Oregon Timber Trail Packing List

Written By Karey Miles

For those of you who are gear junkies - or maybe just curious about what to pack for an epic bikepacking adventure, here you go.  Please note that I am not an ultra-super-light-race-paced-packer.  I am your more mid-line, not too heavy, "I can do without a lot of things, but care about somethings and will deal with the weight," type of packer. Some of my gear is the top of the line ( have been using it for a couple years though), but my bike and components are definitely not.  So, for those of you who are looking for the latest and greatest - that's great and all, but you won't find that here.  What you will find is a pretty damn comprehensive list of things that are handy and possibly an opinon about why I do things the way that I do. This list that I have included here is pretty much the same list of things that I packed for my Great Divide Mountain BIke Ride in 2016.  

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SETUP: 

Bike: Focus Black Forest HT 29'er (Heavy old bike)

Seat Post: Suspension Seat PostThud Buster 

Brakes: SRAM Guide RSC

Handle Bars: Ergo Hand GripsErgon GP5 

Pedals: MSW CP-200 Platform/Clipless

Handlebar Bag: Revelate Sweet Roll

Navigation: Garmin 820 

Tires: Front: Specialized Purgatory, Rear: Specialized Butcher (Both Tubeless)

Frame Bag: Salsa Frame Bag 2

Cage Mounts for Salsa Anything Bags: I have a suspension fork with no mounts, so I had to use a different attaching system.  I use a Gorilla Clip Mount from Free Parable Design and it works extremely well!  I have taken it for miles and miles and miles!!! 

Extras on the Bike: 

Bear Bell

Small Speaker: AYL SOUNDFIT Waterproof Speaker (obviously not necessary, but man, I ride faster with some tunes in my ear, plus it warns the animals that you are coming!)

Extra tube taped under Downtube

2 spare spokes (one for L and R) taped to frame

Extra Cables and Housing in Handlebars

 

 

 

Osprey Tempest 6 Hip Pack

  • Water: Platypus Soft Bottle 1L + 2 large water bottles in each side (equals about 3 L of water)
  • Lip Balm: Kiss My Face SPF 15
  • Cell Phone
  • Cash/Credit Card in Sea to Summit plastic holder
  • Phone Case - Life Proof Nkd
  • Eye Drops (2 - allergy and moisturizing)

Revelate Feed Bag 1 (I call this the food trough)

  • Sunscreen - Keep it handy
  • Whistle - Keep it handy
  • Knife: Gerber - Keep it handy (especially for meat snacks)
  • Titanium Spork - Keep it handy (usually I stuff it in the middle of the snack bag so that it doesn't fly out the side - this has happened to me before)
  • Energy Bars: I like Picky Bars!  They go down easy and are nutritious with minimal to no extra preseratives and taste really good. But to each their own! I usually pack two bars for each day.  For this specific trip I mailed two boxes to different points so I would have bars in the future.  I don't have a horribly picky diet so I could also just pick up snacks at a convenient store if needed. I just like having what I know my stomach reacts well to.  
  • Mace/Pepper Spray (protection just in case)

Revelate Feed Bag 2

  • Cliff Energy Chomps (I usually go through 2-3 packs of these a day, pending how long we ride) 
  • Other snacks as needed (could include an assortment of Keeblers Crackers, Salty Nut Rolls, Twix Bar sand Swedish Fish - a lot of Swedish Fish)
  • Bug Spray - Keep it Handy
  • (These bags are also great cause you can stuff your garbage in the side netting as well)

Revelate Gas Tank

  • Energizer Headlamp (nothing fancy)
  • Cycling Multi-Tool: Crank Bros M-19
  • Headphones: Beats bluetooth Ear buds 
  • Batteries: 6 AAA (Make sure you have enough batteries and the types that fit anything that needs batteries)
  • Spare snacks
  • Handy wipes
  • Mosquito head net

Revelate Sweet Roll, Large

  • Sleeping Bag Big Agnes Roxy Ann 15 degree 
  • Sleeping Pad Big Agenes
  • Tent: Nemo Hornet SL 2P + Footprint
  • Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Premium
  • Air Pump Neo (Not necessary, but especially at elevation, where I don't any extra air, it helps and it saves me time)
  • Bag liner: Rab Silk Mummy Liner (a must! kept things clean, easily washable, added warmth)
  • Showers Pass Convertible Rain Pants and Syncline Jacket (Yes, I take this in the PNW even when it's 100 degrees - doubles as an extra layer at night if needed, plus mosquito protection if really needed)
  • Some times I also stuff extra food things in the Sweet Roll if I am riding for more than 3 days without a resupply.  Things like Tuna Pouches, Recoverite Drink Mix, Miso Soups, etc slide in really easily.  

