Bikepacking Shakedown

[dgaddis1]

After threatening to go bikepacking for several months I finally did it this weekend. Seenvic and I went out for a short overnighter as a shakedown of our equipment, in preparations for a longer trip eventually. Here's how it went, what worked well, and what didn't work so well.

I've been slowly acquiring gear over the last year, a few things here and there, whenever I find good sales basically. Temps were forecasted to drop down to around 43 degrees Saturday night, so we had to bring enough clothes to stay warm.

Please excuse the crappy iPhone pics.


This is my hammock broke down ready for packing.


The hammock went into this frame bag. I decided to put the rain fly in the exterior pocket of the camelbak though.


Clothes to wear around camp and my sleeping bag all packed down into....


...this dry bag, which got strapped to my handlebars.


The Jabberwocky loaded up and ready to ride. It weighed right at 30lbs.


When I first put the bag onto the bars I had a problem - it was all up in my grips and brakes. So, I took this bungee cord and used it to keep the bag bent back out of the way. After taking the pic I re-routed the bungee below the down tube. I wasn't sure how well this would work.


Everything else went into my Camelbak HAWG. Here's the full list:
-70oz of water
-arm/leg warmers
-pot/pan/knife/fork/spoon (all titanium and crazy light)
-scotch pad
-stove and fuel can
-plastic bowl
-rain fly for hammock
-lighter
-first aid kit
-SAM splint
-pump
-saw
-small duct tape roll
-toilet paper
-ramen noodles
-beef jerky
-trail mix
-candy bar
-toothbrush and toothpaste
-contact solution and case
-prescription glasses and case
-light to use around camp
The jacket didn't fit, so I didn't take it. Which was a mistake.


It was totally full. It wasn't as heavy as I expected though. Threw it on my scale and it came out to 13.25lbs


Seenvic took a different approach. Bivy strapped to the seat post, food on the bars, everything else in his camelbak. It was huge. Apparently I didn't get any pics of it though.


An old school Camelbak Bandito strapped to the bars.

So all loaded up, we started our ride at the southern end of Turkey Creek, and headed north on the singletrack. My bike set up worked perfectly. The dry bag stayed right where I put it on the bars. It stayed out of the way of my brake levers and grips, and it didn't hit my knees when I was out of the saddle climbing. My bike felt heavier for sure, but it rode like normal. The weight on the front end didn't effect the steering at all. I rode just like normal. Log hops were no problem. My camelbak didn't feel that bad. I tightened the lumbar straps pretty tight, and it put almost all the weight onto my hips, not my shoulders, and it was comfortable.

Seenvic's bike set up didn't work as well, we had to stop several times to adjust/move things around. First, the bivy sac came loose, so we moved it to the bars, and seenvic said the weight on the front of his did change the steering feel, especially at low speed. Then his sleeping pad fell out, so we had to put it back in again.

We rode all of Turkey, and a little over 3 miles of Wine, and found a nice camping spot. A flat area just off the trail next to a creek bed.


The creek bed was mostly dry, just a few puddles here and there. We used some rocks out of here to build a fire ring.


We set up camp and got a fire going just before we ran out of light.


My hammock. I used the support line to hang up clothes to dry - I'd be wearing them again the next day to ride back.


Seenvic used a bivy sac to sleep in.

Once it got dark we ate, roasted some marshmallows on the camp fire and just hung out. A little after 9pm we went to bed. Temps were starting to drop and it was getting cool. I initially got in my sleeping bag wearing just a pair of boxers, and I was comfy. Went to sleep quickly. But then a few hours later I woke up, and I was cold. Put on some clothes and went back to sleep...for a little while. But then I woke up cold again. I had heard that hammocks sleep cold, since you aren't insulated on one side like you are when sleeping on the ground. I had hoped my bag would be warm enough (it's rated to be comfortable at 36 degrees, temps were forecasted to get down to 43), but it wasn't. So I tossed and turned the rest of the night, not sleeping for more than just a few minutes at a time. I'm guessing I got about 3 or 4 hours of sleep total.

Seenvic stayed warm and cozy all night in his bivy sac.

Once daylight finally started creeping into the sky I got up to pee, after putting on my arm and leg warmers and jersey beneath my pants and long sleeve shirt. Seenvic got up as well, and we got another fire going.


The fire worked really well for warming up our clothes before putting them on - just like pulling something straight out of the dryer.

