Pro-Tips
- Focus on comfort (saddle choice and upright cockpit).
- Dial in your Gearing.
- Keep your set up simple and efficient.
- Make sure everything works well and is in good condition before you toe the line. TEST YOUR SET UP!
Do you have questions or concerns about the gear you think you need to go bikepacking? I did before I rode the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, and Arizona Trail Race last year. Should I bring a bivy or a tent? How much water do I need? You probably have all these questions and more. My Proven Triple Crown Bikepacking Gear lists will hopefully help you plan your own trip.
Rest assured everyone goes through the same process of selecting gear for any type of adventure. This page was put together to help you navigate the process of selecting your gear and to take the mystery and fear out of it.
If you’ve only done a single overnight trip, the selection process and what bikepacking gear you bring and how it’s packed and used is the same as it is for a month long race like the Tour divide. Furthermore the gear you’d take hiking is the same as bikepacking gear.
Links have been provided throughout the page to the proven gear I used for your convenience in case you still need to finish your own gear set up. Lastly, shopping through those links will help support the One of Seven Project and its sponsors.
Shopping with our affiliates helps fund the development of content like this.
A few years have passed since I rode the Triple Crown, and I’ve learned a lot. As a result of riding the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, Arizona Trail, and various other big bikepacking trips my approach and the gear I feel I need have changed.
With that in mind I created my “If I Rode…” series. Each post shows what I brought the first time, what I’d take today, and why the change. I also touch upon differences in my approach and goals for each trail, as both have changed as well.
In depth look at what I would bring for gear and why, if I rode the AZTR, CTR, Kokopelli Trail, and Tour Divide.
The Giant XTC Advanced Plus, which is a 27.5+ carbon hardtail was my weapon of choice for the Triple Crown. The main reason to get this bike is because it’s a plus size bike which you can can also run as a 29er, can be run with gears or as a singlespeed. Most of all, the versatility it offers as a bike makes it an obvious choice.
I call him Phillip The Trail Donkey, as he carried all the supplies like a real donkey. YES, I talked to him daily and we are the best of friends after experience the Bikepacking Triple Crown together.
BIKE SET UP BY TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE
COLORADO TRAIL
ARIZONA TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE
I wanted to maximize my comfort as I knew I’d be spending countless hours in the saddle. To achieve this I put on a Brooks B17 saddle and a pair of Profile Designs 3T+ aero bars (with a 60mm riser). I also ran a carbon rigid fork, as the Tour Divide doesn’t require a suspension fork. The last change I made to my bike was to run it as a 29er to maximize efficiency.
COLORADO AND ARIZONA TRAIL
Knowing both trails would require a suspension fork, I put the OEM Fox 34 back on. In additions, I removed the aero bars as there isn’t enough road riding on either trail to warrant them. In place of the aero bars I added what I call HAB Bar Ends (Bar ends you put inside of your controls to make pushing/carrying your bike easier). To better handle all the climbing I’d be doing I geared down to a 46×30. Lastly I switched out my tires to Ikon 2.35’s.
PROS:
I really liked my bike and how it performed during my bikepacking triple crown. I have very few issues and the ones I did were simple issues like flats.
CONS:
As I said above I had very few issues with my bike. The creaking seat post was the biggest issue. I didn’t list these as an issue as it really wasn’t if you were’t too picky but in the beginning I was worried about my B17 saddle getting wet. By day 3 of 3 of rain on the CTR I gave up.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
I’m happy to say none of my choices didn’t work and they met all my needs during my three trails.
THINGS I’D DO DIFFERENTLY:
If I rode any of the three trails again I wouldn’t do much differently.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
After completing the Tour Divide, Colorado trail, and Arizona Trail on a hardtail I don’t really think anyone needs a full suspension on the CTR and AZTR. There are sections of both that you might wish you had full suspension but you can manage without. A drop bar 29er would be ideal for the Tour Divide.
You should focus on comfort, reliability and a bike with good storage ability.
Like all bikepacking gear, clothing is different from person to person. Most of the basics are the same but we all have little differences in our kit. Most of my changes to my kit were to things I wore day to day, and not my camp clothes.
Set priorities of what’s important to you or what areas may have special needs. My goals were to be warm and dry if the situation called for it. It took some work, but I figured out the right set up.
Speaking of staying warm and dry I put together a post on How to Stay Dry While Bikepacking over on my blog.
CLOTHING SET UP BY TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE
Worn
COLORADO TRAIL
Worn
ARIZONA TRAIL
Worn
Transition Pieces
Transition Pieces
Transition Pieces
Camp Clothes
Camp Clothes
Camp Clothes
TOUR DIVIDE
On the Tour Divide I didn’t have enough clothes. I didn’t bring a vest and had to order the windproof gloves mid race. As far as kits went it was okay. With only one bib and jersey I stunk pretty bad. My Giro Empire VR90’s got a little tight by the end, In hindsight I should have gotten a bigger size.