Salsa Anything Bag 1

  • Jet Boil Flash Lite X
  • Jet Boil Pot Extension (fits inside Jet Boil)
  • Fuel: 1 little (inside jet boil)
  • Self Care Bag in a mini stuff sack
  • Bag Balm Mini Canister
  • Travel tube of Noxema
  • Neosporin
  • Sanitzing Wipes
  • Toothbrush/paste
  • Lotion (my hands tend to crack so I need this)
  • Ear Plugs
  • Tweezers
  • Floss
  • Dr Bronners Soap
  • Contacts (Daily disposables so don't need solution)

Salsa Anything Bag 2

  • Fuel: Big Cannister
  • Titanium Double Walled Coffee/Whiskey Cup
  • Assorted Tea Bags
  • Instant Coffee packets
  • Instant Green Tea Packets
  • Emergen-C Packets
  • (All of these mini drink packets are in a plastic bag inside of my cup - I like having them on the quick draw for mid afternoon pick me up of "iced" coffee or green tea)

Salsa Frame Bag  

  • REI Micro Towel - Small size

  • Bowl/PlateSea to Summit Collapsable Bowl

  • Scratch Labs Lemon Lime Hydration Mix Packets Energy Drink Mix

  • Hot Drink Mix - Apple Cider (tasty treat, also goes well with whiskey!)

  • Food (I will include my list of go-to-foods later, but I can generally easily fit 4-5 days of food on my rig.  Usually my frame bag houses most of my dehydrated foods but could also include anything from flattened bagels to cans of chicken other tasty snacks)

  • Pen & PaperWaterproof Field Notebook

  • Sea to Summit X-Pot (aka Bob the Pot) 1.4 L (This is not a necessity, but I like to make a few fancy meals in the pot, so I choose to bring it - I fit my bowl/plate and my drink mix inside)

  • Field Guide to Bike Repair (Cause I don't claim to know everything about fixing my bike on the fly)

  • Electronic tire pressure guage

  • Anker Powercore 20100 Portable Battery Charger

Tool Kit (aka Waterbottle in a cage under my down tube - fancy, I know)

  • Universal derailleur hanger
  • Cleaning rag
  • Park Tool cleaning brush
  • Chain Lube
  • Patch Kit
  • Tire Bacon kit (tubeless repair)
  • Spare Cleats w/ Bolts (1)
  • Spare Brakes (2 sets)
  • Zip Ties 
  • Wolf Tooth Components Pack Pliers (these include many tools in one)
  • Park Tool Tire Boots (2)
  • Replacement Chain Links
  • Duct Tape/Electrical Tape
  • Straight Needle
  • Rubber Bands
  • CO2's (3) and CO2 inflator tool

Revelate Viscacha Seat Bag

  • First Aid Kit: Adventure Medical SL and Water Tight
  • 50ft Paracord (an absolute must)
  • Clothing Pod (a stuff sack sinched super tight with all clothes):
  • LS Button up Icebreaker Merino (aka Town Shirt)
  • Nike Running Shorts (aka Town shorts)
  • Patagonia Underwear (1)
  • Spare Chamois/Liners (1)
  • Socks (2)
  • Icebreaker Merino Sleeveless
  • Icebreaker Merino LS (for riding)
  • Icebreaker Merino LS (for sleeping)
  • Icebreaker Merino Leggings (for all things cool)
  • Sports Bra (1)
  • LF Gloves (1 pair)
  • Knee Warmers
  • Icebreaker Head Cap
  • Buff 
  • Tiny Sack of any extra food that didn't fit anywhere else
  • Big Agness Down Puffy in a stuff sack
  • Flask of Whiskey (cause a little nip keeps me warm at night)
  • Headlight: Nite Rider 650 Lumax
  • Taillight: PDW 
  • All cords for charging headlight, taillight, garmin, phone, speaker, etc. 
  • Chacos Sandals strapped to the sides
  • Platypus 4L gravity filter (strapped on top)

On My Person:

Food

For this specific trip, I will be out on the trails approximately 21 days.  I have planned ahead and have mailed boxes to certain points, each about 3-4 days apart. There are two segments at the end where I will be carrying food and supplies for 5 days. These are general food ideas that I carry at any given time, but it changes depending on what is available. I do try to be creative and mix things up a bit, but especially for long periods of time, I just do the usual dehydrated meals.  One of my favorite meals is Chicken dinner and usual reserve this for Fancy Friday Feasts.  

  • Dinners:
  • Chicken Dinner: canned chicken, stuffing, instant potatoes, dehydrated veggie (usually green beans)
  • Olive Oil Packets
  • Norr Rice/Pasta Sides (add chicken or tuna and voila!)
  • Good to Go Dehydrated Meals (I like these - they take a while to cook, but have amazing flavor and are very filling and provide a large amount of food in one pouch. Usually, I buy the two serving one and divide it in half, putting one portion in a small plastic bag so it takes up less room than the larger cooking pouch. I keep one cooking pouch handy for about 3 days and just reuse it.  
  • Tuna Pouches (flavored ones add a bit of variety)
  • Mayo/Relish/Mustard Packets - either order online or grab from convenient stores
  • Flattened Bagels (BEST EVER!)
  • Instant Miso or Soup Mix
  • Hot Cocoa/Chai Mix
  • Instant Grits
  • Almonds/Trail mix
  • Powdered Butter 
  • Powdered Egg White (I use egg whites instead of whole eggs because they are less "eggy" tasting upon reconstituting. I mix this and the powereded butter into my grits)
  • Freeze dried fruit mix (tasty as a snack, in grits, or as a rehydrated fruit salad)
  • Meat Snacks
  • Nut butter packets
Karey Miles
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