Went out for a fully-loaded shakedown last night in preparation for my first bikepack trip this weekend.
We’re doing this trail: https://bikepacking.com/routes/ridout-bigwind-rugged-ramble/
Pretty sure we’re all “under-biked” for a portion of these trails — but the forecast is great, and we can take our time. Likely to be the most rugged bikepacking we do going forward.
I’m happy with the set-up so far. Need to tighten the elastic retainer on the Arkel Dolphin panniers as the bottom hook popped off a couple times when I was in some rougher ATV trails, and the bag shifted forwards on the rack a bit.
The Ortlieb Ultimate handlebar bag seemed to handle it all well. Got it on deep discount, and was a no brainer for fully waterproof additional storage for my cooking kit, ditty bag, FAK, and water filter.
Planned to strap a dry bag to the rack, but right now I can fit everything into the 16 litre panniers. This is good going forward on colder/rainier/longer trips it will allow me to use that extra space. Now I can use that space to bring a couple UL chairs for me and my friend.
I have a waistpack which has a 1.5 litre hydration bladder for water and pockets for snacks. The mounted bottles I can use for electrolytes. The seat bag has tubes and tools and lives on the bike.
by leek_mill