Alaska Loaded Bikepacking Adventure Packlist

This trip has been in the works since last fall, so I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’m packing. The plan is a human powered, with a little hitchhiking, wander around Alaska. Two summers ago I spent a few months up there and before I even left, I planned on returning with a fatbike. I also knew I wanted to go deeper into the wilderness, so my packraft, backpack and trekking poles weren’t being left behind. All the additional gear definitely adds up, both in weight and volume, but I’m willing to accept the trade off, at least for now. I also figure gear can be stashed, held by someone, or mailed ahead as needed. Besides, even with all this extra gear the bike weighs less than many loaded touring bikes I’ve checked out.

I like new gear as much as the next person, but most of the gear, while not the lightest and latest, I already had. I really try not to replace still functional gear and fortunately I have a pretty deep gear closet to pull from.

Update 9/3/16 – As the trip evolved, I shed some kit, and items with a strikethrough were mailed home.

Sleeping:

  • Mountain Hardwear Skyledge 2 DP tent – the second warranty replacement for my old Skyledge and still crappy quality
  • DAC J-Stake tent pegs
  • Mountain Hardwear Lamina 35 sleeping bag – old and not very lofty, but still functional
  • Sea to Summit eVent Compression Dry Sack – keeps the sleeping bag dry
  • Klymit Static V sleeping pad – a cheaper and more durable alternative to the NeoAir
  • Sea to Summit Ultra Light Aeros Pillow – 2 ounces of comfort

Wearing:

  • Ibex Woolies 150 T-shirt – mostly for sleeping
  • Mountain Hardwear synthetic T-shirt
  • Patagonia R2 long sleeve half zip top
  • Ibex Woolies 150 bottoms – warm and odor resistant, but not as durable as synthetic
  • Patagonia Synthetic Shorts
  • Marmot Scree Pants – lightweight softshell pants
  • Three two pair of Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) synthetic boxers – I prefer regular underwear over cycling shorts
  • Walmart hunting socks – my sleep socks
  • Darn Tough medium weight wool socks – two pair for everyday wearing
  • RAB Ventus Jacket – my favorite layering piece; very light, a bit wind resistant, and pretty bug resistant
  • Patagonia Houdini Vest – ultralight wind protection
  • The North Face Thermoball Hoodie – great warmth to weight ratio
  • Marmot Minimalist Jacket – a lightweight multi-sport shell with Gore-Tex Paclite that fits over all my layers
  • Marmot Minimalist Pants – sized to fit over my soft shell pants
  • Boss Arctik Xtreme insulated knit work gloves – cheap and warm
  • Buff
  • Mesh trucker hat
  • Alpaca wool winter hat
  • Chaco Z2 Sandals – my favorite cycling footwear
  • Salomon XA Pro 3D GTX trail running shoes

Jpeg

Cooking and Eating:

  • MSR Dragonfly stove – I prefer a gas stove for windy conditions and bigger meals
  • MSR 20oz fuel bottle
  • Snow Peak Trek 1400 titanium pot – small enough for one and big enough for two
  • Snow Peak Trek 700 titanium mug
  • GSI Fairshare Mug – I cut the handle off so it fits in the cook kit
  • Mini Bic lighter – I keep this in the pot in addition to the lighter I carry
  • Snow Peak Titanium Spork
  • Small plastic spatula – for scraping the bottom of pots and jars.
  • Homemade Reflectix pot and mug koozies – little weight compared to fuel savings
  • Ursack Minor Kevlar food bag – keeps the smaller critters out of my food when it’s hung

Adventure Gear:

Hygiene:

  • Half used tube of toothpaste
  • Toothbrush – I don’t cut the handle
  • Q-tips
  • Concentrated dish soap in a small bottle – used for all washing
  • Small pair of scissors
  • Nail clipper
  • Roll of TP
  • Wet Wipes
  • Small pack towel – I store this in the cook pot to reduce the rattling noise
  • Foam ear plugs – they allow me to sleep most anywhere

First Aid:

  • Assorted dressings, bandages, band-aids and gauze
  • Steri Strips – wound closure
  • 4-0 suture kit
  • Leukotape P tape
  • Triangle bandage
  • Ibuprofen (Advil)– anti-inflammatory
  • Loperamide (Imodium)– anti-diarrheal
  • Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) – antihistamine
  • Packet of anti-chafing cream
  • Compact trauma shears
  • Small curved hemostat
  • Rescue Essentials Mini Tweezers
  • Lightweight plastic signal mirror – mostly for repairing myself in places I cant see
  • Razor blade
  • Nitrile Gloves

Tools and Repair Kit:

