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What to Pack for a Very British Summer Overnighter
Recently our Tom and Alex were joined by a select handful of ambassadors for a fun weekend of bikepacking in the Peak District. The story of that ride is now live over on Bikepacking.com, but as we all know, the most important thing isn’t the ride, it’s the gear, right?
The premise of this ride was very simple. We ride not very far, take in some of the central Peak’s classic ups and downs, then find a primo spot to camp out with friends. I plotted the route to be “sort of gravelish”... the exact sort of gravel was probably better described as mountain biking, but boundaries are made to be blurred, right?
Given the luxury of not having huge distances to travel, and the prospect of a rare dry night, what was the best set up? We had five riders and five quite different approaches. All of them compromised in one way or another, but all worked out in the end.
TOM
Luggage: Restrap Bar Pack, 8L Saddle Bag, Large Frame Bag, 2 x Carry Cages and Downtube Bag
Sleep: A cheap hammock, air mattress and old down quilt from sources long forgotten. I took a punt on good weather and didn’t bring a tarp.
Cooking/food: MSR Windburner Jetboil-style stove. Purple titanium fork of dreams. Couscous, Babybell and chorizo. Chocolate for pudding.
Clothing: My Albion Zoa rain shell was on and off constantly throughout the weekend. I love a "proper" waterproof for riding in. It's so useful to pull a hood up over your helmet when the weather really craps out. I went for some old Acre baggy shorts, which are comfy for big miles and look nice when hanging around in beer gardens. The Albion Zoa insulated jacket was a nice treat once the sun set. For sleeping, my 30 year old Helly Hansen Lifa long johns turned out to be a little more worn out than I realised. Now to be retired.
Selected Extras: Hip flask. Quoc x Restrap sandals for an evening stroll.
Favourite piece of kit: It’s no coincidence that Cotic are a Peak District bike company. The Cascade is the perfect ‘gravel’ bike for the terrain there.
I wish I had brought: A midge net <scratches>
ALEX
Luggage: Restrap Race Bar Bag, Race Top Tube and Race Frame Bag along with a 14L Saddle Bag and Downtube Bag. Unavoidable Restrap 22L Roll Top Backpack for excessive camera equipment and camp beers.
Sleep: Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL2 Bikepacking Tent, Sea To Summit SPKI Sleeping Bag, Thermarest Sleeping Mat, Thermarest Inflatable Pillow.
Cooking/food: MSR Pocket Rocket Stove, Hard Lines Instant Coffee, Couscous & Tuna + Pot Noodle
Clothing: Maap cycling kit, now out-of-production GORETEX shake-dry waterproof and Rapha down jacket.
Selected Extras: Quoc x Restrap Sandals for post ride comfort
Favourite piece of kit: Redshift Suspension Seatpost & Stem offering under-biked comfort
I wish I had brought: Bigger tyres & more gears or stronger legs and liquid confidence
SEUN
Luggage: Restrap Full Frame Bag in Large, 14L Saddle Bag, Utility Hip Pack, 2 x Restrap Race Stem Bags, Restrap Downtube Bag, Race musette & Hydration Vest for extra food up to camp
Sleep: Naturehike Cloud Up 1 tent, Rab Sleeping Mat & Sleeping Bag
Cooking/food: All the posh camp food. Loads of back up snacks… it ain’t easy being a T1 diabetic bikepacker.
Clothing: All the Albion. Another Zoa rain shell, rain pants make for a good camp layer too. And an ultralight insulated jacket to keep any chills off.
Selected Extras: Smidge repellent spray. I never want to encounter midges again.
Favourite piece of kit: Restrap large full frame bag. GIVE ME ALL THE STORAGE CAPACITY.
I wish I had brought: A mountain bike, I only ride posh champagne gravel :(
CLAIRE
Luggage: Restrap 8L Saddle Bag, 14L Bar Bag, 2 x Fork Bags, Small Race Top Tube Bag
Sleep: Naturehike Cloud Up 2 tent,Thermarest Neoair mat, Rab down quilt, Rab silk liner
Cooking/food: Amazon special tiny stove, Alpkit Ti mug to heat water for my Ainsley couscous and a tomatoey tuna sachet, none of that fancy freeze dried camp food here.
Clothing: 7Mesh jersey and shorts. Another GORETEX unobtanium waterproof and a Patagonia Micropuff jacket for all the cosies.
Selected Extras: Quoc x Restrap sandals
Favourite piece of kit: fork bags – when you have a small bike but want to carry luxuries such as a tent and stove they’re pretty much essential, plus nicely expandable when you want to bring some extra snacks up for dinner.
I wish I had brought: Smidge! Although luckily we all stole Seun’s…
JO
Luggage: Restrap 8L Saddle Bag, Restrap Race Bar Bag, Small Race Frame Bag, Downtube Bag and Restrap Race musette tucked away for later.
Sleep: I did bring a hooped bivvy but shared a tent with Claire. A so-expensive-it-had-to-be-a-Christmas-present Sea To Summit Ultralight Air Sleeping Mat, RAB quilt, silk liner, Exped inflatable pillow.
Cooking/food: I never carry any cooking or coffee equipment so I rely on scavenging the yellow sticker bargains from any shops along the way. A Restrap Race Musette bulging with sandwiches, YOP, pastries and a beer.
Clothing: Matchy-matchy Albion jersey and Restrap cap. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer down jacket that packs away into nothingness. A gilet and legwarmers add layering flexibility and a yet another GORETEX shake-dry jacket for when the rain got too heavy to ignore.
Selected Extras: Miffy came along for the ride., collapsible silicone cup that’s easier to pack and not as annoying as a dangle mug.
Favourite piece of kit: Pink fleece beanie that comes on every trip, like a comfort blanket.
I wish I had brought: The mountain bike that was in my front room.