Ate some oatmeal, tore down camp, put out the fire, and rode the 10.7 miles back to the car.


Seenvic tried putting his sleeping pad on the seat post. It made to the Big Dip before it fell out. Back onto the Camelbak it went.

The trip was a success. What we had worked (mostly), but we both learned a lot for next time. I need to find a way to stay warmer, and Seenvic needs a better way to put stuff on the bike.

I'm going to find something to put beneath my sleeping bag inside the hammock that should insulate me better and let me stay warm...like a fleece blanket or something. I'm also going to simplify my glasses/contacts. I'm just going to wear my prescription glasses next time, then I wont need to carry the contact solution and case, or the case for the prescription glasses. I'm also going to think long and hard about the stove/fuel/pot/pan/etc. While it was nice having warm food, I'm not sure if it was worth the bulk of all that stuff. I may also look at a way to put either a rear rack or large seat bag on the back of the bike to carry clothes and other light weight stuff, to get some weight/bulk off my back.

All in all it was a really fun trip. And the many possibilities longer, multiday rides are fun to think about...I just need to find a way to get away from all my responsibilites for 3 or 4 days

[brianW]

Did you use your water bottle cages? looking at the pic of your bike it seems there was not room. If not, could you make a container (perhaps from old water bottles) that could be placed there for additional storage?

Glad to hear it went well. Last two times I was at Mistletoe the back country site at Rock Dam had campers.

Just hiked "Below the Dam" trail and when this is complete it will open up FATS to Mistletoe for overnight rides.

[azdrawdy]

Nice write-up.

MD

[dgaddis1]

I was able to cram a small bottle into the cage on the down tube. I'd like to be able to modify that cage so it used the existing mounts but sat lower, closer to the bottom bracket, then I could fit a large bottle.

[Ross D]

I've got a rear rack that attaches to your seat post!!! It works great! Also, you should've been cold in your bag with less clothes on than more.. Your body heat provides warmth in the bag.. Now if your bag wasn't that insulated, then that's another story. Like you said, the underside had no insulation, so that could've been an issue as well.. Did you "fluff up" your bag before you put it in your hammock?

[Mark Y]

No way to trap warmth underneath was the issue I'm sure. I've camped in subfreezing weather a number of times and as long as I had a pad between me and the tent floor I was good. The one time I forgot I stayed cold all night. Air mattresses tend to be cold to sleep on for the same reason.

[dgaddis1]

Oct 17, 2010 20:43:30 GMT -5 Mark Y said:

No way to trap warmth underneath was the issue I'm sure.

Yep, that was the problem. When you're inside the bag, you compress it between you and the ground, or in my case, the hammock. When it's compressed it can't hold air inside that acts as an insulator. But if you're laying on a sleeping pad, it will act as insulation. The hammock just has air beneath you. Whatever I was laying on was cold. If I was on my back, my chest and stomach were warm, but my back would be cold. Should be easy to fix...but that's just one more thing I have to carry.

[JIMMYC]

I never have slept in a hammock, but I have slept with and with out sleeping on a space blanket and the space blanket is way warmer. I always take 2 to 3 with me when I'm packing and I always go at least once in the winter. A couple of the guys tried hammocks and never stuck with them, but we always go to north Ga the weekend before the Superbowl. You'll get it worked out

[seenvic]

Well damn. I wrote nice reply to all this and must have done something stupid as I don't see it.

Perhaps a second attempt this evening.

[DK]

Oct 18, 2010 6:26:28 GMT -5 dgaddis1 said:

Oct 17, 2010 20:43:30 GMT -5 Mark Y said:

No way to trap warmth underneath was the issue I'm sure.

Yep, that was the problem. When you're inside the bag, you compress it between you and the ground, or in my case, the hammock. When it's compressed it can't hold air inside that acts as an insulator. But if you're laying on a sleeping pad, it will act as insulation. The hammock just has air beneath you. Whatever I was laying on was cold. If I was on my back, my chest and stomach were warm, but my back would be cold. Should be easy to fix...but that's just one more thing I have to carry.

Part two of 5





Of course you could always go with coals from the fire wrapped in aluminum foil underneath. Just have to be careful that you don't end up turning the hammock into a BBQ spit. ;D

[kingjr9]

i used to sleep with a poncho in my sleeping bag to act as a liner with socks and a cover for my head to stay warm on cold freezing nights