag
Tyre Pump
Water Bottle
Wedge Top Tube Bag
Dry Bag For Electronics
2xPower Banks
Electronic Cables And Sd Cards
Gopro Fittings
Laptop
Spare GoPro
Spare Telephone
Wall Charger
Ear phones
Ear Plugs
Camp shoes
Food
Garmin Inreach
Insulated Food Bag
Money, Credit Card, ID
Selfie Stick Tripod
Waterproof Matches
Spare Prescription Glasses
Water Bottle
Whistle
Temp/Wind gauge
Digital Camera
Peak Designs Camera Clip
On Me (or packed away)
1x Long Sleeve Tops
1x Pair Of Knee Length Shorts
1x Pair Of Padded Cycling Pants
1x Pair Of Socks (Short/Ankle/Long)
1x Pairs Of Knickers
1x Sports Bra
Backpack
Bike Helmet
Gopro Camera
Gopro Chest Mount
Prescription Sun Glasses
Trail Runners