  • Leatherman Rebar multi-tool – used for everything from food prep to opening faucets without handles.
  • Park Cone Wrenches DCW-3 and DCW-4 – For hub adjustment and pedal removal
  • Crank Brothers Multi 19 tool – great chain breaker and spoke wrench
  • Stein Mini Cassette Lock – allows cassette removal without a chain whip
  • Spare shifter cable – works as a brake cable as well in a pinch
  • Fiber Spokes – I carry two
  • Replacement spokes – two front and two rear with long and short nipples, stored in my handlebar
  • Random tire levers
  • Generic patch kit
  • Presta to Schrader valve adapter
  • Schrader valve core remover
  • 1 extra Surly fatbike tube
  • A few miscellaneous nuts, bolts and washers
  • 2 chainring bolts that also double as Rohloff disk rotor bolts.
  • A few chain links and a master link
  • Lezyne Micro Drive HV pump with gauge
  • Chain lube, an old toothbrush with a chopped handle, and a rag
  • Gorilla Tape
  • Tyvek tape– for fabric repair
  • Zip ties
  • Small tube of Aquaseal UV– repairs fabric, sleeping pads, and small packraft punctures
  • Packet of 5 minute epoxy
  • Small sewing kit – thick nylon thread, one straight and one curved needle, 2 safety pins and some rivets
  • 2 hose clamps
  • 2 feet of baling wire
  • Tent pole splint
  • Extra tent body clip– needed due to the crappy tent design
  • 20 feet of 2mm cord – for extra tent guy lines or general repair
  • Stove repair kit
  • Extra lighter
  • Extra plug and valve for the packraft
  • Packraft patch kit
  • Dry suit zipper lube– works great on tent zippers as well

Electronics for AK

Camera and Electronics:

  • Olympus PEN EPL-3 micro four-thirds camera
  • Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens – this stays on most of the time.
  • Olympus 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R zoom lens – stored in a vintage Olympus lens case
  • Olympus VF-2 Electronic Viewfinder with EP-9 eyecup – allows image composing like a DSLR
  • 3 Olympus batteries
  • Tiffen 37mm and 58mm polarizing filters
  • Cokin graduated ND8 filter – I just hold it in front of the lens
  • Lens pen and cleaning cloth
  • Silicon Power 64GB Firma ZN F80 flash drive – for backing up photos from my camera and phone
  • ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML – an unlocked, dual SIM Android smartphone / phablet that I’m also using as my computer and GPS with the apps Maps.me, Gaia GPS and Maplets.
  • Zagg Pocket Keyboard – turns my ZenFone into a mini computer
  • Skullcandy Ink’d flat cable earbuds – decent sound, cheap and durable
  • Micro USB Host OTG Cable with Micro USB Power – for attaching a USB flash drive to my phone
  • Micro USB SD Card Reader – for transferring images from my camera to my phone
  • Instapark Mercury 10 solar panel– keeps the electronics charged
  • Brunton Ember 2800 solar charger power pack – power booster for my USB electronics.
  • Assorted chargers and cables

Defiant Packs 1

Bags and Racks:

  • Defiant Pack Custom Ziperless Framebag – holds food and tools
  • Defiant Pack Daily Top Tube Bag – a zipperless top tube bag
  • Revelate Designs Jerrycan– holds a spare fatbike tube and a blinky light
  • Revelate Designs Harness – Holds my packraft, paddle, PFD, spray skirt, spray deck combing, and trekking poles
  • Revelate Designs Saltyroll – purchased after I mailed my packraft home
  • Revelate Designs Mountain Feedbags– handlebar snack bag
  • Seal Line Seal Pack waterproof hip pack– straps to the handlebars or around my waist and holds my camera
  • Old Man Mountain PHAT Sherpa rear rack– made for the offset rear triangle on the Surly Pugsley
  • Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus rear panniers
  • Sea to Summit Big River 65 liter dry bag – keeps gear dry on the rear rack and also used as a waterproof liner for my backpack
  • Blackburn Outpost Cargo Cage – mounted under the downtube with hose clamps
  • Delta Megarack Cargo Net
  • Lots of extra straps to keep things from rattling around

Miscellaneous:

  • Planet Bike Superflash rear blinky light
  • Jandd waterproof saddle cover– I always try to keep my Brooks saddle dry
  • Black Diamond Revolt headlamp – USB rechargeable
  • SteriPEN Freedom – USB rechargeable UV water sterilizing pen
  • MSR 6 liter Dromedary Bag – boosts my water capacity to two days for the long, dry stretches.
  • Tyvek postal envelopes – free stuff sacks for organization.
  • Two Zefel Magnum 164 1 liter water bottles – mounted on the fork legs
  • One Nalgene 48oz water bottle – strapped to the underside of the downtube
  • Sunscreen and lip balm
  • Silva Ranger Compass
  • Mosquito head net
  • Notebook and pen – pocket sized and gets stored with my passport
  • Sharpie marker – for making signs for hitchhiking
  • Plastic bag with my passport, important papers, and SD card with digital document copies
  • Cheap cable combination bike lock

Purchased on Arrival:

  • Lighters
  • Stove fuel
  • Wet wipes
  • Chain lube
  • Bear spray
  • Food

Breakfast:

  • Oatmeal
  • Coffee
  • Granola
  • Peanut Butter
  • Nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Honey

Lunch:

  • Cheese
  • Tortillas or pita bread
  • Dried onion rings
  • Meat or meat substitute
  • Bacon bites

Dinner:

  • Mac & cheese
  • Couscous
  • Instant rice
  • Something to add to couscous or rice
  • Pasta
  • Sun Dried Tomatoes
  • Pesto

Snacks:

  • Gummy worms
  • Chips (crushed)
  • Chocolate
  • Fig Newtons
  • Granola bars