COLORADO TRAIL
After learning my lesson on the TD of not having enough clothes I added a vest, baggies to put over my bibs and switched out my jersey choice. I got tired of the sun sleeves being so tight on my arms and they were so dingy. The loose fitting Astroman was awesome. Can you say four way stretch? I also went with the X-Alps for more comfort when doing HABs.
ARIZONA TRAIL
By the time I rode the AZT my Brooks B17 was so comfortable I said screw bibs. The idea of sweating that much in the Arizona desert day after day with only one pair of bibs didn’t sit will with me or my ass. My X-Alps were a little too loose in the heel so again I switched shoes to some Giro Terraduro. I also added a visor for hiking the Grand Canyon.
PROS:
With the selection of clothes I had in my kit I had a pretty flexible kit that was well suited for most conditions I faced during my bikepacking triple crown. Less meant more room for other items and helped to keep the weight down.
CONS:
The above says it all. You’re going to smell. No, seriously you will stink worse than you ever imagined possible. Wearing only lycra get’s old fast.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
Not taking a vest and warmer gloves on the Tour Divide was a mistake. Bring what you think you’ll need to be comfortable in a wide range of conditions. The tongue on the Terraduros would slip to either side and chaffed my ankles terribly.
THINGS I’D DO DIFFERENTLY:
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Your kit won’t be much different than that of a long weekend ride. Add some clothes to sleep in and some extra gloves and socks. In the end make sure you’re both physically and mentally comfortable with whatever you decide to take. Not being so could cost you more than not getting to the finish.
A solid well put together Tool/Repair Kit should mirror who it belongs too and where they are going. Every kit will be different for each situation. Your judgement is better than someone else’s.
I put together my Tools/Repair kit by sitting down with my bike and I looked it over from back to front and top to bottom. I asked myself what could go wrong, if I could fix it with my mechanical skills, then I made sure I had the tools or parts to fix it. Tools and a repair kit are mandatory bikepacking gear items every trip needs.
TOOLS/REPAIR SET UP BY TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE
COLORADO TRAIL
ARIZONA TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE, COLORADO & ARIZONA TRAIL
As I didn’t have to use anything more than my pump and a couple of tubes throughout 4028 miles of bikepacking, I didn’t make any changes to my tool kit.
I also used my multi tool a few times and this taught me a valuable lesson. I learned this lesson many times. See the What didn’t work section to the right to find out more.
PROS:
My tool kit was both of the things listed above but it also gave me a feeling of confidence. It’s more than some would carry but I wanted to ensure my chances of finishing were the best they could be.
CONS:
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
This multi tool is a sub par at best. Don’t ask why I didn’t replace it after the TD. It’s short allens couldn’t reach many of the bolts on my bike and they have a tendency to fall apart.
THINGS I’D DO DIFFERENTLY:
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I was happy with my Tools/Repair kit. At times I felt like I took too much as I wasn’t using any of it but after some thought I realized, sometimes it’s not about using it but the piece of mind having something in your bag that is more important.
I tried my best to keep the number of electronics I carried to a minimum but only succeeded some what. Choosing items that used similar size USB cords further minimize the number of items. I did this so I could charge anything with my SON generator hub, relaying on my external battery only as a backup.
I found out the hard way that ZipLock bags (and bikepacking bags) are not sufficient at keeping electronics dry. Do yourself a favor and get a waterproof case.
ELECTRONICS SET UP BY TRAIL
TOUR DIVIDE
COLORADO TRAIL
ARIZONA TRAIL
TOUR DIVID & COLORADO TRAIL
My electronics set up was the same for both the TD and CTR expect I switched out the ZipLocks for a SealLine E-case to protect my electronics.
ARIZONA TRAIL
While on the AZT I switched out my Goal Zero Flip 24 for an Anker external battery. I did this for two reasons. The first being that I fried the first one on the TD and the second Flip 20 I had didn’t hold a charge on the CTR. The second reason was I needed a proven and larger battery for the AZT.
PROS:
I choose my electronics kit carefully, and made sure cords were interchangeable.
CONS:
Any and all issues I had with my electronics were due to outside factors and not related to the electronics themselves.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
As I mentioned in the Bags section above I used ZipLocks to store my electronics on the TD and they failed miserably. ZipLocks are NOT bikepacking gear.
THINGS I’D DO DIFFERENTLY:
FINAL THOUGHTS:
I mentioned earlier in the Cons section that my issues were from outside factors. I think with further use before my races I could have probably eliminated them. This is yet another example of why I keep saying to TEST your set up!